Barefoot trim vs farrier trim

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

TEXT AND IMAGES: CHRISTINE PINNA

Most of us have at some point stumbled across that Facebook post asking about the difference between a barefoot trim and farrier trim and avid barefooters will leap on to tell you that the trim is different to a traditional farrier trim. Farriers, on the other hand, may step in and say that it's nothing special and that any farrier can do a barefoot trim - find a qualified farrier and you will be just fine. To confuse things further, there are various styles of barefoot trimming and I'm sure you will find differences in ideas between traditional farriers too. And then, to top it all off, we have barefoot farriers - farriers who have decided to try their hand at barefoot trimming but still shoe on occasion. So amidst this confusion how does one decide what is a good trim for your horse?

HISTORY

To really understand the difference we first need to go back to the history of the different styles of hoofcare.

FARRIERY

While the history of horseshoes is not fully agreed upon by historians, what one can deduce is that when horses started being used for ‘domestic’ purposes (e.g. on farms or as a means of transport) their lives changed dramatically. Going from living outdoors in herds they were now often confined to stables for the sake of convenience and quick access. Standing in damp and dirty conditions for long periods and then being expected to work hard on various surfaces would certainly end up with a horse who is uncomfortable on his bare feet. One also has to wonder about the diet of these horses, and whether or not this would have created high quality feet.

A farrier's duty, historically, is therefore to trim and prepare the horse's hoof for shoeing. This involves trimming the frog, heels and toe callous area. The walls will need some degree of length and thickness to handle the nails used to keep the shoes on. If the horse is to remain barefoot, the latter part of the process, the application of the shoes, is omitted but, generally speaking, the trim remains the same.

BAREFOOT TRIMMER

A barefoot trimmer's knowledge and training generally stems from the studies done on healthy wild horse's hooves, mostly the mustangs from the Nevada desert. Back in 1982 ex-farrier Jaime Jackson visited the mustangs and studied their behaviours over four years. In 1988 he and a colleague, Emery Miller, presented his findings before 5 000 horseshoers at the annual conference of the American Farriers Association in Lexington, KY (USA). Jaime Jackson later went on to release books on natural hoofcare and founded the AANCHP (Association for the Advancement of Natural Hoofcare Practices) as well the ISNHCP (Institute for the Study of Natural Horse Care Practices). Jaime completely abandoned his title as "farrier" and took on the title of "Natural Hoofcare Practitioner", which he believed to be more appropriate for his role.

While many people have since visited the mustangs in order to learn and then share valuable information about these horses, I liked what the farrier (who no longer shoes) Pete Ramey, had to say about his time spent in the desert. Pete paid careful attention to the diet, lifestyle and environment of these horses in order to determine the "recipe" that would result in strong hooves able to traverse over all terrains including very harsh, dry and rocky going.

Pete describes,

"The entire time we were there, we did not see a limp, or even a “give” to any rock, or a single lame horse and not one chip or split in any of their hooves. It was an unbelievable sight."

It was noted that the mustangs travelled approximately 35km a day in search of food and water. They often didn't eat any lush grazing, or only very minimal amounts. Their hooves were generally worn quite short with robust frogs, well developed bars, fairly low heels and short toes. The horses were found to land heel-first when moving actively.

This knowledge was presented to the equine world and folks started to see how they might be able to simulate some of these elements in domestication. A good barefoot trimmer should therefore be able to give you an idea as to whether your horse's diet is affecting his feet and perhaps point you in the direction of a good nutritionist who can assist. They will be able to assess your horse's environment and give you some ideas on how to improve on it. Many barefoot trimmers have also completed courses on equine massage and have the further advantage of being able to pick up if there are problems in the horse's body which could be affecting his feet.

If hoof protection is needed for barefoot trimmed horses, your trimmer will generally suggest hoof boots (removable or glue on), pads or possibly temporary casts. With these options being available, it is unusual for a barefoot trimmer to suggest shoes except for possibly in extreme cases where the previous options are not available in a hurry, or if the horse's diet and environment are affecting the feet so negatively and nothing is being done to change that.

A horse should not be uncomfortable after a trim unless a mistake is made (in which case you should receive an apology and not an excuse) or in the odd case where the horse has a very bad hoof problem such as inflammation during active laminitis, and may be temporarily uncomfortable after a trim, in which case hoof protection such as hoof boots and pads should be strongly considered.

Extreme methods where heels are trimmed extremely short (below frog level, into the sole), excessive sole is removed, or the opposite where heels are left to grow excessively long are generally not in the best interest of the horse and often have their background steeped in bad "science." Any harsh trimming that draws blood should also absolutely be avoided.

VISUAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TRIMS

So, generally speaking, what are the main visual differences between the two different trims?

FARRIER TRIM

Usual shape of offcuts from farrier trim

Trims toe callous area: This area is usually trimmed and flattened in preparation for a shoe being removed and going ‘barefoot’.

Trims frog routinely: The thought behind this is to create a more open area where dirt and muck can't gather. We should be encouraging our clients to reassess their horse's environment, hygiene and diet if thrush is a problem.

Doesn't apply bevel or "mustang roll": Walls are required to have a bit more length to take the shoe.

Quarters are left flat: Because the metal shoe is inflexible and hard it wouldn't be possible to shoe the horse while allowing it to adopt a natural arch.

BAREFOOT TRIM

Toe callous area is avoided: This is in order to avoid further thinning an area that is often not very thick to begin with on many horses in domestic environments. The exception would be when there is dead sole that is coming loose after a long period of dry weather followed by some rain. I have often found that the quickest way to hear the words "my horse just couldn't go barefoot" is to have the hoofcare provider trim the toe callous area, especially right after shoe removal. Leave it alone, give it some time and then still leave it alone and you might just end up with a happy barefoot horse.

Frog is trimmed as necessary: Only particular excess bits of frog are removed, large routine slices of frogs should not be removed as this can encourage contraction and poor frog development. The frog is everything when it comes to traction, blood circulation and even thermoregulation. We want it stimulated and large, not small and painful.

Wall is bevelled: This helps to assist with prevention of major chips and cracks and also encourages a smooth and quick breakover.

Quarters have a small arch: We don't go out of our way to do this but as we are trimming the walls and following the live sole as our guide, a natural arch is often created. This will be prominent in very concave healthy feet, and less so in flatter feet. This arch mimics the natural arch of the coffin bone inside the hoof capsule and allows the hoof to flex. Quarters that are left flat and overloaded often try to sort themselves out by chipping or cracking, or if they can't the coronary band may end up displaced upwards.

BOTTOM LINE

When choosing a hoofcare provider, the most important thing is that the trim your horse gets keeps him consistently sound long term. If they can support you or at least be open minded to dietary changes in the context of the trim to improve hoof quality you should have a happy, comfortable barefoot horse.