Natural – Its from Nature

In today's equestrian community, there are great rumblings of discontent by horse owners concerning the state of their horse's feet.  Problems associated with the shod foot and shoeing in general are fueling owner desires for alternatives.  Perhaps, mirroring society's shift to "natural" modalities in everything from food to medicine, people (in ever increasing numbers) are demanding the same for their pets.  No longer simply utilitarian, horses have become beloved family members, cherished companions and owners want for them the very best and that means natural. What has sprung up to address these concerns is what has become known as the Natural Hoof Care Movement, or Barefoot Movement.   The latter is the more appropriate, generalized term.  The former label, Natural Hoof Care, is fraught with problems.

Many believe that anything that does not follow conventional or allopathic paradigms is natural.  In the case of hoof care, any hoof care method that does not involve a horseshoe is considered to be under the umbrella of “Natural Hoof Care.”  Out of the woodwork have come many practitioners and clinicians loudly proclaiming their method as natural and drawing huge followings of starry-eyed newcomers eager to provide the best natural care for their horses. It is the newest bandwagon and it seems that everyone has snake oil to sell. 

What is natural?  Natural is just what it sounds like - from nature. 
The model for high performance barefootedness is found in nature,  embodied in the wild horse.  Here, in the U.S.,  the feral horses in the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) herd management areas (HMA's) provide all the evidence we need to prove that horses  - any horses - can live and work barefoot.  Hardy and strong, the wild horses of the American West run swift and sure-footed over some of the most rugged and varied terrain this country has to offer.  Their feet are fully functional and highly adaptable in every individual from an hours-old foal to an aging patriarch.  Nature provides them everything they need to survive and, for horses, survival depends upon soundness.   Some horse men and women recognize the importance of following this natural model  when applying it to hoof care for domestic horses.  Some people do not, and prefer to develop and promote their own theories about how to create the "perfect" barefoot horse.

If you seek Natural Hoof Care, be clear about what you are getting.  If a method does not follow the paradigms of the wild horse model, then it is not natural, its that simple.  There is only one model for a natural hoof and it resides on feral and wild equines the world over.  Forged by evolution, shaped by terrain and conformation, honed to perfection by time and action, these hooves are marvels of adaptability, efficiency, extraordinary utility and wondrous diversity. Nature is all about diversity and adaptation.  Never static, it is constantly evolving.  Truly natural hoof care is based on this wild model and nothing else.

That's how EYE see it!
Hawk