Why the Anger Toward Shod Owners? Why the Hatred Directed at Barefoot Owners?

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Tuesday, February 5, 2013 by Garrett Ford

I've seen many conflicts over the last couple of months between well-meaning horse owners who believe either in the shod horse or barefoot horse, but not both. The conflicts often escalate and end in heated debate. Barefoot-Shod, Guns-Anti Gun, Rich-Poor, Old-Young, Liberal-Conservative, Minority-Majority. The list goes on and on. Doesn't it seem like the world is becoming more polarized?

I personally find it disconcerting that the barefoot/shod debate often ends with the same red faced, opinionated arguments brought on by religion and politics. Are the people with barefoot horses really tree-hugging freaks? Are people that spend years learning to shoe a horse properly really abusive to horses and ignorant? What about a horse owner who uses hoof protection during the competitive season and then allows the horse to be barefoot during the winter? What about the horse owner that keeps a horse barefoot and uses hoof protection only when needed? "

"Human beings now face many complex and difficult problems that urgently require solutions. To deal with issues like global warming, nuclear proliferation and the international terrorist threat we must work together, but we cannot do this if polarizing conflict poisons our discussions. In polarized conflicts, combatants state and restate their own views while distorting and ridiculing those of their opponents. As the conflicts get more heated, partisans argue more loudly and their distortions of their opponents' assumptions get more entrenched in their own minds. We tend to think that the more people discuss their differing views the better they will understand each other. But when polarizing conflict is involved, the more people talk the less they understand each other." From http://polarizingconflict.buddhismandwork.com/.

There are many farriers that I respect greatly. At the same time there are barefoot trimmers that I believe have changed the way we think about the hoof...

Read more here:
http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/hoof-boot-news/why-the-anger-toward-shod-owners-why-the-hatred-directed-at-barefoot-owners