Thehorse.com - Full Article
By Natalie DeFee Mendik, MA • Dec 06, 2012 • Article #31022
Going barefoot can benefit hoof health, but sondier management realities and athletic circumstances before pulling those shoes.
With today's hectic lifestyle, it's no wonder many people pursue a return to a more natural state--from the food they eat to the products they purchase. This desire for simplicity helps account for the back-to-barefoot trend many horse owners embrace, yet a one-size-fits-all approach rarely applies to hoof care. So what are the pros and cons of barefoot? How should owners best manage their barefoot charges? Let's take a look at the ins and outs of going sans shoes.
To Shoe or Not to Shoe?
To answer this question, we'll start by looking at how structures within the hoof are impacted. When the hoof contacts nonsandy ground, the footing that packs into the hoof (known as the dirt plug) stimulates the frog and sole and helps dissipate energy produced by the hoof's impact with the ground, says Robert Bowker, VMD, PhD, a professor in Michigan State University's Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation...
read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31022/back-to-barefoot?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=03-12-2013
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