Race Horse Shoeing - The Potential Dangers And Disasters
Posted on February 22, 2008
Filed Under Recreation and Sports |
Race horses are shod with the intent of creating speed. How this is accomplished is by leaving the toes longer than normally is accepted. Why? The extra length of toe creates a lever as the horse drives forward the foot stays on the ground just a fraction of time longer thereby generating more forward thrust resulting in more speed. When the length of the toe is increased it multiplies the leverage necessary to generate speed.
This practice of generating speed does not come without cost. The cost is a negative one- bowed tendons and lameness many times permanent lameness and the worst case scenario the destruction of the horse, “putting it down”.
Too many times we hear race horses are raced too young is the reason for the bowed tendons and lameness. There may be some truth to that but the fact that cannot be disputed is excess length of toe stresses tendons bones and ligaments and when a horse is ridden hard and is fatigued they break down where the amount of stress is greatest – the legs. Leaving the toe long to generate the speed compounds the problems already inherent with horse anatomy and especially during racing.
As the foot stays on the ground longer due to length of toe and the body of the horse travels forward the deep flexor tendon is under tremendous stress and pull. The tendon is being stretched which it wasn’t designed to do. Since the deep flexor tendon is directly attached to the last bone in the foot (the coffin bone) as the foot labors to break over due to excess length of toe the load to the deep flexor tendon sometimes becomes unbearable to the horse – result, a blown tendon, rotated coffin bone, or a myriad of other bone, tendon or ligament issues.
To further the problem the Farrier industry and textbooks teach Farriers if a horse is pigeon toed, which 98% of horses are, to lower the inside of the hoof wall which forces the foot to rotate outward thereby pointing the foot more straight forward rather than inward. Nothing could be more detrimental to the horses’ correct movement than the combination of these practices. The bones in the horses’ foot are not designed by nature to be rotated either inward or outward. Neither are they designed to carry one side of the foot being shorter than the other yet the industry administers the practice.
This all translates into an industry that teaches practices that destroy horses. This translates into horses’ everywhere at risk- including yours. Prove it for yourself. Ask your Farrier, any Farrier how he or she treats a pigeon toed horse. If the answer is well you shorten the inside hoof wall which rotates the foot you immediately know you are dealing with a Farrier that has been taught the wrong and faulty information.
So what do you do about this, how can you prevent the risk to you and your horse? Get informed – get educated – get current information. You can find the information at the web address below in the author bio. You might find yourself becoming a part of the movement to Care4Horses.
Ride well and remember to Care4Horses.
Reprint rights allowed providing nothing is changed.
Author bio: John Silveira, born in San Mateo practicing as a Farrier in the San Francisco Bay Area for 16 years. Implementing a breakthrough in shoeing practice John has a 100% track record for 16 years-Not One Single Lame Horse. He is sharing his information at the following web address:
http://Care4Horses.com
Tags: dressage, equestrian, Farrier, foot, horseshoeing, jumping, riding, saddle, shoe
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