My name is Chris Cavalier and I am a Natural Hoof Care Practitioner.
We use the American Mustang as our model for trimming. While our horses do not experience the harsh climate and terrain of their brothers in the wild, we try to simulate the type of wear pattern and proper balance that our horses would get naturally if they were allowed to roam free.
The proper hoof care is of a paramount importance to your horse. There is an old adage "No Foot, No Horse". This statement is very true. But when we talk about proper foot care, we have to look at the entire horse. Not just their feet.
Their health is very important for them to have good healthy feet. A well balanced diet with turn out and exercise is important for our horses.
For a natural balanced foot it is best to maintain a proper trimming schedule. I recommend between 4-6 weeks depending on the horse and the amount movement they receive and hoof growth. For horses that are needing rehabilitation, the trim cycle could be as low as every 2-3 weeks.
Initially, we start with the set-up trim to start your horse down the proper path for strong natural feet. All trim cycles afterwards are our maintenance trims where we will maintain your horses natural foot.
I utilize glue on shoes from EasyCare to allow for the natural expansion and contraction of the horses foot while still providing proper protection to the hoof capsule.
The cost of rehab trimming or glue on shoes depends on what extras the horse will be needing. If the horse requires boots, glue on shells/shoes, casting, pads, etc, then the cost will reflect the costs of equipment and time required.
To see a complete list of available shoes, please visit EasyCareInc
Natural hoof care is the practice of keeping horses so that their hooves are worn down naturally and so do not suffer overgrowth, splitting and other disorders. Horseshoes are not used, but domesticated horses may still require trimming, exercise and other measures to maintain a natural shape and degree of wear. Within the natural hoof care philosophy, the term barefoot horses refers to horses which are kept barefoot full-time, as opposed to horses who are fitted with horseshoes. The hooves of barefoot horses are trimmed with special consideration to a barefoot lifestyle. The barefoot horse movement advocates a generalized use of barefoot horses, both in non-competitive and competitive riding, often coupled with a more natural approach to horse care.
The barefoot trim aims to emulate the way in which hooves are maintained naturally in wild horse herds, like feral horse herds such as the American Mustang.