Cold Shoeing & Barefoot Trims
Cold Shoeing
Cold shoeing is what most people do. It is faster, cheaper, & less work for the farrier.
Cold Shoeing is an advent of technology. before certain technological advances, a blacksmith would heat metal into the shape of a shoe so it could be put on a horse. After machinery was able to make a "generic" shape of a horse's foot, farrier's got greedy and lazy. They found they could do more horses in a day by using these manufactured shoes and skipping the part where they make the shoe fit the foot. Instead, they pull the shoe out of the box, nail it on the foot, and rasp off whatever is hanging out. They may even skip a toe nail to prevent quicking the horse because the shoe doesn't fit.
Another common practice is "dubbing" the toe off as in the picture below. Commonly thought to make a horse faster, it only creates the potential for more problems in the future and does not change the speed of a horse. Horses are very resiliant animals. They are able to handle a lot of abuse and continue to function. This is why we as people have been allowed to take so many shortcuts in taking care of these magnificent animals.
Barefoot Trims
Barefoot trims- How people SELL this is by saying that it is the "natural way". They talk about how horses weren't born with shoes. They say that they are taking a horses hooves back to what it would be if the horses were wild and free again. There are many different ways to back the barefoot trims that seem to make since.
This is what we say about barefoot trims...
*No, your horse was not born with shoes, but neither were we. Why would we think that it is okay for our horses to carry 100-300 pounds(sometimes more) around without shoes, when we would never do it ourselves? Some people will buy "boots" for their horses for when they ride. These boots simply don't fit your horse. Yes, you can buy different sizes but the truth is that they don't fit the way they should. There is NO comparing a hot shoe to a cold shoe or to a boot when it comes to fit. Hot shoes are the best way to go.
*Barefoot trimming also talks about trimming the horse as the horse was free again. Horses used to be wild. Our horses and your horses do not live wild and free anymore. We ride our horses. We take them to the vet when they are sick. We give our horses care that they wouldn't get if they were living wild. Horses do not live the way they used to. Why would we do something to them that does not fit their lifestyle?
*If you have a true barefoot trimmer- The way that they trim is much different. It is in NO way natural. There is a book written by Dr. Mike Miller (A Journeyman farrier and a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers) about the effects of barefoot trimming compared to conventional trimming. I highly recommend this book if you want to educate yourself on the effects barefoot trimming has on your horse.
