Thought for the day [RRR -3 days]

As most of you know, I became interested in celery* and started to promote its use a few months ago.  I also posted a heretical post about the [severe] limitations of trimming as way of increasing hoof health.

[*"Celery" in this context means NOT trimming hooves but allowing the horse to self-maintain with sufficient work on varied surfaces]

I know some of you have been very interested in the benefits of "celery", particularly those of you whose horses have had bad experiences of poor trims in the past.  I'm sure others think its a load of baloney and are still convinced that hooves are all the better for a damn good trim.

So I thought it might be a good idea for me to post some statistics. They are stats which have been given to me by owners - they haven't been independently verified, haven't been double blind tested, but I believe they are accurate.

Why?  Because if rehab horses have taught me anything, its that owners are the first people to spot lameness and are the most picky - owners know their own horses inside out and back to front, and there is NOTHING like riding a horse to give you a feel for that horse's lameness or soundness.

So with that in mind, have a look at this  - the top 4 relate to horses who have been trimmed, the last stat is for horses who aren't currently trimmed. Remember, these are only the horses I've been notified of recently:

• Ex rehab horses who have been lamed or had their performance measurably impaired following a trim: 10
• Ex rehab horses who have been regularly trimmed with no ill effects: 3
• Other horses I am aware of who have been lamed or had their performance measurably impaired following a trim in the last 3 months: 9
• Ex rehab horses who show a slight improvement following a trim: 1

• Ex rehab horses who are not trimmed and are going from strength to strength: 9

I hope you can see now why I am becoming more and more enamoured of celery in place of trimming, at least for rehab horses.  To recap, the non-trimmed group are all doing well.  In the trimmed group we have, immediately post-trim:

• a slight improvement in 1 horse; 
• damage or lameness to 19 horses; and
• no effect on 3 horses.

This is only a straw poll, but it mirrors my own experiences and its enough of a trend to confirm that trimming may not always even be neutral, let alone beneficial.

Bear in mind also that ALL of the horses who were lamed or damaged were trimmed by registered UK farriers or trimmers who had qualified with a recognised organisation (UKNHCP, EP or AANHCP).  They were trimmed with the best of intentions, and sometimes - I am sorry to say - by farriers or trimmers who went back and made the same mistakes at their next visit.   

This is not a post I ever wanted to make but I think the warning needs to be out there.  As owners you need to be extremely careful about who you allow near your horse's feet - and above all listen to your horse.

In my opinion you should NEVER accept that a horse should be worse after a trim and if this is ever the case with your own horse, discuss it with your trimmer or farrier and - if necessary - their professional governing body.  We all make mistakes, but (as professionals) we shouldn't keep on making them.

By all means, enrol the help and expertise of a qualified hoofcare practitioner to help you optimise your horse's hoof health.  The best of them will spend a lot of time with you and your horse, give you superb advice and will leave you with a sounder horse.  Occasionally this may involve trimming but they may also tell you that your horse will not benefit from a trim. A good hoofcare professional will undoubtedly also be someone who counts many hard-working barefoot horses on their books.   

There are some GREAT hoofcare professionals out there, but there are a lot of trimmers (and farriers) who don't know basic anatomy, don't understand biomechanics and still think that they know more about hooves than your horse.  People like this can do an awful lot of harm if they set about trying to "improve" or "re-balance" your horse's feet and ignore what your horse is trying to tell them.

Do you remember the chapter in "Black Beauty"? 

"I know he meant no harm, I never said he did; I know he is not a bad boy. But you see, I am sore myself; that horse is the pride of my heart, to say nothing of his being such a favourite with the master and mistress; and to think that his life may be flung away in this manner is more than I can bear..."

"Well, John, thank you. I knew you did not wish to be too hard, and I am glad you see it was only ignorance."

John's voice almost startled me as he answered:

"Only ignorance! only ignorance! how can you talk about only ignorance? Don't you know that it is the worst thing in the world, next to wickedness? -- and which does the most mischief heaven only knows. If people can say, `Oh! I did not know, I did not mean any harm,' they think it is all right. "