Born Without Shoes

Well, Phil ... we all agree that correct hoof balance is essential regardless of shoes or barefoot. Now, tho, comes the rift as to what is deemed "correct hoof balance". Is it a set of angles from a textbook or are the standards set by the individual horse itself. Of course, one would HOPE that most hoofcare people would say, "by the individual horse and hoof itself." But then there are those who say the horse or hoof doesn't know what's good for itself and proceeds to change the angles of the natural conformation through trimming and shodding according to what *should* work with relation to mathmatics and geometry. In truth, *shoulds* don't matter. What *is* is the truth. Of course competitive care can be complex but it doesn't necessarily HAVE to be ... the horse either "has it" or doesn't. As much as humans try, one is not going to make a winning H/J if the horse doesn't have 1. the HEART for it or 2. the CONFORMATION (including hooves) for it. I put the heart as #1 because we all know that if a horse has a heart to do something it will do it and excel, given the opportunity. Just like humans. There simply are no absolutes in this business with horses. One can argue methods and techniques and so on and so forth until he/she is blue in the face and it all sounds wonderful on paper and in theory. But, as Patty said in the *other* thread, hooves are not geometric objects. Neither are horses all created from the same mold. They are as unique and individual as each cell in its body. Of course there are "flaws", some more severe than others. Some flaws we can improve upon by mechanical and medical means; others we have to simply support and aid to the best of our abilities. What *we* need, as humans, is the wisdom to know the difference of what is needed at what point. Hard call for most. But, one absolute is ... none are born with shoes on their hooves.