Holistic Hoofcare based on the Strasser Method

   Sound Horse Systems llc        Anne W. Daimler HHP

Anne’s American Curly Horse mare, Charming Whinney, grazes happily on pasture at Anne’s DeLand home.
Text Box: Why Holistic Hoofcare? The hooves are the base upon which the horse stands.  If there is pain and/or imbalance in the hooves, it will be reflected throughout the horse’s body and affect everything from the way the horse moves to its disposition.  Conversely, such things as saddle fit, training and riding methods, nutrition, overall health of the horse, and its living conditions (among others) have a direct effect on hoof health.  When all of the pieces of the puzzle that make up a healthy and happy horse are in place, optimum performance becomes possible. Once the horse owner has decided to make a healthy and happy horse the primary goal, it only makes sense to start at the base. In an article titled "Most of your income comes from shoeing lame, but still used, horses" (American Farriers Journal vol. 26, Nov. 2000), editor Frank Lessiter quotes Walt Taylor of the World Farriers Association and Together for Equines regarding the overall health of the world's estimated 122 million equines (horses, mules and donkeys).  Taylor's assessment is summarized as follows: “… no more than 10 percent are clinically sound, exhibiting no sign or effect of trauma or disease that diminishes their utility.” “Some 10 percent are clinically, completely and unusably lame. They are kept for various reasons but are used little, if at all, by their owners.” “The remaining 80 percent of these equines are somewhat lame, but still usable.” The gist of Lessiter's article was that the modern farrier needs to become a specialist in shoeing lame horses to make them usable.  It was clear from the content of the article that these figures did not come as a surprise to him. They sure came as a surprise to me, as I heard them for the first time at the Strasser Basic Hoof Seminar I attended in July of 2001.  I was horrified!  Even if you cut the numbers in half, that would still mean nearly half the world's equines are lame.  My response was "What are we doing wrong?" I was to learn the answer to that question during that 3-day seminar with Dr. Hiltrud Strasser of Germany and Sabine Kells, SHP (Strasser Hoofcare Professional), of British Columbia:  Conventional horse-keeping and hoofcare practices are creating an epidemic of lameness in the world's horses. Dr. Strasser tells us how we can heal and prevent the vast majority of lameness.  What she teaches is that environmentally correct living conditions, combined with correct hoof form, lead to a lifetime of soundness for horses. For more than 25 years, at her hoof clinic in Tuebingen, Germany, Dr. Strasser has been curing horses many conventional veterinary/farrier practices consider incurable, such as founder/laminitis and navicular syndrome, as well as toe/quarter cracks, over-thin soles, overall poor hoof quality, and a variety of other problems.  And now, a growing number of Holistic Hoofcare Professionals have been repeating her success with rehabilitating lame horses all over the world. Because of what I learned about hooves at that seminar and the fact that there was no one in the Southeast US trained in Dr. Strasser’s methods, I was inspired to sign up for the Strasser certification course, changing my life forever and giving me a new and much more rewarding career working with horses. Why not Holistic Hoofcare? I often hear people say Holistic Hoofcare/barefoot is good for some horses but not for all horses.  It is my opinion that Holistic Hoofcare is good for ALL horses, but it may not be good for all owners. Those who are looking for a quick fix, for someone else to solve the problem, or to save money on their hoofcare by going barefoot should look elsewhere for the solution.  Those of you who think your horse is sound just because it is not head-bobbing lame need to review the statistics quoted above.  Your horse may be one of the 10 percent of horses worldwide that are absolutely sound, but it is unlikely. The transition to holistic hoofcare Successful transition to barefoot/holistic hoofcare requires a paradigm shift on the part of the horse owner.  He or she will have to be actively involved in the rehabilitation process in order for it to be successful.  He or she will also have to be willing to allow the horse whatever amount of time is necessary to heal and become sound.  Speed of recovery is directly proportional to the owner's commitment to the horse and involvement in the rehabilitation process. The owner will also have to allow the horse to be a horse, as no amount of natural hoofcare is going to succeed unless the horse has as natural a lifestyle as possible for the given situation. The reason natural lifestyle is so important is that more than 70 percent of the natural behavior of the horse consists of movement. With each step, the expansion/contraction of a properly trimmed bare hoof (hoof mechanism) pumps blood not just through the hoof but up the leg and throughout the horse’s body. Lack of movement translates to reduced circulation to all systems in the horse’s body.

In the first picture above, taken by fellow student Denise McClain of Ohio, Anne peeks out from between two of the horses who graciously allowed themselves to be trimmed by the Strasser certification course students.

 

In the second picture, taken by student Joni Libert of Alaska, Anne is shown discussing the cadaver hoof she is trimming with another student, Miel Bernstein of British Columbia.

 

Both pictures were taken at the Oregon home of Steve Skinner, DVM, now SHP, during the mid-term practicum in February of 2002.

 

 

 

Sound Horse Systems llc

1725 W. Beresford Road

DeLand, FL 32720

 

Anne W. Daimler

Holistic Hoofcare Professional

Strasser Certified 2002-2005

Member AFA

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