Propaganda

My dearest readers, it is high time I blogged about something that irritates me on a constant basis - propaganda, in both the barefoot and the shoeing world.

As you are all well aware, these two schools of thought are constantly at war with one another, instead of attempting to accept each as an option that a horseowner might choose, and therefore attempting to make the effort to reach out to each other as viable, working options for hooves. (I personally don't believe in shoeing but I know people who do, so there you are.) There probably won't be peace between these two worlds anytime soon. And here's the part that bothers me the most - pro-shoeing people are always, ALWAYS attacking the barefoot community for spreading 'BS and propaganda' about barefooting. They say it's nothing more than a marketing scheme, they say it's geared towards guilting a clueless owner into taking the shoes off of their horse, they say it's based off of junk science and nothing more. But the part that gets ignored by the pro-shoeing crowd so often is that farriers often do the EXACT same thing to clients and potential clients. How often does a shoer guilt THEIR customers into this more expensive set of shoes, or these pads 'because your horse just needs the support', or guilts an owner into putting shoes on their barefoot horse (the other way around now, see?) based off of their OWN junk science? How many dressage riders are told their horse needs bar shoes and full pads "for support"? How many eventers competing at Beginner Novice are guilted into tapping all four shoes and buying twelve sets of studs? Futher studies are needed in both fields, of course, although I think we can all agree on one thing: the bare hoof is the healthy ideal.

Now, there are lots of reasons why people put shoes on their horses. For instance: They jump. They do dressage. They show. They event. They rein, they work cows, they race. They work on rocks. Hell, they stand in stalls and are old and just "need support." They have weak walls, thin soles. They live in poor environments. They are lame. They have navicular, they've foundered. They need better traction. Their horse has "crappy QH feet" or "crappy TB feet." Their trainer told them too. It's just what horses need. It's just what horse owners do.
And there are lots of reasons why people take the shoes off their horses and go barefoot. For instance: They jump. They do dressage. They show. They event. They rein, they work cows, they race. They work on rocks. They have weak walls, thin soles, and they want to change that. They are lame. They have navicular, they've foundered. They need better traction. They believe that a crappy foot can become a healthy foot.

Do shoes have a place on an unhealthy foot? No, in my mind they certainly do not, and few people agree with me on this one. Farriers see a poor foot and do their best to fix it by applying shoes to protect the foot. Barefoot trimmers see a poor foot and do their best to restore the foot to proper function through correct trimming, diet, environment and movement. And the latter happens to be the way I agree with. The way to make an unhealthy foot healthy is to remove the shoe and restore the hoof to its natural function. Do shoes belong on healthy hooves? If the hoof is healthy and fully functional do you need shoes at all? Questions that are far too complicated for one simple answer, I'm afraid.


So the point of this post is this: Pro-shoeing people, don't be so quick to point the finger at trimmers and accuse them of spreading propaganda. A lot of farriers I know use the same marketing gimmicks as barefoot people sometimes do in order to get clients, and it's not right for either school to employ such techniques. Where is the science behind proper shoeing? I want studies. I want to see.


Some people like shoes, some people don't. Some people believe this, some people believe that. I believe what I believe, you believe what you believe, and I respect that.
Really, can't we all just get along?