Breaking Traditions:
A Veterinary Medical and Ethical Perspective
on the Modern Day Usage of Steel Horseshoes

by Dr. Tomas G. Teskey, D.V.M.
Hereford, AZ, U.S.A.
tomasteskey@yahoo.com  520-366-0707

This is as applicable today as it was thousands of years ago. Man has worked alongside the horse for ages. The cycles of life continue on, and we are part of those cycles along with the horses that accompany us.

Modern day horse owners are becoming more and more like horse "stewards", caring for all of their horses' needs. We are obligated in these duties, as we are the ones who have taken them from the landscape and confined them. We are also taking a keen and more personal interest in their feet--it is no longer just the farrier's responsibility. Listening to and depending on the veterinarians, farriers, trainers or other horse professionals to tell you what is right and healthy for your horses shows respect for these professionals, but it is critical that you are at least able to recognize when a horse and their feet look normal and when they look deformed. Whether you are able to trim your horses' feet or not, knowing what they should look like is very important. Stewards are be able to have a detailed and very intelligent conversation with any of these professionals if they are aware of some of the basics surrounding natural hoof form and function.

You need to appreciate this fact: not every veterinarian, farrier and trainer knows what a normal horse's foot looks like, nor do they all understand how they function.

What we do know is that when steel contacts a horse's foot, damage occurs. Large numbers of essays, numerous textbooks and an increasing number of dissertations have been written on the subject, but what follows is a synopsis and my own interpretation of the harmful actions that steel has on hooves:

The damage actually begins before a steel shoe even touches the horse's hoof. A farrier's preparation of a hoof for the application of a steel shoe is extremely damaging in itself. A horse's foot never evolved or was intended to be flat. The natural, life-promoting, energetic shapes present in the natural hoof are disrespected and disregarded when one prepares the hoof for application of steel.

Nails driven through hoof wall allow all manner of bacteria, fungus and filth as well as extremes of temperature, to enter the foot. The natural physical barrier to these things is breached multiple times by the nails--these nails also effectively provide for the structural breakdown of the hoof walls; their physical presence leverages the hoof walls material away from deeper hoof structures. Often, when a steel shoe is pulled off by a horse, the edges of the hoof wall often go with it. The increased level of concussive damage to the shod foot is well documented, and common sense tells us that steel next to a horse's skin would be damaging:

The horse's foot is designed to handle the vast majority of the concussive forces received from the terrain. When steel is fixed to the hoof capsule, this responsibility is passed off to joints, cartilages and ligaments higher in the horse's leg and entire body. These joints and tissues never evolved to handle these forces, but man has forced them to take up this role that they were never designed to have. For the application of steel to the hoof, the result is direct, measurable damage to these areas.

Let's also explore the increasing use of pads and other concussion-reducing materials. It is of interest and critical to note that concussion is reduced to a level below what is appropriate in horse's fitted with man made pads:

There is an important and misunderstood role that concussion plays when it comes to proper and life-giving stimulation to the foot: The natural foot has the exact concussion absorbing properties that are appropriate for that horse on his home terrain. All of this marvelous ability is stolen away when man interferes with the application of artificial materials. Reducing this concussion below what is appropriate disallows the vital stimuli needed for the horse to produce durable hoof tissues, healthy cartilage and ligaments and strong bones. The horse is immediately set up and unwittingly asked to grow a weaker and weaker feet and legs with the application of artificial materials. The even slight increase of pressure on the soles of the horse through pad material is inappropriate and also damaging, as sole pressure smashes the sole up against the solar corium, reducing blood flow in these areas. The sole can respond with what can be termed a "dysplastic" kind of growth: this is an abnormal growth development which can be thicker in the short term, but is never as strong or durable as sole growth that forms when a horse is allowed to have their normal feet along with normal environment and care. Farriers misinterpret this faulty growth as "healing" when in fact it signals the early stages of hoof deterioration. This does not impress or alarm many farriers in the least, as they get very accustomed to looking at abnormal and deformed shod feet...they work with them every day...They are also accustomed to looking at abnormal bare feet when they are ignorant of proper trimming practices. Pads also increase the presence of moisture next to the horse's soles which is a good breeding ground for further hoof-rotting bacteria and fungi, which soften the soles in to a cheesy consistency, devoid of any durability. Pads also prevent the normal respiration and perspiration that occurs in the frogs and soles. The reduced circulation to the entire foot and leg and body of the horse through the application of such appliances can only serve to provide harm to the entire horse's body in the long run. All of these damaging things done to the feet add up over time, forcing unneeded healing to occur, removing life from the whole of the animal. Not just the feet are taxed, but the organs and all metabolic processes. These damaged tissues and their cells are only able to heal so many times, divide so many times and put up with insults so many times. Growth patterns become deformed extremely quickly in shod feet. All animals die when cells and the organs they make up are no longer able to divide and repair the damage. We should be looking to cure such problems instead of covering them up with pads and steel. This can be done quite easily and quickly when proper hoof form is achieved (as discussed numerous places in published books and on the internet) and proper lifestyle (also a subject which countless books now educate us about). The strength and durability of the horses' feet will be optimal when these natural means are provided, and they will far exceed such strength achieved using steel and nails. Steel shoes provide for the horse a living state of physiologic stagnation. Occasional and judicious use of hoof boots can be used to provide comfort for these horses, but are all but forgotten by farriers at times like these. Farriers feel they are doing their best when it comes to the "quick fix" to such situations, but they are actually causing further harm.

We know that the use of the steel shoe along with unsound horsemanship practices, inadequate environments and poor diets drastically shorten the lives of horses.

Farriery is hard work. I shod at least a few horses of my own every few weeks during my younger years, so I can relate to the pain and strain that comes with the tasks: the careful attention to detail, the ability to work well with your hands, skill working around a naturally shy animal and a caring attitude. None of these attributes are being brought in to question. But here is where the proverbial "rubber meets the road": No matter how hard you work to learn how to shoe a horse, no matter how hard that work is, no matter how difficult it is to actually do the work...all of these things don't make shoeing a horse the right thing to do. So, though I can relate to the farrier's struggles, the blood and sweat and tears, the dedication to a trade and the positive work ethic, these things simply don't make nailing iron to a horse's foot any more correct. When something is wrong, it's wrong. No matter how much money we can make at it, no matter how much of a tradition it is, no matter how long it took us to learn it, no matter how much money we spent learning how to do it...none of these things will ever make a wrong thing right. Steel hurts horse's feet, period. We have so many better options now. More and more farriers are coming to understand this and are encouraging people to get their horses barefoot every chance they get. Still, many people are uneducated and just go along with the conventional misconception that horses need steel nailed to their feet in order to perform any sort of tasks beyond simply walking down a trail. They depend on farriers to tell them "What's Up?" Well, "What's Up" is that we now know that steel damages horses' feet: every time, all of the time, one-hundred percent of the time, every minute that steel contacts a horse's foot, damage is being done. So this is a "Wake Up Call" to all that go out of their way to learn what's "new" when it comes to the truthful base of horse-keeping knowledge.

Farriers and veterinarians and trainers and horse people everywhere must learn the truth and tell their clients, friends, contacts, and colleagues that the steel shoe is badly damaging horses and robbing them of years of their lives. To continue to knowingly and wantonly do damage to a horse's foot by nailing steel to it is not acceptable and will become more and more unacceptable as this knowledge becomes more "mainstream". If farriers in the months and years to come pretend they are unaware of this knowledge and fail to inform folks around you about this news, they should be held accountable for the damage done to the horses. This does not have to happen. Simply learn what's going on inside the horse's foot and learn how to recognize and achieve a proper hoof form. Go further and educate people about proper horse management. Mention that there is nothing good that can come to a horse from the use of a steel shoe, only damage. Talk about the judicious use of hoof boots. Let people know how dedicated you are to the welfare of the horse, and you will reap great rewards. If you simply want the monetary rewards, you can have it, as there are good people everywhere who are more than happy and willing to pay for proper trimming and counseling about how to keep their horses healthy. However, the personal rewards go much further than this for most caring people.

This is about the truth.

As a bit of a mental exercise and an analogy, I offer the following scenario: I'd like to challenge anyone who doesn't believe that shoes harm a horse's feet to this experiment: Let your horse that has been shod for between three and six months grow it's feet on top of steel for as long as you want, pull off the shoes, leave it exactly the way it is or roll the edges or even trim it ANY way you like. Then, we see how the difference in wear looks in this horse versus my barefoot horse...we'll just take some leisurely 15 mile rides once a day for three weeks on some easy trails...nice and easy. Would you care to hypothesize which feet are going to look of the same length and structure after this three weeks and ready to go for another three weeks? Your previously shod horse will be in a world of hurt. Why is it the de-shod horse is unable to walk and go to work with his own feet? Well, his or her feet that grew while on top of steel are of much poorer quality, density and durability...they will chip and break away (probably clear up to or above the nail holes given the damage in the area, and the horse may even become laminitic due to overloading it's toes due to it's unfamiliarity with heel mechanism and previously 'undetectable' separation...along with all the bruising due to poor sole integrity...on and on. I'm not sure I could actually allow the following experiment to take place!

A veterinarian such as myself easily understands how the presence of a steel appliance on the bottom of a horse brings harm, and as other veterinarians, other equine professionals and stewards come to discover the true workings of the horses' hooves, they will not stand idly by while others perpetrate such harm. Once good folks like your veterinarian, farrier and trainer begin to better understand how the horse and their feet are constructed, function, grow, offer protection and allow proper and vital sensation for the horse to interact with their environment, they will have gained a very powerful new tool. However, as long as they ignorantly resort to or demand the use of a nailed on appliance and a confined lifestyle, they unknowingly, but precisely, provide for the premature deaths of the horses they care about.