Expectations vs. Reality
Big or little may be relative terms, but looking at the picture above, there's no question that this mare's feet and legs are small. She stands about 16 hands, but if she were to be shod, she would only need probably a size "00" shoe. The picture really doesn't do justice to the size of her feet in relation to her body, so if you could see her in person, you would get a much better idea of just how small her feet and legs are. Whatever the reason for those small feet, this mare just isn't equipped with what she needs to be used much and remain sound. Especially with an adult rider on top, and especially at any gait other than a slow walk on soft ground, she just doesn't have the feet to be able to adequately handle the shock and force of all that weight slamming into the ground.
If we want to consider things from the horse's perspective, we need to consider whether our horse is equipped to do what we want it to do. There is no form of hoof protection, no type of shoe, no type of trim, and no form of hoof boot that will make up for her small feet, which means that this mare probably could not be used for strenuous riding and maintain soundness throughout her normal lifespan. She would make a great pet, a great horse to be used for short, easy rides in the pasture, or a great horse for a child to be led around on, but she just doesn't have the equipment to be ridden by an adult on long, hard rides, and she certainly is not equipped to be a competition horse.
I got a call several years ago from a woman who owned a Paso Fino show horse. The particular class she showed the horse in called for it to be shod, and the woman related to me how the judges looked for a certain type of shoeing, a certain look in the hooves. She had been using a farrier who specialized in that type of shoeing, but he had not had any luck getting the horse to retain the shoes. He finally told her that the hoof walls were so thin that he couldn't drive the nails, and that he would no longer be able to shoe her horse. She called me, hoping that a few months of going barefoot, being trimmed a certain way, and using hoof supplements would improve the hoof walls to the point where her farrier could again try to nail shoes on. I didn't make any promises except to come and look at the horse. After I looked at the horse, I had no choice but to tell her that although a period of going barefoot combined with a more natural diet and environment might help the feet somewhat, the fact was that this particular horse probably would never have hooves strong enough over the long term to hold shoes put on in that manner. That wasn't what she wanted to hear. She wanted me to remake her horse, which was something that neither I nor anyone else could do (although some claim to be able to). She had bought a horse that, for whatever reason, tended to have thin hoof walls, and although the condition of the hooves could be improved, this particular horse would never have hooves strong enough to withstand the punishment of such an unnatural and detrimental shoeing method. She had bought the wrong horse for what she wanted to do.
As another example I talked with a man who was excited about a mare he had bought for trail riding. It was obvious he was very proud of this mare...he told me how she was a Paint mare with exceptional markings and a great temperment, but she didn't do so well when he rode her. He wanted me to come by and have a look. What I found was a slight-built mare who was only a little over 13 hands tall. The problem was that the man was fairly hefty, weighing at least 200 pounds...and he intended to use her for trail riding. As pretty as this mare was, he had bought the wrong horse for what he wanted to do.
I'm about 5'7" and weigh about 165 pounds. It doesn't matter how much I might want to do it or how much someone else might want me to do it, the fact is I don't have what it takes to be an NFL linebacker or an NBA guard. I just couldn't compete with big, bulked up football players who weigh 270 pounds or tall, lanky basketball players who stand 6'11" ... and no coach in his right mind would try to use me on a team. Yet many times horse owners don't consider if their horse's body gives it the ability to do what they expect it to be able to do. A particular horse is what it is, and we can't remake it into something that it's not. We should consider the limitations of our horses. If we have a particular use in mind for a horse, we should consider whether, in all aspects, the horse will be suitable for that use ...before we buy it.
To learn more about respecting the limitations of our horses, please order the video Understanding the Horse--From the Horse's Perspective. For more information about selecting a horse appropriate to its intended uses, please order the manual Maintaining a Natural Horse.
