A Natural Hoof
There's a lot of talk today about "natural hooves." But what is a natural hoof? Those who market "natural hooves" talk about the hoof that they form with nippers and a rasp as being a natural hoof. But the very fact that the hoof is formed with nippers and a rasp means that it is NOT natural. So what is a natural hoof? Well, a natural hoof is one that is formed by the forces of Nature. A true natural hoof is not formed by nippers and a rasp. So...how is it formed?
Let's think a little about the hoof. The hooves are the connection between the horse and the ground. All the weight of the horse is born down through the legs, to the hooves, and to the ground. That means that force is born through the legs, to the hooves, and to the ground. What happens when the horse walks? Well, when a hoof hits the ground, force is born down through the hoof to the ground. The ground absorbs some of that force, with the rest being reflected back up through the hooves and into the horse's body. Seen in that way, the hoof is the interaction point of two forces--the forces coming down through the legs, through the hooves, and to the ground, and the forces being reflected back up from the ground. It is the interaction of these two forces that shapes a true natural hoof.
Even when the horse is just standing still, there is still force going down the legs, through the hooves, and to the ground...and there is still force reflected back up through the hooves from the ground. The hoof is still where those forces interact. That static interaction of forces contributes to shape the natural hoof.
There are several other points to consider. First, each horse is unique. Each horse has its own unique body build, or conformation, and its own unique way of moving. That means that the forces born down through the legs and to the hoof will be different for each horse...they will be unique to that horse. Second, each environment is different; that is, each environment will reflect the forces born through the hoof differently. For example, if the horse lives on a hard environment, relatively little force will be absorbed by the environment, while a larger amount will be reflected back up. But if the horse lives on a softer environment, a relatively large amount of force will be absorbed by the environment, while a relatively small amount will be reflected back up to the horse.
So, no two horses will have the same forces being born down through the hooves, and even for the same horse, if you change the environment, you change the way the forces are reflected back up. That means that if you have two horses living in the same environment, the hooves will be different, because each horse will have unique forces being born through the hooves to the ground. Also, for any one horse, if you change the environment, the hooves will change, because the way the forces reflect back up from the environment will change.
We said that a natural hoof is formed by the interaction of the unique combination of forces being born down through the hoof and the forces reflected back up from the environment. That means that every natural hoof is unique. It is unique to that horse in that environment. You cannot draw a picture of what a natural hoof "should" look like, because there are as many variations as there are possible combinations of unique horses and unique environments....a practically limitless number of natural hooves.
Let's look at some other influences that affect this unique interaction of forces that shapes a natural hoof. One is the activity level of the horse. A horse that spends most of its time standing around will have a completely different set of forces acting on the hoof than a horse that moves around a lot. That means that a natural hoof on a horse that is relatively inactive will look much different than a natural hoof on an active horse. Another influence is the general health of the horse. A strong, healthy horse with strong hoof tissue will have a completely different interaction of forces than a weak, unhealthy horse with weak hoof tissue. The forces will bear through the strong hoof tissue differently than through the weak tissue. Thus, a natural hoof on a strong, healthy horse will be completely different than a natural hoof on a weak, unhealthy horse.
Why is a natural hoof important? Well, in its wisdom Nature has designed the horse so that the unique interaction of forces born down through the horse and the forces reflected back up from the environment will shape the hoof into what that individual horse in its own environment needs. Those two forces, working together, give each hoof on each horse the exact form it needs to function. When thinking about hooves, it is function that is important. A certain hoof on a certain horse, when left alone and formed by Nature, may look strange and even deformed to us. But you can be sure that if Nature is allowed to shape that hoof, it will take the form which maximizes function for that particular hoof on that particular horse in that particular environment.
I get lots of calls from people who have read books on "natural" hooves and are concerned because their horses' hooves do not look like the picture examples shown in the books. They want their horses to have natural hooves, and so they want them to look like the pictures. However...it's important to realize that the pictures in the books on "Natural Hoof Care" are for the most part pictures of hooves formed by nippers and a rasp, not by the forces of Nature. Those hooves are not natural and thus do not maximize natural hoof function for that horse. But, even those pictures of mustang hooves do not represent natural hooves for your horse, because your horse's body build, way of moving, and activity level are different...and most of all, your horse's environment is different. In short, everything about your horse is different than a wild mustang, so why should you expect your horse to have mustang hooves....and most of all, why would your horse need mustang hooves?
If you want to maximize natural hoof function for your horse, the only way is to allow Nature to form the hooves, in the time-tested way she has used for eons.
