shoeing horses is cruel?!

[YasandCrystal]

offtopic, but "anything done badly is dangerous" is just perfect, YasandCrystal! I hope you don't mind if I use it in my siggy?

No not at all eva, be my guest. It is so true isn't it - something can be done badly by anyone any professional in any walk of life. Some people just lose focus and no longer strive for perfection, however well they were trained. Thankfully my farrier hubby strives for perfection in every foot he tends to and it makes me really proud of his work. He is not at all egotistical, but he receives regular compliments on his perfect balance from the Newmarket and local vets.

 

[tallyho!]

thank you, that was an intresting video, would be good to see it with a shoe on.

and thank you every one for your oppinions, its been realy intresting reading and i realy aprechiate it.

If you click on the name who posted that vid, there are a few done with shoes on.

 

[Natch]

I'm not entering the farrier vs trimmer part of the debate, but I do find it interesting that even the farriery textbooks say the horse will benefit from having a break from shoes every now and again. That to me says that unless there are special circumstrances, horses' feet are healthier without shoes on.

Current knowledge of the horse's hoof and the effects of the shoe has come on leaps and bounds, so we now understand that with correct management most horses actually are capable of being in full work without shoes.