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Maggie's Story
by her owner, Sandra Kerridge

 

I started barefoot trimming after getting and invite to join Paul Chapman's barefootnaturally club. This has proven to be one of the best decisions I have made regarding my horse Maggies health.
 
Maggie has had extensive problems with her left side front hoof, and even after a year off with regular "normal farriery " the problem was still there. Needless to say the frustration I felt was huge, I am trying to finish level two Parelli with her but reoccurring hoof problems have seen this hit the back burner more than once. I was advised by the vet to perhaps consider her as a breeding prospect rather than ride her.
 
After joining the Barefoot group and lurking for several weeks, as I had absolutely no idea about barefoot trimming I posed the question about Maggies hoof and if barefoot trimming would be able to help her. I was then asked to post digital pics of her hoof so that people on the group would have a better idea of what they could see rather than my description of it.
 
jan 2002
 
Well needless to say the hoof was nothing short of bad and at the time of the pic being taken she had only been shod 3 weeks but had already tossed that shoe as is evident in the pic. Now armed with a little advice but no experience I was able to maintain a tidy hoof until Paul came over to New Zealand to help with the technique.
 
In 7 short weeks the difference was incredible Maggie developed new walk, trot and canter gaits, I have never seen her do an extended trot with such a floating stride as she did the second week after having her shoes removed so much so that I couldn't resist getting on her bareback to see if I could feel the difference and all I can say is WOW.
 
Her walk had so much power and swing her trot was smooth with such that float coming through and her canter had so much power it was hard to sit to .. This horse normally worked and did as asked when asked but never with such power in her striding as after going barefoot.
 
march 2002 
The biggest difference is within the hoof itself, Mags had a huge cavity in the front of her hoof that has been prone to getting "seedy toe" and she had stretched white line and in seven weeks of rasping the cavity has grown out and even though it will take time for the white line to repair its noticeably different already.
 
Without Paul's help and support I probably would have gone and put shoes back on ? but since understanding barefoot terminology and getting much needed tuition and watching Paul's clinic I will never put another shoe on my horse or future horses that I might own again.
 
The dissection of the cadaver hoof was a huge insight for me personally as I have never seen inside a horses hoof and now I understand the mechanics of the hoof so much better, also it was coming to grips with new terminology, and changing my perception of what I understood those old terminologies to be.
 
On the other side was having watched what farriers do normally and how much barefoot trimming is different. But now being able to know what my horse requires for good healthy hooves and how to maintain it myself is fabulous. Kind of reminds me of Parelli concepts, see what normal people do with horses and then apply the opposite principals.
 
Sandra Kerridge and Maggie, New Zealand,
email: Chanceyy@paradise.net.nz
 
 
 
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