What is Natural Horsekeeping?
Natural
Horsekeeping is a
system of management that respects the true nature of our recently-domesticated horse
companions. The equine spirit is one that is highly social, craves freedom,
enjoys an intimate connection to the earth, desires constant motion, possesses
profound emotional richness and complexity, and is able to adapt to each season
with perfect precision and fluidity. Natural Horsekeeping honors each of these
aspects by providing for their fulfillment in the following ways:
·
Full turnout 24
hours a day, every day, with no stall confinement
·
In their bare
feet in a hoof conditioning environment
·
In a herd of
their peers
·
Receiving
frequent and/or “free choice” feedings fed at ground level
·
Having free access to minerals and salt
·
A diet of
various hays, fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs (dried or fresh)
·
Living conditions that allow year-round exposure to the elements, with free access to
shelter
·
Wearing only
horse-made clothing in every season (no blankets, sheets, coolers, etc.)
·
Creating a
chemical and pesticide-free environment
· Limited or informed use of
pharmaceutical vaccines, antibiotics, and synthetic drugs
· Using only positive and
natural methods of interacting with horses
My horse
is pasture-kept. Is that Natural Horsekeeping?
Natural
Horsekeeping is so much more
than simple turnout in a
pasture. In order to accomplish
the above principles of a
Natural Horsekeeping
environment, a variety of
systems must be in place, and
tended to daily. I'm sure you
have seen horses who, having
acres and acres of land to roam
on, instead stand idly in the
corner where they are most often
fed. Our job is to encourage
as-close-to-constant movement as
possible. Using the principles
of Natural Horsekeeping, which
are based on studies of wild
horse behavior, we are able to
tap into their natural instincts
in order to achieve the movement
and socialization that all
horses require to be truly
healthy.
Why is
being barefoot healthier for my horse?
Your horses' feet are actually an integral part of his circulatory system. To
help with the visual, the horse in the thermograph image below has three bare
feet and one horseshoe on. The red indicates active blood circulation, and blue
indicates severely limited circulation.
"The horse has five
hearts; one in his chest, and one in each foot."
If we were to look at a thermograph
image of a horse in
motion, we would see the whole hoof flush with circulation as the hoof wall flexes
to create a vacuum that "sucks" the blood into the bottom of the foot, drenching
the vital internal structures of the hoof with nourishment. Unlike a dog or a
human whose muscles "squeeze" the blood back up
the leg, a horse does not have any muscles in
the lower limbs, and so must rely on this
critical
blood pumping action the hoof creates in order
to return blood back up the limb. The horseshoe forces
the naturally flexible hoof capsule into an immobile, concrete position
which immediately slows the blood flow into the hoof and leg, effectively
shutting
down four of the five blood-pumping
centers in your horse's body, .
"...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."
Dr. Tomas Teskey D.V.M..
What is the difference
between a "pasture trim" and a "barefoot trim"?
Though they may look similar to the unaccustomed
eye, they are in fact very different! A pasture
trim is what conventional farriers call their
version of a barefoot trim, and this awkward
trim is the main reason some people think their
horse can't go barefoot. And it's true, a
"pasture trim" will not keep your horse sound,
nor will your horse be able to carry you
comfortably on a trail ride, and here's why: A
pasture trim is a trim in preparation for a
shoe, just minus the shoe. As such, the bottom
of the hoof wall is rasped flat in preparation
for a shoe, thinning the sole and leaving very
little cushion to protect the coffin bone; it
encourages painful flaring of the hoof wall
(think of flaring as a hard "yank" on your
fingernail. It hurts.); the heels are generally
left long, provoking contraction, navicular
pain, and an unnatural toe-first landing; and
the calluses are removed leaving the underlying
hoof structure completely unprotected. A
barefoot horse should never ever have the
calluses trimmed off! When the toe callus is
left untouched and hoof is trimmed
appropriately, most horses make the transition
from shoes to barefoot quickly and easily.
Consistent barefoot trims given by a trained and
qualified barefoot farrier is absolutely
vital to your horse's ability to be sound and
comfortable in his bare feet.
In his essay called
Breaking Traditions,
Dr. Tomas Teskey D.V.M states:" 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."
How long does the transition to barefoot
take?
It depends on your horse, his
history and health, and on what terrain you wish
your horse to be able to work on comfortably. If
your horse has spent many years wearing shoes,
his first steps barefoot may be ginger and
uneasy, perhaps even
for weeks as the damage and deformation caused
by shoes takes time to heal. However, once the
shoes are removed and the feet are given a good
barefoot trim by a
qualified barefoot farrier
(see why this is important in the question
above), changes to the foot are observable
within days as the hoof begins a healthy
expansion, and the all-important calluses begin
to form. The transition is complete when the
hoof sole regains concavity, and when your horse
walks on gravel as though it were grass. With
time, the proper hoof conditioning environment,
and appropriate and timely barefoot trimmings,
your horse will be able to crunch rocks under his tough, solid, healthy
hooves.
Why is keeping my horse blanket-free a
better idea?
Horses are cold weather animals, and as such,
tolerate the cold better than the heat. The
reason for this is their highly efficient system
of thermoregulation. There are tiny muscles
associated with each and every piece of hair on
your horse's body, from the large "guard" hairs
that make up the outer coat, to the smaller
hairs of the inner coat. These muscles can raise
the hairs, through a process called
piloerection, to allow more air between them
thus increasing their insulation value. Similar
to the way a goose down comforter is so warm by
virtue of the way air is trapped and warmed.
Below on the left is a sketch of what happens in
cold weather, through muscular action the hair
is lifted to create a thermal blanket. On the
right is a sketch of what happens in hot
weather, through muscular action again, the
blood vessels dilate near the surface to allow
the body to cool (they can even raise the hairs
and point them in the direction of a breeze to
cool down!).
Blanketing a horse robs him of his ability to
effectively regulate his internal temperature.
Like any other muscle in the body, the muscles
that control the hair follicles must be
"exercised" or they atrophy. When the
artificial blanket is then stripped and the
horse is taken out on a crisp day, the
thermoregulation system is essentially shut
down, and having no way of warming himself, the
core body temperature is lowered. It is vital
that a horse be able to maintain an internal
body temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When
internal temperatures are allowed to fall below
or rise above that
healthy range, it often leads to the horse
becoming "unwell", succumbing to sickness, and
increased susceptibility to
infection. Giving your
horse a basic shelter (he may or may not avail
himself of it, but he knows best what he needs
and when), and the freedom to move and play with
other horses to keep warm, and you'll find you
have one fluffy-coated happy horse!
Is there a connection between gastric
ulcers and stall confinement?
Yes.
Research has shown that
87 percent
of domesticated horses have gastric ulcers and that
stall confinement alone can lead to the development of ulcers! In a
2007 study, 15 normal, healthy horses with
no gastric ulcer disease were put into
individual stalls, and were given
approximately
25 minutes of exercise per day. In this group of
15 horses, 11 developed gastric ulcer disease
after only one week! The first recommendation
made as a result of this study is to "Allow
free-choice access to grass or hay". The
findings of this study are truly disconcerting
considering that stall confinement, large
infrequent meals, and small amounts of daily
exercise is the norm for traditionally kept
horses. But the good news is there is an
alternative!
Is free-choice forage really that
important?
Yes. Unlike dogs, cats, and
other predatory mammals who are designed to fast
between large meals, horses are grazing
herbivores and must continually take in small quantities of
roughage throughout the day and night in order for
the body to function properly. An equine stomach
is divided into two sections that work in
perfect harmony. The bottom section is glandular
and secretes hydrochloric acid and pepsin, and
so has a tough lining to safely hold the stomach
acids. The upper section of the
stomach is designed to function only as the
"mixing bowl", so the lining is soft
and very easily burned. When the stomach is left
empty for long periods of time- which in horse
language translates to four to six hours- the
acid from the lower section is allowed to rise
into the unprotected top section, contributing
to the development of ulcers,
potentially fatal
colic, and a myriad of digestive disorders. Grazing,
however, buffers
the acids in the stomach, preventing them from
coming in contact with the vulnerable upper portion of the
stomach. Providing a horse with free-choice
forage, weather it be grass, hay, or straw,
should be the undeniable obligation of every
horse owner and every stable owner. Grazing is a
biological certainty that can't be ignored for
the sake of human convenience or the increase of
profit margins.
Will my horse get fat on
free-choice hay?
At first,
yes, it is very likely. Traditional
horsekeeping methods force horses to
adopt a "scarcity mentality". When
hay is placed on the ground in front
of your horse, he knows that this
limited amount is all there is, and
no more. So for horses not
accustomed to abundance and
limitless supplies of food, they
will greedily inhale tremendous
quantities of hay for days, even
weeks, expecting their resources to
run out at any time. As time goes by
and your horse realizes that there
is an abundant and endless supply of
food, his natural ability to
self-regulate will switch on, and
his consumption will level off to
only as much hay as is needed to
maintain his ideal body weight.
Another important factor in a horse's ability
to maintain his perfect body weight while on
free-choice hay is 24/7 turnout in a
herd of their peers. Besides being biologically
driven to eat constantly, horses are also
biologically driven to move constantly with more
than 70% of the natural behavior of the horse
consisting of movement. When given sufficient motivation, movement is
inevitable. The herd itself is the motivating
factor; a healthy, emotionally stable herd
requires perpetual movement in daily life in
order to maintain equilibrium among it's
members. Movement is to a horse what "Woobie"
is to Linus in the famous Peanuts comic strip,
it represents safety and a feeling of security.
This "free-choice exercise" allows your horse to
maintain his svelte, athletic figure, but also
keeps his mind active and vital as well. What a
great deal!
Can my horse ever eat too much
hay and get sick?
This is
an important point, and it depends
on the type of forage. If the forage
provided for free-choice consumption
is a legume hay (alfalfa, clover, or
similar protein and fructan dense
hay) then the answer is quite
possibly. Though legume hays have an
important place in the equine diet,
they should only be fed in very
limited quantities. Overfeeding
legumes can cause an imbalance in
calcium: phosphorus ratios, and the
excess protein can lead to
orthopedic disorders, arthritis, increased
incidence of founder, insulin resistance,
tying up, and stringhalt in
genetically predisposed breeds like
the Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, Paint,
and any draft breed. Fructan is the
sweetest, naturally-occurring sugar,
estimated to be twice as sweet as
sucrose. Legumes have extremely high
fructan levels, making them taste
like delicious "horse candy", but
fructan is the culprit that can lead
to founder and insulin resistance in
horses. The proper amount of alfalfa
or legume hay in a diet is
approximately one pound per day per
horse as a supplement only.
On the other hand, drought tolerant, tropical
origin grass hays such as Bermuda, Prairie,
Switchgrass, Indian, etc, can indeed
safely be fed free-choice. Drought tolerant hay
contains considerably less fructan and
protein (7-11% protein compared to17-20% for
legume hays).
When there is a limited
water supply, or when first starting
free-choice, impactions can be the biggest
concern. Though horses will instinctively drink
considerably more water when free access to hay
is given, starting free-choice when you will be
able to keep an eye on your horse is the safest
course of action, as well as familiarizing
yourself with the signs of impaction, and
keeping your vet's number accessible. Provide him with what his body
needs to remain healthy, and then
trust him! Horses are amazingly
intuitive about their nutritional
needs, in a way that is far beyond
our scope of understanding.
