Improper Hoof Care
Horses are abundant on Native American reservations, yet there is often little to no care of horses’ legs, feet, and hoofs. Our courses are designed to teach horse owners and enthusiasts how to properly maintain horse’s health, so the horses can continue to be productive. With these efforts, poor nutrition and lameness can be controlled and/or eliminated. With a certificate from our courses, a student will be able to maintain his/her own horse or pursue part-time work as a farrier.
There are three kinds of cruelty towards horses:
- Cruelty for the sake of cruelty
- Cruelty for the sake of custom or fashion
- Cruelty caused by lack of knowledge and understanding
What does a good horse care mean?
- Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition by ready access to fresh water and a proper diet to maintain full health and vigor
- Freedom from discomfort by providing a suitable environment including shelter and comfortable rest area
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease by practicing prevention and quick diagnosis and treatment
- Freedom to express normal animal behavior by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of other animals of its own kind
- Freedom from fear and distress by assuring that living conditions don;t contribute to mental suffering
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Malnutrition/neglect – Horses have rights!
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Unsanitary conditions – neglect – 4 -5 months overgrowth plus unbalance causes stress on ligaments and bony column eventually crippling the horse.
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Mini pony – deformed hooves due to extreme neglect. Corrective shoeing could have prevented these hooves from growing so poorly.
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Mini pony – deformed hooves due to extreme neglect. Corrective shoeing could have prevented these hooves from growing so poorly.
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Neglect – overgrowth.
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Neglect – overgrowth.
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Deformation due to injury – continuous corrective shoeing will help the horse to be more comfortable and prevent further deformity.
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Neglect causing imbalance – angles are different, a medial/lateral difference can cause severe deformity of bone structure, pawn, navicular, side bone and/or ring bone.
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Neglect causing imbalance – angles are different, a medial/lateral difference can cause severe deformity of bone structure, pawn, navicular, side bone and/or ring bone.
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Clubfoot – due to leaving heels too high – causes stress to the deep flexor tendon, in turn putting stress on the navicular bone causing lameness.
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Suffering from canker – a condition caused by neglect, unsanitary conditions. Extremely painful, difficult to correct. Corrective trimming will make the horse more comfortable.
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Suffering from canker – a condition caused by neglect, unsanitary conditions. Extremely painful, difficult to correct. Corrective trimming will make the horse more comfortable.
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Deformation due to injury – continuous corrective shoeing will help the horse to be more comfortable and prevent further deformity.
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An injury caused by barb wire fence, which should never be used to hold horses captive. Cut all the way to the coronary band. Hoof will continue to grow in this manner. If immediate corrective trimming were administered, this extreme condition could have been prevented.