And now, for the wise men in the ether....


Pete Ramey has published an excellent book on barefoot trimming and maintains a site with articles that serve as updates to the book. His insights and descriptions are a must for anyone trying to do the best by the horse.
www.hoofrehab.com



Jamie Jackson has published several books on trimming and describing the hoof forged by the wild mustangs in the Western United States. Having been a farrier for years, his books and perspectives are ground breaking and have inspired many.
www.primechoice.com/jaime-jackson



Dr. Teskey is a vet who has written several articles on equine health care and speaks to groups about the unshod hoof. He also offers a site with articles and answers questions emailed to him.
easycareinc.typepad.com/ask_the_vet_tomas_teskey/articles/index.html



Dr. James R. Rooney is author of The Lame Horse, an under recognized ground breaking book on lameness. A knowledge of basic physics helps in reading his info, and yes, I find it is worth dusting off those old text books for the best understanding of his findings. His research is priceless and may help you avoid many sleepless nights and head banging against walls if you are dealing with an issue that doesn't seem to resolve no matter what remedy is tried.
books.google.com/books?id=4btZ4rX8iKoC&dq=rooney+lame+horse&pg=PP1&ots=cukZFjcB6A&sig=sL9B7aU4xt2wMeBLkjcpwDwP7eE&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3Drooney%2Blame%2Bhorse%26start%3D0%26ie%3Dutf-8%26oe%3Dutf-8%26client%3Dfirefox%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:unofficial&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail#PPT13,M1
www.horseshoes.com/farrierssites/sites/rooney



Dr. Robert Bowker working at Michigan State University has new research on hoof use and mechanics.

On navicular: www.cvm.msu.edu/alumni-friends/information-for-animal-owners/new-theory-may-help-avoid-navicular/?searchterm=bowker
On how the equine foot functions: www.cvm.msu.edu/alumni-friends/information-for-animal-owners/a-new-theory-about-equine-foot-physiology/?searchterm=bowker
On trimming: www.cvm.msu.edu/alumni-friends/information-for-animal-owners/physiological-trimming-for-a-healthy-equine-foot/?searchterm=bowker



Dr. Chris Pollitt's research has finally provided us with clear evidence showing laminitis is like diabetes!!!!
www.laminitisresearch.org/chrispollitt_whatislaminitis.htm



What is uniform sole thickness and why is it important? Great article and pictures by Michael Savoldi.
www.farrierart.com/Uniform%20Sole%20Thickness%20-%20Michael%20Savoldi%203%20pages.pdf



Living "Mission Impossible", with out all the cool gadgets and stylin' threads? After writing an entry on how we got to barefoot, I realized I had to add a link to this book. If you are in a tough situation, this is a grounding read. The author is a cancer doctor who shares illustrative stories on the role of hope in human healing.
www.jeromegroopman.com/anatomy-of-hope.html



Good pictures of dissections, graphical representations, etc..
Pete Ramey's articles include some good pics.
www.hoofrehab.com/hoof%20articles%20by%20Pete%20Ramey.htm
An article "Anatomy of the Inner Hoof Wall" by Dr. Chris Pollitt
www.horseshoes.com/advice/anatomyandfunction/anatomyofinnerhoofwall/anatomyofinnerhoofwall.htm
This site has a great 3D model showing the digital cushion and lateral cartilage (scroll down for 3D models).
http://www.ironfreehoof.com/step1.htm
Nice picture of ungular cartilage.
www.farriery.eu/articles/001-2006.htm
Site with a photo and graphical description of hoof balancing.
www.barefoottrim.com/2007/balance/balance.htm
More case studies
www.barefoothorse.com
A student's site from a Strasser class. There are good dissection pictures in this site, However, I found Dr. Strasser's techniques not helpful to me. I did one foot with a very conservative attempt at mimicking these techniques but found my horse sore for weeks after and this foot was the slowest to show healthy improvement. It is good for a contrast read but I would try a lot of other things before using these techniques on my horse. This site seems to be by another owner learning to trim their horse as they go.
www.naturalhorsetrim.com
A searchable database containing photos in a "case study" format submitted from a variety of sources, mostly owners.
www.superhoof.org/barefoot-horse-case-studies.php
I wouldn't follow some of the advice in here but there are lots of good pictures of donkey feet, which are different.
naturalequinehoofcare.spaces.live.com




Movies from "arno8" of a barefoot trot on concrete at 1200 fps.
Excellent demonstration of "heel first landing".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHOqtCZOwkA
This is a less comfortable barefoot horse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoSNHB4AXos&feature=related
Clear "heel first" landing in the rear, not so much in the front feet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si7QUK4OY0o&feature=related
Very clear "toe first" landings in the fronts less clear in the rear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIU8Y90KYOo



Good resource on trimming methods and other sources:
equinestudies.org/knowledge_base/kb_intro.html Several articles from the Equine Studies Institute & Dr. Deb Bennett Ph.D. Descriptions on a variety of biomechanics issues with horses, riding and hoof care.
www.thehorseshoof.com/helpmethod.html
www.thehorseshoof.com/success_Houston1.html The Houston Mounted Police have a barefoot program, here is their story.
www.equipodiatry.com/shrheel.htm An article by Stephen O'Grady on sheared heels.
www.natureshoof.com/pathology.aspx
www.healthyhoof.com/articles/articles.htm Lots of different articles on different hoof subjects.
www.horsedesigns.com/journey/journey.html Another owner trying to find their way in the merk and trying to do the best by their horse.
www.thehorseshoof.com/jacksontimeline.html A time line of steps influential in barefoot farrier advancements.
www.ecis.com/~hplove/clo/heum9862.html#1 A page that is hard to navigate but compares different trim methods such as the "4 point trim" and the natural trim.



A nice list of FAQs maintained by a vet.
www.lancasterequine.com/farrier_faqs.html#1



Other useful LINK pages:
www.hoofrehab.com/if__you_are_interested_in_doing.htm
www.thehorseshoof.com/links.html
www.nakedhoofcare.com/page6.html
wholehorsetrim.com/Articles.htm



Nutrition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The health of the foot is only as good as the horse's diet.
www.hoofrehab.com/diet.htm Pete Ramey article on the role of copper and zinc in the role of hoof and general horse health. There are other important links at the bottom for nutrient testing. resources and even custom mixing.
thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=9587 Article from "The Horse" magazine: Finding and Testing Low-Sugar Forage
www.safergrass.org/articles/index.html Kathy Watts on varying levels of sugars in grasses.
www.forloveofthehorse.com/articles.php
www.shady-acres.com/susan/squirrel.shtml An easy to read, informational site maintained by a vet. Lots of good stuff: body condition scoring, Calcium/Phosphorus ratio, gut microflora and more, all wrapped in a priceless story involving a squirrel, beet pulp and a harmless trip to the grocery store..... For those of us who seem compelled to test everything, this is for us....
www.drkellon.com Dr. Kellon offers on line courses in equine nutrition (including one specifically on Cushings) as well as, courses on neurological issues and interpreting bloodwork readings.


Does feeding gelatin to horses increase hoof horn quality?
jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/44/2/257.pdf



Can a vaccination be responsible for your horse's foot pain?
www.barefoottrim.com/DR.%20TOM/laminitis_after-vaccination.htm



Sole Bruising...
www.horseshoes.com/advice/pathology/dunivant3/subsolarbruising.htm



Need help finding a trimmer? These resources may help.
www.americanhoofassociation.org
www.aanhcp.org



Wound, pain and bruising care....

Arnica
Used for bruising and soft tissue trauma
1/4 oz www.fesflowers.com/fes-store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5
1 oz www.fesflowers.com/fes-store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=108

B-L Solution
An herbal pain killer.
www.equineamerica.com/products.html?catid=liquidsupps&pageid=68
www.equestrianmag.com/news/equine-america-solution-horse-journal-03-08.html

Cocoa Butter
A simple yet effective solution to help minimize scaring and improve wound healing. I use on the injuries to the coronet or over scabbed skin to speed and improve healing, seems to prevent scarring, even minimize scarring appearance of existing scars. Find in any drugs store.
www.etbrowne.com/products/Collection.aspx?CollectionID=27

Stinging Nettles
Acute laminitis is something I, fortunately, have minimal experience with, but I have heard several things about nettles being good for laminitic horses, so I will pass it along for you to research. Some offer stinging nettles to their horse and if interested, it is a sign the horse is in the early stages of a laminitis attack. Then they feed nettles. I have also heard that you should let them dry in the sun (like hay) then feed, but it may be more complex than that. I don't know about the conditions you should feed nettles in, but I'm sure some one knows....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle

Thrush Medicine
I have found the most effective method is using 1% Silver Sulfadiazine cream (thanks to a recommendation from Dave at Equicast). In some places this requires a prescription from the vet. I apply with a syringe.

Pete Ramey has a great recipe that works! Its a 50/50 mix of antibiotic ointment and athletes foot cream (1% Clotrimazole)!
www.hoofrehab.com/frogtrim.htm

Oxine aka "White Lightening" and Lysol soaks are also popular treatments.



Hoof Casting!!!!
I had excellent results with hoof casting and flex-pack material, with only a 4 weeks of use. I'm sorry I didn't take pictures. I will get pictures up of the horse's body condition before and after - remarkable change.

Hoof Casting Material:
www.vettec.com
www.equicast.us
www.happyhoofpads.com/list.asp?cat=1


Boots!!!!!!
I have no advice for boots. I have used the first generation easy boots and the marquis boots. In my case, with the marquis, I had the pressure too low one day and caused bruising to both heels. Photos of the right front foot show the red/purple bruise clearly as it grows out. The bruises were cause in one 5 hour wear. My experience with the easy boot is it sits threateningly over the coronet.

I have two size 2 Marquis boots available. Rubber socks (med) and Wool Insoles too. The boots were used twice and actually show no wear on the sole because they were used in winter. Drop me a line if you are interesting in them. mfh96v at gmail.com

Opinions/Feedback on Boots:
www.easycareinc.com/Education/whatboot.aspx
www.hoofrehab.com/bootarticle.htm
www.bellaonline.com/articles/art44956.asp

Boots:
www.strideequus.com
www.huf-shop.de/deutsch/assets/own/boots_3d.htm
www.soft-ride.com/boots.html
www.swisshorseboots.com
www.horsesneaker.com
www.cavallo-inc.com/horseboots.html
www.renegadehoofboots.com
www.dallmer.info/hufschuh/index_2.html
www.tfp.uk.com/steward%20clog.htm
www.shoof.co.nz/aus/auscatalogue/page_41.pdf
www.toledohorse.com.br/english/produtos/detalhes.asp?prod=6&cat=2&subcat=
hoofcare.com/euro_newmarket.html#BAREFOOT,%20ITALIAN%20STYLE:%20BOSANNA%20BOOTS
www.hoofeeze.com
www.sabresneaker.com/index.html (This link may not work anymore)
www.horsemocs.com/index2.htm
www.castleplastics.com/hoofboots.htm

Find used boots!!!!
www.naturalhorsetrim.com/boot_swap.htm




Phail Equine Performance Center
www.cvm.msu.edu/research/research-centers/mcphail-equine-performance-center/sitemap



My favorite magazine for equine health issues.
www.thehorse.com




Forums, Groups & other Watering-holes......
pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoothorsecare
pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/equineveterinarymedicine
pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BarefootTruth



Veeerrry interesting....., very, very interesting....... (read this title with your best mad-scientist inflection)
An unfolding story about a race horse named "Big Brown" who won the Derby and the Preakness, but who's Triple Crown bid was thwarted at Belmont when he was eased through the stretch. An interesting photo of Big Brown's right rear foot during the race has emerged, showing extreme deviation between foot and shoe. I find the different responses to the photo interesting. I wonder what Dr.s Rooney, Bowker & Teskey would have to say about the forces required to create this photo.....
news.bloodhorse.com/article/45846.htm
www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=31647
ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jKV35BwoR2B1pWBBPzL5Nxe5Sk2gD91636400
tcm.bloodhorse.com/bio_BigBrown.asp



A different perspective...
www.hoofcare.com/archives/dressage_shoeing.html
www.hoofcare.com/ilph_strasser.html
www.strasserhoofcare.org www.hufklinik.de/ Much caution is advised by many, about Dr. Strasser's methods. Many advise not to use her techniques on any, but the worst cases. None the less, there are many principles and concepts worth reading in her book, "A Lifetime of Soundness".



Other solutions to being barefoot, but not being shod in metal. I decided not to try any of these, but here are the resources anyway.
www.hoofrehab.com/hoofcast.htm
www.eponashoe.com
www.pegasusforge.com/hoofarmorapp.htm
www.nchorsenews.com/GlueOnShoe.htm
www.upenn.edu/pennnews/current/2001/112901/staff.html
www.soundhorse.com
www.luwex.de/index1.htm
www.unicorn-horseshoe.com