Welcome to Young's Farm

Equine hoof care has traditionally been the responsibility of the village blacksmith, who's talents evolved in to a special field of farrier science. The first veterinarians were farriers to begin with--they were close to the horses under their care, and it was a natural extension of their abilities to begin to care for the horses in a medical sense. Once veterinary science became it's own specialty, it was expected that farriers would continue to care for the feet and veterinarians care for the rest of the horse. This relationship was respected then and still is today. Now, many horse people are beginning to understand how a horse's foot really works, and no longer expect their farrier to "fix them". In my profession of veterinary medicine, lame horses with hoof problems are often referred to a farrier that specializes in "corrective" shoeing. The veterinarians trust that the farriers will remedy the problem, as they are supposed to know what "correct" is. Very often the horse becomes "sound", if only for a short time, and all parties are happy about the results.

Research projects on how the hoof functions, including studies of wild horses' hooves, indicate that we should sculpt horses' hooves in a way that respects the natural shape that results from movement over rough terrain. Mustang's feet are as sound as can be, without major chipping or breakage as they travel 20 to 30 miles per day over rocky terrain. When we apply some of what we have learned about these horses' lifestyle, we see a nearly magical transformation take place in our own horses. Not only do they become and remain truly sound, they are healthier overall, more alert and responsive, with fewer metabolic problems, healthier skin and stronger muscles and bones. We have terribly underestimated the damage we do to horses by not keeping their feet trimmed properly!

Farriers that once felt comfortable in their position as hoof specialists are now having to learn along with horse owners and veterinarians these new facts about form and function, and they are the ones in the perfect situation to learn this new information, which gives horse's a new-found soundness and vitality.

We know that steel shoes cause terrible damage to the horse, and that protection for their feet can come in the form of boots that allow the hooves to continue functioning normally with each step. By nailing a steel shoe to a horse's foot, we take away much of the horse's ability to sense it's surroundings, and we destroy the hoof's shock-absorbing functions and block lots of circulation, taking away years and years of the horse's usefulness. We have brought soundness to many "incurably" lame horses with such problems as navicular syndrome and chronic laminitis by managing their hooves properly. Some believe that we have "bred the feet out of the horse", but we have refuted that as well. Foals raised from "bad-footed" horses grow big, beautiful feet by age four to five, when the feet are finished growing in size. Mares allowed to move in a herd, foal in an open area and race around with their foals from the minute they are born do not raise foals that end up with small, deformed, lame feet. What makes small, deformed, lame feet and legs is keeping mares confined during pregnancy, foaling in a stall and keeping the mare and foal confined for days on end. We think that we are doing right by our horses, but raising them in this way and then nailing shoes on before they are even two years old causes serious damage to their bodies. There are lots of examples of folks keeping horses that do not suffer any of the traditional lamenesses that veterinarians and farriers deal with on a daily basis. Horses have evolved magnificent structures over 60 million years that easily provide them with a lifetime of health and soundness when we respect some of their basic needs.

Veterinarians and farriers everywhere all ready have, or will soon have the opportunity to learn about the beauty and magnificence of the horse and its feet. Many of us will come to know the horse in a deeper sense and begin to feel a deeper bond as we take more responsibility for their hoof care--we are freedom lovers like the horse. We can see and feel the difference in our horses that enjoy truly sound feet.

Tomas G. Teskey D.V.M.

For more information please visit www.unitedhorsemanship.org or contact Dr. Teskey at tteskey@c2i2.com.

If you reside in the Yavapai County area and would like to try the Natural Hoof Care approach with your horses please contact Allen Teskey at 928-925-3494 or allen_Teskey_75@yahoo.com.