what makes a healthy hoof (horse) Part 2

WHAT MAKES A HEALTHY HOOF?
(Part 2)
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MOVEMENT, MOVEMENT, MOVEMENT
I cannot stress how important movement is to a four legged equid. Movement = medicine.
A horse typically in the 'wild' will walk at least 20km a day.
We cant replicate this but we can help with providing encouragement to move. 13km to 20km is the amount of movement to aim for.

Movement is vital for the health for the whole horse. Horses are made to move. Out in the 'wild' they are foragers - constantly on the move looking for food. Keeping your barefoot horse as active as they can be is important to the success of a barefoot lifestyle. It also is vital for the development of not only growing healthy hooves, but to every aspect of overall health.
The horse evolved to move, and every part of him will generally function better if we can provide as much movement as possible.

Movement is exercise. And exercise is what stimulates circulation and helps the horse reduce weight if they are overweight. But, perhaps more importantly, exercise makes it easier for the horse’s body to process sugar. At the same time, horses that get exercise are able to grow a healthy hoof faster than sedentary horses.

So how can we get our horse to move a lot more on a daily basis??
Track Systems are the answer to this. Google can help you here. There are Facebook pages as well.

The best way to maximize the movement of a turned-out horse is being popularized by natural hoof care practitioner Jaime Jackson, who describes his method in his book Paddock Paradise.
“Paddock Paradise”is a book available to purchase if you like a hard copy of something 'in your hand'.

Basically, you use fencing to create 4-metre-wide "tracks" around the perimeter of your property or pasture/paddock area.
Each day (or twice a day) you place hay around the track, which encourages the horses to make numerous laps.
I personally run mine with electric fencing and standards, and on a regular basis I open an internal area to give them a break of grass and on another part of the track there is hay and straw for them to have. Grass??? Yes - if there is additional movement, most horses can handle grass. Type of grass given and seasonality need to be considered. Also if your horse is sensitive to grass then this may need to be considered on an individual basis.
I have water in another area and shade/resting area in a further spot. Keep your track with no dead ends and the horses will walk and follow each other.

It really works, and horses seem motivated to move along the track even without the enticement of food.
Horses that normally stand around in the paddock pasture all day will radically increase their movement. This aids metabolism, increases health, strength and endurance, helps process excess sugars and of course creates very tough, healthy feet.

One of the most important rules of thumb with hooves and equine health in general is, "Use it or lose it." The track system can and will revolutionize the way we board horses. They're cheap and easy to set up, and they really work to the horse's benefit.

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what makes a healthy hoof (horse) Part 2

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