Towards horses with efficient healthy hooves that do not need to be shod !
What is the ideal terrain for bare-foot horses?
Natural Horse Planet went to interview Jacqueline Stensrod at her farm in the Lot-et-Garonne region of France, where she lives with her husband, two dogs and five horses to find out what the ideal terrain for bare-foot horses is.
Jacqueline Stensrod is currently the only SHP (Strasser Hoofcare Professional) in France. She obtained her diploma from Dr Strasser after two years training, and is now fully qualified to trim and treat the hooves of bare-foot horses (horses that have not been shod).
Mike Paulin : What should one ideally strive for when attempting to create an ideal terrain for bare-foot horses?
Jacqueline Stensrod : An ideal terrain for all horses does not exist. It all depends on the breed of horse, and the kind of work he is required to do on it. I have created a hard soil for my horses to prepare them for the real riding conditions outside, with stony lanes and tarmac on roads.
The Percheron horse can deal more easily with softer grounds because his hooves are softer. However other breeds, like Standard Breds, Quarter Horses, Barbs or Icelandic ponies who have much harder hooves need a harder ground in order to wear them down naturally if they are to remain un-shod.
When we first moved here, there were only fields. In order to make the ground harder, we had to put down stones and then make the horses walk over them. We created a crossroads area, somewhere they have no choice but to walk over in order to get to the woods, or to where their hay is in winter, or to the grassy fields.
The drinking trough is put in the middle of a wet area that they have to walk through several times a day in order to drink. I have even set up an area to groom them where they are standing in water.
