Hoof Care and Lifestyle
The Wild Model
Most of our domesticated horses no longer have the ability to roam the 15+ miles a day that their ancestors have. Natural Hoof Care allows for these problems to be prevented and resolved utilizing a natural trim method, and diet/lifestyle adjustments. The goal is to create as close to a natural lifestyle as possible for our domesticated horses.
Diet
Horses have a relatively small stomach. They are designed to be continuously grazing on native grasses, moving from spot-to-spot along their wild territory. We tend to feed our domesticated horses nutrient dense feeds, twice a day. This disrupts their natural digestion process and leads to health issues such as colic, ulcers, poor hoof health, and founder/laminitis. It is encouraged to feed low sugar grasses, on the ground in multiple locations if possible. This encourages movement. In addition, it is recommended to limit the amount of sugars, grains and sweet feeds.
Lifestyle
The goal is to provide horses with the most natural lifestyle as possible. Horses need herd interaction. Modern stabling practices reduce or completely eliminate opportunities horses to socialize and engage in herd behaviors, which greatly impacts their mental well being. Living with at least one other horses allows for horse practices such as; mutual grooming, grazing, and playing with one another, as well as important herd behaviors such as deciding hierarchy.