A Healthy Hoof Grows from a Healthy Horse
Healthy in Body, Mind, Spirit and Environment. Part 1 of 4
As a holistic hoof care practitioner, it may come as a surprise that the hoof is generally the last thing that I am interested in looking at. The hooves I see on a new horse on day one are old news. It takes approximately a year for the new hoof growing from the coronary band to reach the ground on the average horse. What I am most interested in is the “Body” that it grows from, and how the influence of the Mind, Spirit and Environment have on that Body.
I am going to divide this article into 4 parts and cover each of them individually before we reflect back on the interconnectedness of the whole. Being part Cherokee and learning The Way of Right Relationship under the teachings of Cherokee Medicine Elder JT Garret at his Full Circle Gatherings in Cherokee, NC, I have come to associate these parts through the 4 Directions. Body, Mind, Spirit and Environment (or Natural Space). They are considered the “cords of life” and provide balance. Separate energies, but connected at the same time. I seek to identify the balances and imbalances and begin to assist the horse and human companion on opening a path toward greater harmony in the space they are currently in.
The Body is the direction of the West, and is associated with the physical path. When I am contacted to provide holistic hoof care, the new person completes a detailed information form prior to the first appointment, and sent back to me so I have time to review it before we all meet at an agreed upon date.
I always allow plenty of time for new beginnings with people and their horses. Everyone has a story, and to me that story is important. It helps me to communicate with them effectively. Then, I meet them together in the Physical and the attention is now on the horse in front of us. I introduce myself to the horse by offering the top of my hand for him or her to smell or touch. Simulating what they would do with another horse nose to nose. It’s not so much what you do, but your spirit and intent when you do it. They are masters of body language and energy. I carry the most popular essential oils with me in case a horse is a little unsure or nervous. There is always one that they like, and the acceptable one at the time is indicated by blinking, releasing the jaw, chewing, yawning and an obvious state of relaxation. I may use it at the first few visits as we create a calm and healing space.
The beginning of the body starts with the face and its own balance. I have an assessment form that I mark as I look at the ears, temporal muscles, TMJ, eyes, facial crests, masseter muscles, nostrils and lips for balance. Then I look at the incisors and feel the upper molars through the cheeks. I check to see/ hear the lateral motion of the jaw. I also look at the flexion of their head and neck. These observations have to do with balance and guidance. If the flexion is impaired on one side or the other, that will translate into the movement of the body, and how they move affects how they wear their hooves.
The horse below has 2 arrows pointing to the temporal muscles. The horses right one is larger and the left smaller. We found upon examination of his molar arcades that his left lower set was inverted (not at the proper angle so the upper and lower teeth did not occlude- or come together properly ). He had to use the right set to do all the work, hence the more developed muscle.
When an imbalance like this is left uncorrected it exacerbates that imbalance over time. And sometimes when it is discovered, the imbalance is too far gone to fully be corrected. I plan to cover this in greater detail in a future article specifically about Equine Dentistry.
I also check horses for possible ulcers using meridian points. I learned this from Dr. Mark DePaolo from DePaolo Equine Concepts many years ago. You can learn to do this yourself as he demonstrates in the video below.
Ulcers affect stance and movement and a horse may be too uncomfortable to pick up their hooves or even have you touching their body. A compromised stance will also effect how their hooves grow. For example, a horse will stand with the hinds more underneath them. I liken this to when humans have gut discomfort. We tend to curl into it. For horses, it can crush the hind heels and cause a negative angle to the coffin bones. Again, this is a topic worthy of its own title, and will be in the future.
I watch every horse move in straight lines, circles, trot and make notes of how they move.
Other things that affect the body that I also look at include:
An inflammatory diet
The way a saddle fits your horse
The way you sit on that saddle with any imbalances you have
Bits, bridles and the way you use them
Side dominance from you and/or your horse
Injuries
Following the first visit, I put everything together from the Information Form and my Observations in a written Assessment, with a healing plan forward. The relationship we develop over time just needs time. Developing trust is my main goal. We work together learning the wellness path as a team.
In Part 2, we will look at the “Mind” aka “Mental” which is the direction of the North.