Hoofcare and Lameness Magazine -- Mustad ("The Hoofcare People") Fund Permanent Farrier Facility At University Equine Research Center

The following summary statement has been issued by Judith Shoemaker, a leading alternative veterinary medicine practitioner in Pennsylvania, who served on the panel at the recent Tufts conference on hoofcare. The panel was asked to evaluate Dr Strasser's presentation on her program of natural horsekeeping and barefoot hoof management.

Statements published are the opinions of the author listed and do not represent any position of Hoofcare Publishing or its employees.

Dr. Judith Shoemaker's statement:

The effort made by Dr. Kirker-Head, of Tufts University, to bring together knowledgeable people for Dr. Hiltrud Strasser's presentation and an exchange of ideas and information was beautifully organized.

This significant accomplishment promotes the appropriate integration of ideas into our body of knowledge. We are grateful to receive Dr. Strasser's information as she has obviously put many years and much effort into her research.

The concept of barefoot maintenance of horses should be promoted. Done correctly, many horses could live more happily and healthily barefoot. However there is a large
body of evidence, both scientific and anecdotal, that indicates that the return to barefoot competency requires a more individualized and sophisticated approach to the
dynamically changing system of the animal than is evident through Dr. Strasser's technique. Animals in different stages of lameness or physiologic recovery have different biomechanical and neurological requirements during the various phases of recovery.

There is an order and sequence of change that the nervous system requires to recognize and "understand" to continue the process of recovery and resolution of lameness. Arbitrary and excessive alterations of biomechanical sensors in an unnatural sequence to achieve a standardized end point may not allow the nervous system of the horse to adapt appropriately and recover full function.

There is significant anecdotal evidence that a large number of horses perceive radical changes in an unnatural sequence of wear and breakage as pathology, and will become lame (for example, first lowering the heel as opposed to wearing the toe).

In addition, true barefoot maintenance will allow a horse to recover very quickly as it must in the wild. Appropriately approached, almost all animals will show significant improvement in less than 6-8 weeks. Protracted recoveries indicate that the system is not functioning naturally.

I also have some reservations about the accuracy of the functional biomechanics that are the basis of the Strasser technique in light of more modern research. Cutting-edge studies of functional biomechanics and neurology indicate that far more sophisticated and subtle mechanisms are at work in the equine digit. Ultimately, the nervous system will find the fastest and most comfortable road to return to function, and one must pay attention to what has worked for 55 million years.

Though I concur with Dr. Strasser that there is an optimum sound hoof conformation that we hope to achieve, I do not necessarily agree that the model she has chosen represents
the sound hoof conformation for all horses. The high heel of an unsound horse will eventually be normalized in any appropriate trimming system if that compensation is no longer necessary, however the radical leap to the lower heel configuration may be disastrous for some.

Though I agree that under-run or contracted bars are pathologic, the total obliteration of this significant support system and concaving of the sole removes what has more recently been shown to be a significant part of the hoof mechanism, and resulting laminar damage may be the irreversible result.

Several excellent avenues for further discussion and development are evident to me. First, there is an obvious need for alternative
approaches to foot maintenance as lameness and foot pathology still plague the industry. Accurate statistical research on the efficacy of alternative approaches is desperately needed.

Second, it is also obvious that not every animal responds favorably to one single approach. There must be some part of the process that we may not appreciate, or be allowing, with techniques currently practiced.

Lastly, continued open-minded discussions incorporating scientific fact and experiential knowledge are a necessity to find the solutions and programs to keep horses sound.

Judith Shoemaker DMV

Click here to read the Guild of Professional Farriers President's Position Statement on Strasser Method, issued May 28,2002
Click here to a summary statement from Montana farrier/veterinarian Tia Nelson
Click here to read the comments of "natural hoof" barefoot trimmer Pete Ramey
Click here to read a summary statement from American Farrier's Association President Craig Trnka
Click here to see a foot trimmed by Dr Strasser and analyzed with Metron software
Click here to read a letter from a horse owner who has experience with the Strasser method.
Click here to read a statement by Cornell University vet school farrier Michael Wildenstein