Editor,

After reading an article in the August 12, 2010 edition of The Smithville Times entitled “Horses Bares Their Soles,” I feel obligated to defend placing shoes on some horses.

The article went on to say, “Local farrier believes shoeing is unnatural and causes damage.”

Much has been said in recent years about natural feet (unshod) on the wild horses versus the domestic horses.

Granted, wild horses and domestic horses are both members of the equine family, but there are some notable differences.

Wild horses are free to roam as they please; domestic horses are often stalled and kept in small paddocks.

Wild horses don’t carry riders and are not made to work or compete in athletic events.

Some of these and other factors can determine if the animal will benefit from shoes.

Some other reasons a horse can benefit from shoes include but are not limited to: hoof wear exceeding hoof growth, conformation faults, gate faults and some lameness issues.

I think it’s safe to say that all of us in the farrier business who apply shoes to horses also trim a lot of the horses that will go barefoot. In either case, the hoof must be properly trimmed.

It has been my experience in the farrier field (25 years) that lame, barefoot horses can often experience immediate relief with shoeing.

Many times these shoes are prescribed by equine veterinarians who coordinate efforts with farriers.

I can go on and on about the benefits of shoeing in certain cases, but I will end with this note.

Keep an open mind whether you trim or shoe the horse. Do what is best for the horse in each individual case.

You can visit the American Farriers web site at www.theamericanfarriers.com for more information.

Vernon Stehling, Farrier

Joe Johnson, Farrier

Rosanky, Texas