All the horses’ feet are doing fine. It’s been interesting to see how each horse and rider team has dealt with the rocky trail. Moki, Hardy, and Penny have all been going barefoot for the majority of the trail. They seek out softer ground on the edge of the trail, especially when it’s really rocky. The mules have also been barefoot, expect for a few days on a gravel road and in the Grand Canyon. Crow, Chauncey, Tonto, and Toby seem to be happy wearing boots. They mostly wear boots on all four feet, with the occasional day when the back boots come off. These horses also seek out the softer ground, even with boots on. Our shod horses, Churro and Black Oak are plodding along just fine. Churro steps wherever he pleases, whereas Black Oak pays a little bit more attention to where he puts his feet.
I’ve been able to do some trimming and take some measurements in the last couple of weeks. All of the horses’ feet I’ve looked at are hard and well shaped. The most important part of the trims has been to maintain the mustang roll. The mustang roll allows the horses to land heel first then roll to the toe. This is the most efficient movement for the horse, as well as the most structurally sound movement. From the measurements I’ve taken I’ve observed very little change in the shape and size of the hooves. I have noticed that the hooves seem to be evening out from left to right and from front to back. The mules are doing a good job of self-trimming.
