by C. Scott Kroeger
Reference: Concepts and illustrations from A Lifetime of Soundness by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser, pages 12-13, 45-46

• In the wild, horses cover distances of 15+ kilometres a day in a herd environment. By moving to various grazing areas, water holes and the like the entire herd is constantly on the move.
  
  
• Horses in the wild are looking for the nutritional variation that make up their daily diets and will travel great distances to find it. Instinctively, they know where to go for the special plant, grass, bark, minerals etc., that will meet their needs. Horses are self medicating and look for that which will augment their well-being long before they become ill.
  
  
• Movement is also incurred in the various episodes of herd life, whether it be playing with one another, being driven by a lead mare or stallion when danger is afoot or just being curious.
  
  
• This daily movement will usually include a session of soaking in water, usually when the herd has retired to the the water hole for their daily intake of water.
  
  
• These great distances travelled everyday result in hooves that will have come into contact with a variety of breed appropriate terrain that will wear down a hoof to its physiologically correct shape as nature has intended. The hoof will not be too short or too long, or too high. Studies have shown that wild horse hooves have a ground parallel coffin bone with 30 degree hairline.
  
  
• Since the heart of a horse is only .5% of the makeup of the horse, it is logical that the circulatory system of the horse must necessarily be compensated by the augmentation of the blood pump in each foot when proper hoof mechanism is present. As the foot descends on weight-bearing, the foot expands, the sole stretches wide, the coffin bone come down, and the solar corium fills up with blood. When the foot is raised, the foot contracts, forcing the blood up to the venous plexus, where it is forced up the leg when the foot descends again. This repeated movement is vital for the health and healing of every horse.
  
  
• An injured horse with broken bones or injured ligaments/tendons needs movement on hard ground for the cells of the injured area to reoriented in their proper direction. STALLING IS OFTEN THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO AN INJURED HORSE.
  
  
• Freedom of movement (in a herd environment) will also have a positive psychological effect on your horse as it feels secure to be able to run away if need be.
  
  
• Horses with freedom of movement will stay warm when it gets cold by moving around....something they cannot do if they are stalled.

Photos:
www.usda.gov/oc/photo/ 95cs2794.htm
biology.usgs.gov/s+t/imagefiles/ x182w01.htm
www.richpomerantz.com/horses/ horses_index.html
www.ets.uidaho.edu/range456/ hot-topics/wildhorse.htm

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Last edited: 30 June, 2007
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