04/10/2024
ACTIVE WEAR – THE SUPPORT TRIAD
Wild horse research conducted by Jaime Jackson in the U.S. Great Basin (1982-86) revealed that there is such a thing as a true naturally shaped hoof. But much more was revealed to this astute observer. Jackson learned that there's a correlation between naturally shaped hooves, lifestyle and habitat. Remove the horse from their adaptive environment, and the hoof growth patterns begin to change and deviate from what is natural.
Yet, despite unnatural living conditions we can still trim safely. It is because we only mimic the natural wear patterns of the wild horse hoof, putting the hoof on a path to being naturally shaped. Active wear is one of those natural wear patterns that form naturally. Removing it is therefore a violation of what nature intended to be there. This goes to our pledged Hippocratic Oath, “Do no harm.”
This is in contrast to the generic reductionist trim methods that ignore natural growth patterns and mechanically carve out a man-made parody. The hoof’s protective armor is then compromised, dangerously exposing delicate dermal tissues within. This harmful approach is also used to remove pathological growth patterns, ignoring nature’s healing pathways. We deal with pathology by addressing its root causes embedded in diet, boarding and lifestyle issues (i.e., Four Pillars of NHC).
The Wild Horse Model provides us with a template for a naturally shaped hoof; the Guiding Principles of the Natural Trim provide for safe cuts. NHC science is evidence based, having roots in the adaptive environment of the equine species. Unlike the Natural Trim method, generic trims at best follow guidelines developed through research conducted in controlled conditions that are unnatural to the horse. Further, unnatural boarding and lifestyle experiences inevitably also contribute to unnaturally shaped hooves. It is then that tools are deployed to "tame" the hoof, resulting in a "cookie cutter" syndrome that obstructs or deviates the natural wear patterns. Either way, the link to a naturally shaped hoof is fundamentally broken. We see an aggressive mustang roll around the hoof wall, thinning of the toe and quarter walls leading to flare and wall splits, sole loading and thinning causing hypersensitivity, even resections of the frog and bars. Not surprisingly, the horse is left “footy” if not dead lame. Many barefooters then resort to hoof boots if not re-shoeing the horse from confusion and desperation.
Jackson observed in his hoof studies that active wear is uniform across all U.S. Great Basin wild, free-roaming horse populations. He deduced that the hoof’s "intelligence network" embodied in its Supercorium, signals the production of added epidermal mass on specific segments of hoof wall that endure greater weight bearing forces. And further, that active wear emerges as support pillars that unite to form distinct groups of three, called “Support Triads.” These triads include both heel buttresses and one segment of the medial toe wall (the side facing the horse’s spine). They reflect the natural process of callusing, or reinforcing, of the hoof wall, revealing that the bottom of the hoof is anything but flat. Moreover, they are of paramount importance to natural hoof balance.
Jackson concluded from his observations of wild horse behavior that the Support Triads are, on a deeper level, distinguished by each horse’s individual temperament and locomotive style.
Nature has coordinated active wear with the natural concavity of the hoof. First to reach the ground are the Support Triads which are enveloped by the Mustang Roll. Next comes the rest of the hoof wall that is passive to the pillars of the Support Triad. The sole and frog follow, each protected by the peripheral loading of the hoof wall, meaning they are not meant to endure active wear. This correlates to the idea that it is the active wear of the hoof wall that forms “Nature’s horseshoe.” From this we can see that removing the hoof wall’s active wear leads straight to invasive trimming, a serious violation of the first of our Four Guiding Principles of the Natural Trim, "Leave that which should naturally be there."
The Natural Trim method relies heavily on NHC science, nested in the U.S. Great Basin wild horse model. From it, birth was given to the Theory of H° that enables us to explain or predict certain healing and pathological phenomena occurring across the horse’s body. This is also why the ISNHCP Natural Trim Training Program is not taught casually - and not just because it would violate our core principles. There's much greater risk of causing harm when one only wants to learn trim mechanics, but without care or attention given to the abstract framework that guides the trimming process.
If you like what you're reading, please help us share this message and raise awareness of the Natural Trim as it is taught in its original form by the ISNHCP. It is a safe and humane trimming method based on evidence that is rooted in natural science.
