Wild Horse Research

"Step forth into the light and let Nature be thy teacher..." ~William Wordsworth

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In 1986 and 1987, farrier Gene Ovnicek conducted a research study on the feet of feral or wild horses. The following paragraphs discuss what led him to this study and a brief overview of the findings. As you may notice throughout the hopeforsoundness.com web site, many of the techniques and guidelines for hoofcare are derived from these findings. If you would like a more in-depth version of this study, as well as the hoofcare by-products, please check out the book "New Hope for Soundness".

The Wild Horse Study

Deep concerns confront many of the people involved in the equine industry. Especially those individuals who are devoted to treating and maintaining soundness and functionality of the equine limb. Veterinarians and farriers alike feel that many times unreasonable demands are placed on them to compromise functional hoof shape and stance by allowing unnatural leverage forces on the lower limb. This criteria is often encouraged by owners, trainers, etc. to produce movements, perform activities or acquire a stance specified by individual breed groups, either for performance or halter classes. Seasoned veterans know well that in time, hoof distortion can occur and eventual acute and chronic lameness can follow.

Owners and trainers within various breed groups, with the best intentions in mind, often dictate hoof length, angle measurements, shoe types and shoe weights to hoofcare practitioners, with limited knowledge of long-term side effects. Our experiences with domestic horses (along with the many graphs, gauges and tools) have centered our focus on the external appearance of the hoof capsule. Reliance on these tools for hoof balance have often altered our understanding of the horse’s "Natural Equation for Balance."

Looking at this dilemma through the eyes of 35 years’ experience and feeling responsible in part for my contribution to the problem, compassion and frustration caused me to look elsewhere for information. Knowing that horses exist very well on their own, in their natural environment with no assistance from humans, suggested a possible source of truth and answers. I made a few inquiries about my interest and eventually was able to study wild horses’ feet closely during a two-year research project in 1986 and 1987. The following sections are brief descriptions of the procedures I used and my results from the study.

Methodology of the Study

A painted, flat board was pressed onto the bottom of the horses foot. Many measurements were taken to determine variations and similarities in load patterns. Photographs and video were taken throughout, and each foot was marked and recorded appropriately. *Horses from 3 different environments were involved in this study.

Summary of the Findings

Studies indicated superficial areas of dirt in the hoof fell out easily, but the deeper layers were compacted and difficult to remove. Is this compacted material somehow beneficial to the structure and function of the foot?
Shorter distance from the apex of the frog to breakover.
The bars terminate at the widest part of the foot, just behind the frog apex, which is generally below the center of articulation of the coffin joint.
The center reference of the foot is viewed from the bottom and is located at the widest part of the foot.
All horses were heavily calluses across the toe. Having looked at at hundreds of horses both wild and domestic, this characteristic has proven to be universal in barefooted horses who maintain their own feet.
The distance measured from the frog apex to the point of breakover was constant in all types of environments.
The paint showed consistently on the white zone of the hoof and on the sole inside of the lamina, rarely on the outer wall.
Four areas of ground contact were consistent: 1 at the end of each heel and 1 on each side of the toe on the sole, just inside the white line. (at about the 10:00 and 2:00 positions)
Lines drawn diagonally across the foot (from toe ground contact point to opposite heel contact point) indicated distribution of mass proportionally: 1/3 in the anterior portion of the hoof and 2/3 in the posterior portion of the hoof (view from the bottom at the center reference point).
The heel buttresses, frog and rear 2/3 of the foot were weight-bearing.
The bars terminate at the widest part of the foot.
There were NO dorsal hoofwall flares on hooves from horses in any environment.
There was surprisingly little to no contact of the hoof wall on the imprint board.
Horses that lived on harder ground had less heel length and more frog contact.
Horses that lived in a softer ground environment had longer heels, with broken out quarters and yet their frog was still callused from use.

(More specifics, as well as derived conclusions are more widely discussed in the "New Hope for Soundness" book.)

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This page was last update on 8/29/01. Copyright © 1998 Wild Horse Publishing & Equine Digit Support System, Inc.. All rights reserved. Terms of Use