Cross Breeds - How do wild horses prevent lameness?

How do wild horses prevent lameness?

I know that humans clip their horses hooves to prevent them from growing out too much and going lame. But obviously wild horses dont their feet clipped by a fairer, so how come they dont go lame? Is it really necessary to have a fairer clip horses hooves?

Public Comments

Horses in the wild travel *very* long distances over various terrain daily in search of food and water and to avoid predators. This slowly wears their hooves off- just enough to offset the growth and keep them at an acceptable length and angle. Of course, there are other causes of lameness, and those can not be fixed by walking. If a wild horse does go lame because of strain, break, abscess, etc. it would more than likely die or get picked off by a predator and therefore remove it's genes (and with it's genes, any genetic predisposition to lameness) from the population. Over time this strengthens the overall health of the herd. Captive horses are kept in a pasture, on grass or sand or shavings(occasionally gravel or tar) all the time, only ridden a couple hours at most a day, fed grains and supplements to help their hooves grow and made to do all manner of "un-natural" things, like carry the weight of a rider, pull a cart, wear metal shoes and move in a certain way for work. These activities put different stresses on a hoof. Therefore, captive horses need different care than a horse in the wild. All domesticated horses need their hooves trimmed by a licensed farrier. Some can go longer between trimmings than others due to the strength and rate of growth of their hooves. Some require shoes and some do not, but all require trimmings.
With domestic horses... yes it is necessary.. The wild horses.. their hooves get naturally worn down from the tough terrain they run on. This was kind of a weird question to me.. Maybe try thinking about it a little more before you post?
Wild horses scrape their hooves against big boulders if they have hoof problems. Also, they exercise all the time so that their hooves wear themselves down. If you keep your horse in a large corral with a boulder in it and no rocks, it may not need its hooves trimmed so long as the horse is always barefoot. I've seen it done before.
Wild horses can and do go lame. And then they get killed by predators.
Technically, they're feral not wild. The only wild horse is the endangered Przewalski's Horse. And wild and feral horses do go lame, they would then probably be left behind by the herd, and then get eaten by predators! Survival of the fittest! Obviously that depends on the severity of the lameness. Wild and feral horses, having never worn shoes, will have very hard feet compared to our pampered ones. They will be worn down by the horses walking over hard and rocky ground. For our domestic horses - yes a farrier is essential. Those hooves are always growing. This WILL happen if you ignore your horses feet and don't ever get them trimmed! http://www.barefoothorse.com/images/overgrown-flares.jpg http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42350000/jpg/_42350084_hooves_203_rspca.jpg
Horses in the wild do indeed go lame. Unfortunately the soundness of the wild horse is vital to its survival. However they often travel vast distances and over varied ground, often rough, and that way they wear their feet down. Because we keep domesticated horses on soft bedding or on soft, well maintained grass, they do need their feet trimming and the excess removed as they do not have the chance to wear down naturally. They also do work which untamed horses do not do and therefore their feet need correcting at regular 6-8 week intervals to keep them in the best condition. Too long a toe and the heel will drop and stretch the tendons unacceptably causing strains.
Wild horses don't prevent lameness- I don't know where you got that from. They can go lame as easily as any other horse if the conditions are right or if something happens to make them that way. Most mustangs have tough feet because they spend their entire lives on the move. To get enough to eat and drink and avoid predators, the horses must constantly be moving- and all that travel over rough terrain wears their feet down naturally. Contrast this with their domesticated cousins, who live in barns and paddocks where the soil is soft and the stalls are padded and bedded with shavings or straw. Domesticated horses only rarely spend time working on rough surfaces, and when they do, they almost always have shoes on for protection. This lack of exposure to rough ground means that their hooves never get a chance to wear down- and it also means that the hooves of a domesticated horse must be trimmed regularly. Horses' hooves are like our fingernails- they are even made of the same substance that our nails are. They grow constantly, for as long as the horse is alive- and there is some evidence that hoof growth even continues for short while after death. ( It's known that human hair and fingernails will grow for up to a day after a person dies.) So yes, it's necessary to have a farrier trim your horses' feet, unless you want the animals to go lame and become totally useless. Regular trimming also prevents injuries and is useful in treating chronic problems like founder and arthritis.
Yes, horses kept in captivity, even those who are barefoot, need a farrier to come regularly to trim, shoe, and keep their hooves strong and healthy. In the wild, horses travel long distances over all sorts of terrain, which wears down their hooves in a similar way to how a farrier trims them. Like Alpha Mare said, horses in the wild who get lame will often die, therefore removing their genes from the herd.
they don't their hooves wear down naturally
I thought this was a good question!! I've always wondered this myself