shoes? Isn't it very rough on their feet?
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1) in captivity, horses' hooves harden much less and are more vulnerable to injury.
2) Horses in the wild live in dry climates and move a lot, but at a slow speed, so horse's feet are naturally worn to a small, smooth, even and hard state. The continual stimulation of the sole of the foot keeps it thick and hard.
3)Domesticated horses were moved in large numbers from the arid steppes to colder and wetter areas. These softer and heavier soils soften the hooves and have made them prone to splitting, making hoof protection necessary.
4) Domesticated horses are also subject to inconsistent movement between stabling and work, they must carry or pull additional weight, and in modern times they are often kept and worked on very soft footing, such as irrigated land, arena footing, or stall bedding.
5)The hooves of horses that are kept in stalls or small turnouts, even when cleaned adequately, are still exposed to more moisture than would be encountered in the wild, as well as to ammonia from urine. The hoof capsule is mostly made from keratin, a protein, and is weakened by this exposure, becoming even more fragile and soft.
6) without the natural conditioning factors present in the wild, the feet of horses grow overly large and long unless trimmed regularly. Hence, protection from rocks, pebbles, and hard, uneven surfaces is lacking. Without these precautions, cracks in overgrown and overly brittle hoof walls are a danger, as is bruising of the soft tissues within the foot because of inadequately thick and hard sole material.
2) Horses in the wild live in dry climates and move a lot, but at a slow speed, so horse's feet are naturally worn to a small, smooth, even and hard state. The continual stimulation of the sole of the foot keeps it thick and hard.
3)Domesticated horses were moved in large numbers from the arid steppes to colder and wetter areas. These softer and heavier soils soften the hooves and have made them prone to splitting, making hoof protection necessary.
4) Domesticated horses are also subject to inconsistent movement between stabling and work, they must carry or pull additional weight, and in modern times they are often kept and worked on very soft footing, such as irrigated land, arena footing, or stall bedding.
5)The hooves of horses that are kept in stalls or small turnouts, even when cleaned adequately, are still exposed to more moisture than would be encountered in the wild, as well as to ammonia from urine. The hoof capsule is mostly made from keratin, a protein, and is weakened by this exposure, becoming even more fragile and soft.
6) without the natural conditioning factors present in the wild, the feet of horses grow overly large and long unless trimmed regularly. Hence, protection from rocks, pebbles, and hard, uneven surfaces is lacking. Without these precautions, cracks in overgrown and overly brittle hoof walls are a danger, as is bruising of the soft tissues within the foot because of inadequately thick and hard sole material.
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You have to keep in mind that hooves are basically just fingernails on steroids - they keep growing.
Wild horses spend most of their time on grassy hillsides and sandy beaches and stuff like that, which doesn't wear the hooves down much. So the normal growth is able to keep up.
Domesticated horses have shoes fitted because it's basically impossible to be a domesticated horse and not have to walk across concrete and asphalt and cobblestones and stuff like that on a regular basis, and that stuff tears up hooves a lot faster than grass.
Wild horses spend most of their time on grassy hillsides and sandy beaches and stuff like that, which doesn't wear the hooves down much. So the normal growth is able to keep up.
Domesticated horses have shoes fitted because it's basically impossible to be a domesticated horse and not have to walk across concrete and asphalt and cobblestones and stuff like that on a regular basis, and that stuff tears up hooves a lot faster than grass.
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Yes, it can be rough, but they cannot make horseshoes for themselves. Horses walk on their toes (or actually toe since they only have one toe), and the hooves are made of toe nail, or compressed hair protein, which is keratin. Therefore their hooves provide some protection, although not as much protection as horse shoes.
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its beacuse with domestic horses you take them on roads and frosty gravel tracks and in concrete stables so they need shoes. Wild horses spend most time on soft grass so dont need.