Hoofbeats

The hooves of the remaining Wild Horses show a lot of overgrowth and other damage. The horses have not gone into the forest, their proper environment, for over two years. Forest fires, hunters, wild dogs, all have discouraged the horses from roaming the rocky, sparsely vegetated forest. They have been staying instead on the farm where they were rescued; the ground is soft and the foraging is lush. Since they are traveling only short distances on soft earth, their hooves are not getting worn down properly and they are developing more and more problems. The increasing hoof problems point to the necessity of obtaining a forest preserve for the horses where they will live in an environment that will demand more exercise and hoof wear.


		Wild Horse Hooves Show Lack of Wear
	The hooves of the remaining Wild Horses show a lot of overgrowth and other damage. The horses have not gone into the forest, their proper environment, for over two years. Forest fires, hunters, wild dogs, all have discouraged the horses from roaming the rocky, sparsely vegetated forest. They have been staying instead on the farm where they were rescued; the ground is soft and the foraging is lush. Since they are traveling only short distances on soft earth, their hooves are not getting worn down properly and they are developing more and more problems. The increasing hoof problems point to the necessity of obtaining a forest preserve for the horses where they will live in an environment that will demand more exercise and hoof wear.