I would highly recommend this blog for both advice and info on barefoot horses and for many pictures of what health barefoot hooves look like.
I have a 5 year old who is barefoot. She is out in all kind of footing. Never had shoes on her she has very hard feet. The only ground that chipped her feet up was stones (gravel road) rode down road. If I did that more often I would have to put shoes on her. Very grateful that she can go barefoot because shoes can be a pain. Previous horse shoes on all four.
As everyone said it does depend on several factors whether a horse can go comfortably on rocky footing. My dressage horse is barefoot and because I live in the very dry and rocky desert I slap on a pair of hoof boots before hitting the trails. He could probably comfortably go without, but I don’t want to risk a hoof bruise. I prefer Renegade hoof boots, but Easy Care boots are also good.
http://www.renegadehoofboots.com/
www.easycareinc.com
Barefoot until 19 but used hoof boots on rocky terrain
My 19year old Appy went barefoot until last year. I used hoof boots when trail riding due to our rocky terrain. He developed white line disease and we put shoes and pads on for support and comfort. Sky didn’t like the heavy steel shoes, so I switched him to aluminum shoes and saw an immediate difference.
When he developed the white line disease, I put him on a SmartPak hoof supplement. Sky’s always had good feet but we felt the supplement might help. A year later and there’s no sign of WLD and his hooves look great. We’re keeping him in shoes only because we’ve advanced in his schooling to the point that my trainer feels like the shoes give him a little extra support and stability on some surfaces.
Like JB said, it’s really a matter of trial and error. I mostly rode on grass or in arenas with good footing, but Sky was still always a little ouchy on rocky surfaces. Hoof boots were a wonderful alternative to full time shoes. I’d recommend you look into those as well.
[QUOTE=sascha;7248690]
Why shoe if you don’t have to, Wirt?
My mare’s coming up to 7 months of work in bare feet and isn’t yet showing signs she needs Jimmy Choos. Why would I want to get her something she doesn’t need? It’s awesome having a barefoot horse. I have always been quick to slap shoes on when needed, but not needing them is suiting me just fine, tyvm. My farrier’s pretty happy about it too. Easy peasy, trim her up and done once every 6 weeks. Yes, 6 weeks. I am lucky beyond words with this horse![/QUOTE]
The original poster says she the feet are cracked and split, and she wants to go out of trails. So why try to go barefoot, when she can just get shod, and she can ride without worry? If you have to worry about a horse going barefoot, the shoe him.
My Arab has great feet. He’ll run down a gravel road like its grass. No surface fazes him. I doubt I’ll ever shoe him. We foxhunt, do endurance and pretty much anything else barefoot. He’s never had a single issue and I don’t see a reason to start shoeing him now.
If we do something in the future that requires hoof protection, I will boot him. I don’t see a reason to put shoes on him 100% of the time for the tiny fraction of time he might need them for.
That said, if I had a horse that didn’t have feet like his, I wouldn’t be opposed to shoes. Mine just doesn’t need them.
My friend’s gelding goes barefoot 90% of the time. If we’re riding on rocky trails or something like that he wears boots. He does not do well on the same trails my gelding does. They live in the same barn and eat the same feed, grass and hay. One simply has genetically better feet.
Cracked and split can just mean a little overgrown, needs a trim and can be fine. It can mean the horse needs better nutrition. It can mean the horse has terrible feet and needs shoes. It can mean a zillion different things. Too hard to tell without seeing the feet.
[QUOTE=Wirt;7249245]
The original poster says she the feet are cracked and split, and she wants to go out of trails. So why try to go barefoot, when she can just get shod, and she can ride without worry? If you have to worry about a horse going barefoot, the shoe him.[/QUOTE]
Some people, especially those who don’t know anything about feet, as this OP has admitted, see a regular little chip or a few sand cracks and think the feet are falling apart. I’m not saying that is the case here, but one cannot just see 'cracked and split" and assume the feet are in terrible shape and must have shoes.
Simply saying “just shoe the horse and carry on” isn’t addressing any potential underlying issues, though that is not the same as saying the horse will never need shoes, even if only temporarily.
Indeed, as JB said. But admittedly my default is barefoot -basically I wouldn’t shoe unless it is needed. Some people’s default is to shoe. This initial position will inform the kind of advice you would get.
Paula
1 Like
My Araloosa has been barefoot since I purchased him at 2.5. His hoofs stay pretty good throughout trim period, occasional chips, never any cracks. Any good biotin supplement will help if the horse’s hooves need a bit of help. But as someone above said, yeah, he’s one of those horses that has big old Appy feet so he has a bit of an advantage there.
As long as I’m riding in an area or on smooth, i.e., not rocky ground, I leave him as he is. If I’m going out on an extended trail ride or a rocky area, I have a pair of Old Mac boots I put on his front feet, just as a precaution. I’ve ridden him out on moderately rocky footing without the boots, but I’m just more comfortable with the boots if the footing isn’t particularly good.
I will add - my horse does FAR better on rocky trails with boots than he ever did bare with shoes. If I were to put shoes on him and want to ride on rocky trails regularly no question he’d have to get padded to protect his soles. I prefer him being able to be bare most of the time with boots on trails.
I’m lucky because I have a mustang with great feet! I’ve never put shoes or boots on him, and we ride on some pretty rocky ground (gravel on the trails in some places, and rocks everywhere because of our geography) when trail riding. My arena at home is sand. I can tell a difference between types of footing that we ride on, but that’s been the case for my shod horses, too, so I don’t think that the lack of shoes necessarily makes a difference.
I love having a barefoot horse - I do his feet myself with occasional visits from a professional. He’s on a hoof supplement, but honestly I don’t think he really needs it. Being born out in the high desert of Nevada and moving with his herd, I think his creator gave him some good DNA for strong feet!
Having said that, I am not a believer that all horses can go barefoot - especially where I live. A lot of people use hoof boots for trail riding, but I don’t see how they’d do well in a sandy arena. I have had my horses barefoot and shod. Some of them just can’t comfortably do it barefoot. Get your horse’s feet done by a competent professional, try it out and see how the work goes. You can put boots or shoes on if you need them - pretty simple. 
[QUOTE=paulaedwina;7249642]
Indeed, as JB said. But admittedly my default is barefoot -basically I wouldn’t shoe unless it is needed. Some people’s default is to shoe. This initial position will inform the kind of advice you would get.
Paula[/QUOTE]
Yes, the default SHOULD be barefoot unless and until the horse says otherwise, and he might say otherwise for any number of reasons, including genetics.
The default bit should be a snaffle instead of something “more”, unless and until the situation says otherwise.
Start with simple and minimal as the default and work from there based on a need.
1 Like
That’s what I’ve been taught, but everybody doesn’t go the same way.
Paula
[QUOTE=Wirt;7248645]
Just shoe the dang horse and get on with riding!!![/QUOTE]
My, what an intelligent, well thought-out reply…:rolleyes:
Seriously - to the OP: Why not ask the former owner what sort of riding they did before you got the horse? You don’t need to discover all the answers yourself when someone else owned the horse.
Most of my “barefoot” experience comes for the endurance world. It is true the horse doesn’t wear shoes all the time. But if the footing is rough or the horse needs them, they were boots of some style.
I wish people would finally “get” that “barefoot” doesn’t always mean going without any protection…it just means not wearing nail-on shoes. It’s not an “either or” choice.
As for the “benefits” of keeping a horse barefoot…it improves circulation, makes the hoof stronger, lessens concussion/shock to the hoof/leg…it really is a pretty complicated subject…it goes beyond just pulling the shoes and carrying on. True, some horses just are naturally able to do that, but most are not.
Start w/asking the former owner/rider/farrier about your new horse, rather than a bunch of strangers on a BB who have never ever seen the animal.
Keeping a horse barefoot who is actually being ridden alot or in serious training is a multifaceted program that may well involve supplements, frequent trims, booting in some cases and exposing the horse daily to footing that will help strengthen the sole.
There was an article in “Dressage Today” on Steffen & Shannon Peters’ “barefoot” program and it is quite extensive. I think the article is available through the on-line version of the mag.
That being said, I’m sure there are folks to just pull the shoes and ride. And they do just fine. But you are stacking the deck against yourself to do it this way, IMHO.
If you are truly interested in keeping the horse barefoot, there are resources out there that will help you figure it all out. There are books, videos and even a “barefoot” group on Yahoo!.
Good luck! It’s better for the horse if they can go barefoot and you save some $$ as well.
"As for the “benefits” of keeping a horse barefoot…it improves circulation, makes the hoof stronger, lessens concussion/shock to the hoof/leg…’
There really isn’t the data or science to back this up. Oh, there are plenty of studies to be sure. They are not as conclusive as the barefoot craze would have everyone believe… None of those things are absolutely true, or true all at once. The statement would imply that the reverse is true, That shoes will weaken the hoof, limit circulation, cause more shock to the leg. There really isn’t the proof that proper shoeing alone will harm a horse in any significant way.
The desire is to be “all natural” It is a craze. A healthy foot shod well will continue to be healthy.
[QUOTE=Wirt;7250359]
"As for the “benefits” of keeping a horse barefoot…it improves circulation, makes the hoof stronger, lessens concussion/shock to the hoof/leg…’
There really isn’t the data or science to back this up. Oh, there are plenty of studies to be sure. They are not as conclusive as the barefoot craze would have everyone believe… None of those things are absolutely true, or true all at once. The statement would imply that the reverse is true, That shoes will weaken the hoof, limit circulation, cause more shock to the leg. There really isn’t the proof that proper shoeing alone will harm a horse in any significant way.
The desire is to be “all natural” It is a craze. A healthy foot shod well will continue to be healthy.[/QUOTE]
Until it’s proven one way or another I’m pro-barefoot as long as the horse doesn’t show a reason to need shoes. I’m against the bandwagon of “throw shoes on that horse to fix its problems!” without thinking and understanding the problems. But I also agree that right now there is no proof one way or another.
I think I stated earlier in this thread - the one thing I know has made a HUGE difference in my horse’s hooves is the very frequent trims he’s getting, and I don’t believe there’s a way we could have corrected his hooves without them. His hooves already had trouble holding nails, so no way even with trying to re-use nail holes we could have possibly done frequent trims with shoes.
For certain going barefoot can help a horse in circumstances like mine - I’m just hoping we get evidence one way or the other from scientific, peer-reviewed studies showing the truth of the matter. Even then, I suspect there will be exceptions in which the “worst” way is actually the best for specific horses.
1 Like
LOL! How long does something have to be a ‘craze’ before it’s treated with a bit more respect. “Natural” has been a “craze” for a very long time.
Paula
[QUOTE=Wirt;7250359]
"
The desire is to be “all natural” It is a craze. A healthy foot shod well will continue to be healthy.[/QUOTE]
Well… that I have to totally disagree with. I have seen horses with totally crummy shod feet transition to having way better quality hoof when they don’t have shoes nailed to their feet.
Even human shoes, especially highly padded running shoes that promote a heel first landing of the foot, can do a tremendous amount of harm over time.
Yes, extra protection against wear or rough footing is useful for both horses and humans at times. BUT, many presumptions about what is ‘good’ for both human and equine physical functioning is being proven highly suspect, if not flat out wrong, by recent inquiries.
It isn’t really a “craze to be natural” but a desire to have improved function.
“All Natural” has been a successful advertising campaign since “Organic” came along in the seventies. It means nothing, as does “natural horsemanship” or “natural barefoot trimming”. Meaningless, but nevertheless, people’s eyes glaze over and they say, “I gotta get me some!”
I don’t know who says, “Throw shoes on them to fix their problems” But hoof care should not be a “problem”. Shoeing is not to fix something, but to enable you to ride your horse everywhere you want or need to. Problem feet in horses were not created by shoeing them, but by breeding.
I think if you find yourself tying yourself up in a preztle, trying to " go barefoot", and you are unable to ride your otherwise healthy horse, that’s your loss. In fact, in many circumstances, with some crappy feet, getting shoes on them may allow for some hoof growth.
All the studies that show or try to prove damage from shoeing, deal with horses that have a pathology in the first place. There has not been any studies that I am aware of that take into account the thousands upon thousands of horses that have been shod their entire life with perfectly sound and healthy feet, well into their twenties. You ask, why go with shoes if you don’t have to. I ask, why go barefoot if you don’t have to.
Some absolutely do, and you sort of threw yourself into that category when you said “just put shoes on and be done with it”, without even considering reasons why the horse is sore. Now, maybe you were thinking that and really only meant to put shoes on to protect the feet while the reasons for potential soreness are addressed, but that didn’t come across.
But hoof care should not be a “problem”.
In the ideal world it’s not, but the fact is, some horses feet are a problem their whole lives and require diligent, careful management
Shoeing is not to fix something, but to enable you to ride your horse everywhere you want or need to.
Shoes ARE sometimes need to fix something, even if only temporarily.
Problem feet in horses were not created by shoeing them,
Done poorly, shoes can absolutely cause problem feet
but by breeding.
Yep, absolutely part of the equation. But so is poor diet, poor movement, and poor management as a young horse with growing feet (to include poor trimming, poor diet, poor movement, poor terrain
I think if you find yourself tying yourself up in a preztle, trying to " go barefoot", and you are unable to ride your otherwise healthy horse, that’s your loss. In fact, in many circumstances, with some crappy feet, getting shoes on them may allow for some hoof growth.
Agreed, but the underlying issues have to be determined and corrected, if possible. Putting shoes on a bad trim isn’t going to fix anything
You ask, why go with shoes if you don’t have to. I ask, why go barefoot if you don’t have to.
That doesn’t make sense. Why go with a simple snaffle if you can go in a double bridle? Why go to more complicated without even seeing if more simple will get the job done just as well?
