I have 4 horses in the desert. 2 can go anywhere, anytime, for any amount of time completely barefoot, and 1 needs protection sometimes, and 1 needs protection at all times.
Really great thread, and very pleased that you “hid” it here where it could do some good…
all of mine are barefoot-
My main riding horse- a 15 year old Morgan mare- has never seen shoes or boots- routinely does 4 hour rides over rather rocky terrain and plenty of road riding and has also done CTR’s without a problem
My 7 year old WB gelding just came to me last August. He had fairly decent feet, but had always been shod on all 4. I pulled the hinds right away and they took a couple of months to adjust (not ouchy, but chips etc.). Then I pulled the fronts right before winter. He’s completely sound in the field but still a bit ouchy on rocks. I’ve been using Hoof Freeze and plan on ordering him some boots to help him transition over.
The rest of my guys are pasture puffs at the moment and none of them have shoes.
Both of my Arabians are barefoot and live outside 24/7. The ground here in AZ is super hard and rocky so I do use Renegades for any non-arena work. The older mare who was shod for most of her life is ouchy on the gravel and needs to be booted. My gelding who has never had shoes seems okay, but I strap on the boots just in case. 
[QUOTE=AZ Native;4111251]
How many miles are you riding in competition ? DH has a very sucessful endurance rider client who’s horses were doing fine completely bare in CO and other out west rocky terrain in the 50’s or multi day rides.He suggested that since she is now doing 100’s that she boot as a precaution. She is currently using the Easy Boot Glove and continues to do great.
I’ve wondered if anyone is doing those huge distances competely bare.Great thread btw, so glad you didn’t put it up in Horse Care :lol:[/QUOTE]
this particular horse does LD’s and 50s. Eventually he will do 100s. So far I’ve not had a reason to shoe him -he handles the terrain extremely well, and my farrier checks him over fairly strenously once every 4 weeks. Any issues arise, he’ll go into shoes. I am not a diehard barefooter, I have some horses shod, some not. Each horse gets what they need to be competitive.
I can’t be bothered to screw around with boots.
My old endurance horse was also completely barefoot and did 50s and 75s. He was about to move up to 100s when a fatal pasture accident ended that plan:/
My appy recently got a big thumbs up from my farrier for his barefeet. I pulled his shoes last year and in between battling abcesses, he was looking nice. He wore shoes from the time he was 2 years old until 7 years old and was shown as a halter horse. I pulled his shoes in preparation of bringing him home and never returning to the show world and he looks better than he ever has. Tough soles, good walls. I do own a pair of renegades I use to really rocky terrain but other than that he is out and bare 24/7 on a variety of footing. This is amazing considering how crappy his feet were and how two farriers and a training told me never to pull his shoes.
I really contribute the ability to do this to a great farrier, a much better designed diet (I love TC Low Starch!), and Source.
Sorry to hear this. :no:
All three of my horses are barefoot. They are used for trail rides and occasionally working cattle.
The ability to go barefoot over this rocky terrain is one selection factor I use when evaluating a horse for possible purchase. If the horse can’t go barefoot, I look elsewhere.
My husband’s 12 yr old TWH goes 100% barefoot. We ride about 500 trail miles a year, mostly in the Rocky Mtns. He does great! He’s tobiano pinto, so he has four white feet
Our other horses wear shoes, though.
All of mine are barefoot.
They do everything from trail riding to show jumping to dressage. My oldest is 12 and has been barefoot for about 10 months now. The others are young horses and have never been shod.
The 12 year old is sounder now than he ever was in shoes, he works 4 to 5 days a week… dressage and jumping (schooling 4’ to 4’3" at home).
I’m not advocating barefootedness for all horse, but for mine it seems to be the best solution at the moment.
Mine has been bare almost his entire life. He was shod in back for six months while recovering from a hack job farrier turned trimmer, which also involved no riding, so I don’t know that he felt any better or worse under saddle. We do dressage and eventing with more and more hacking out being added all the time as more land opens up around my barn. He is mostly on sand or grass and does not generally get painful, even over rocks. Last weekend I jumped him through an empty water complex that had pretty large rocks for footing and he just cantered on through like it was nothing. (I was wincing, waiting for a sore step!) I believe in doing whatever is best for the horse, and this one does fine without shoes so I don’t see any reason for the added expense.
I have 2.
Wb x Tb mare 9yrs. I ride her for a couple mile hacks out- mostly fields and dirt trails. In addition to ringwork on sand footing. 5x a week. She horseshows too over 3’3" to 3’6". However she has no problem jogging pavement. And her feet still grow like heck when she is in heavier work
Horse 2 is a 6yr old Wb gelding. Never had shoes, he is fantastic, can ride him on anything including gravel. When he is trimmed shorter he doesnt like the gravel as much, but after a while he gets used to it. As for him, he rides cross country on grass and dirt. I generally don’t ride on roads too much, but he doesnt have any problems with pavement, strides out great. He jumps and shows as well. 5x a week
Please do stop by , Cos, if you come back to the area. Great thread ! I hope you get many more responses !
Funny ! I admired Clip Clop’s trim on this thread and later showed a picture of the pair posted on another thread to DH and yes, they are his client’s 
I had no idea ! Clip does do some of the trimming herself , too.
I will admit that I initially tried going barefoot due to my company closing and loosing my job 5 yrs ago.
Trying to do everything I could to save money and be able to keep my horses was my main priority, and paying $40 for a trim vs $100 for a set of shoes when you are living on unemployment makes a diiference, so I figured I’d let them have nekkid feet for a year or so. They did so well and their feet looked so much better, I figured “Hey, why not run with it.”
2 Arabs who have been barefoot for as long as I have owned them (6 and 5 yrs, respectively).
First one is now retired from shows but still ridden regularly, an average of 5X a week, in sand, grass, and occasionally over rocky terrain. He does not like going over gravel, though. Last month we went on a 8-mile CTR and 2 weeks ago I spent a long weekend trail riding, almost 8 hours over 3 days, over very steep and rocky terrain. I was afraid he’d get a bruised sole but he didn’t. He has white hooves.
The other one has all black hooves, not ouchy over gravel or rocks, is also ridden an average of 5X a week. He is an eventer, and luckily is pretty sure-footed going cross country. So far he’s only competed up to novice but has schooled training level without the need for studs for better traction. I hope he can continue to be barefoot if/when he competes at training level.
I rode with a friend of mine in Mexico and the local charro horses were completely barefoot with no boots, ever. The ground was the most awful flinty sharp footing and not a chip on those feet. No such luck with mine!
All ours are barefoot, and we go over all sorts of terrain - rocks, roads, bog, fields and everything in between :). There’s a clip here - its actually hunting but gives an idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Id0mO_wXDI
Nic
[QUOTE=Shadow14;4126701]
I only learned yesterday that a horse barefoot or wearing boots recovers faster at vet checks then shod horses.:eek:
Got that from the horse care part of this forum[/QUOTE]
Untrue.
There is no scientific proof that either bare/booted/ or shod horses have a faster recovery time. the only ‘numbers’ even able to be supplied by anyone in that thread were by myself, using data from old vet cards. Which showed really no correlation between recoveries/ depending on whether he was bare or shod- only different times dependant mainly on running conditions.
[QUOTE=rainechyldes;4188693]
Untrue.
.[/QUOTE]
Never beleived it for a minute myself but that is one arguement the barefooters are putting forward over shod horses.
I am beginning to see the advantages of barefooting?? The price of 4 shoes are going through the roof and if you can save a couple of thousand dollars a year by going barefoot I don’t blame anyone.
My friend just got her summer package which consists of 4 shoes and pads plus installation and it was $220?? Getting a little pricy. Winter package which is just about the same except for borium is a touch over $300:eek:
[QUOTE=Shadow14;4188762]
Never beleived it for a minute myself but that is one arguement the barefooters are putting forward over shod horses.
I am beginning to see the advantages of barefooting?? The price of 4 shoes are going through the roof and if you can save a couple of thousand dollars a year by going barefoot I don’t blame anyone.
My friend just got her summer package which consists of 4 shoes and pads plus installation and it was $220?? Getting a little pricy. Winter package which is just about the same except for borium is a touch over $300:eek:[/QUOTE]
ah I see what you mean, sorry I thought you were stating this as a tried/tested and true fact:)
While I have barefoot horses, I do caution people to think seriously about going barefoot. I don’t think money is the main reason it should be considered, but yes I also have to agree, having several barefoot horses is nicer on the pocketbook (I have shod ones as well )
Some horses are just not good candidates for barefoot, especially if you are like me. I don’t mess around with boots, either they are barefoot, or shod. I can’t be bothered to play with boots every time I want to ride. Total pita.
Froe xample I have one mare, probably could be barefoot, but she has a very low heel that we (me and farrier) are attempting to address, and and this point due to her working terrain, she is simply much more comfortable shod, will she ever go barefoot,- mm, I 'd say probably not. She is prone to growing a long toe and no heel.
[QUOTE=Shadow14;4188762]
Never beleived it for a minute myself but that is one arguement the barefooters are putting forward over shod horses.[/QUOTE]Can we amend this to say that some hard-core, over-the-top barefooters are saying such things?
If one is looking to taking a horse barefoot simply as a way to save money, then that isn’t a particularly good reason to pull shoes. It may be a compelling reason, but it isn’t a good one. Why? Because boots can help a horse who is pretty much dependent upon shoes to make the transition more comfortable while he grows in hoof wall that will better support his needs. And boots cost money. They are also, as rainechyldes has said, a PIA. So going barefoot simply to save money means isn’t necessarily good for the horse.
If you are pulling shoes because you want your horse to have the benefits of being bare, then that is a much better reason. Boots offer protection while riding, so if you are willing to face the initial PIA factor, then they are a viable option. I like to take off my shoes when I come into the house, and put them back on when I go outside. Temporary protection is kinda nice. Yes, I have to take time to lace my boots. Darn! Then again, I have different shoes for my different needs. Hmmm. That’s why I also have several brands of hoof boots for my guys.
Can horses go totally bare? Obviously, they can. Can every horse go totally bare and stay sound? I seriously doubt it because of the many conformational problems we see in domestic horses. But, just because a horse is initially uncomfortable when the shoes are pulled does not mean he isn’t a candidate for going totally bare. If his hoof structure has been supported by shoes for years, his feet may need time for these structures to strengthen in response to barefoot conditions. It doesn’t necessarily happen in a month. Or two. Depending on what needs to improve, it can take much longer. This takes commitment on the rider’s part, and it takes creativity to keep a horse like this comfortable. It is much, much easier to simply go back to shoes, regardless of the cost.
So no, financial reasons don’t really fly for trying barefoot. Of course, if your horse has always had great feet, he may not even notice that his shoes have been pulled. He may not be tender at all. But why would this horse have been shod in the first place? Chances are, he wouldn’t have been.
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