Many horse owners would like to keep their horses as healthy as possible. Shoeing eventually may lead to diseases. Riding the horse barefoot can be a viable option if the owner is willing to educate himself.
Unfortunately, many people only turn to barefoot when their horse has already sustained damage from shoes or incorrect trimming. This would be like deciding to quit smoking after a lung cancer diagnosis. As with anything, prevention is always the best choice. Education is the key to prevention.
Requirements for Keeping Horses Barefoot and Healthy
Keeping the horse barefoot may actually be more time consuming than keeping the horse shod. If the hooves have to be transitioned from shoes or any significant pathology exists in the hoof, a period of transition is necessary. A knowledgeable hoofcare professional is a must.
Rehabilitation from pathologically deformed or non-functional hooves require:
- living conditions with appropriate supportive surfaces for rehabilitation (rubber on smooth, level ground is ideal)
- a trained holistic hoofcare provider
- time to perform rehabilitation activities (walking, soaking)
- other supportive care (chiropractic, massage)
An owner cannot simply leave the horse barefoot in most domestic situations or even put the hoofcare in the hands of unknowledgeable trimmers. This may include farriers that have only limited or no training in natural healthy hoof conformation or rehabilitation trimming requirements.
The photos below show two views of one foot of a horse the day after a professional journeyman farrier trimmed the horse. He had been trimming this horse on a regular schedule (every 8 weeks) and the horse was only 7 years old. But due to the common farrier practice of leaving heels and bars long, the horse's heels collapsed under the horse. The owner was concerned about the quarter cracks on all four feet but the farrier assured her that everything was going well. She could tell her horse was depressed. A holistic hoofcare professional along with the owner's help was able to return this horse's feet to health and balance through knowledgeable rehabilitative trimming.
Some other conditions that would prevent hoof health would be:
- Age and organ health. When a horse is very old and has not had the natural use of his feet as auxilliary blood pumps, excretory organs or shock absorption function, it is possible that when the hoof is trimmed for rehabilitation, the kidneys or heart may fail. It is common for performance stallions to become breeding stallions when they are in their early teens. If the horse was stalled and kept continuously shod during most of his life, then shortly before his anticipated breeding career, his shoes are removed he may suffer a heart attack. Horses can also have damage to the kidneys and liver from inadequate protein excretion in the form of hoof growth due to slowed growth during years of being shod.
- Inappropriate living conditions. Soft, wet ground with little movement is going to prevent natural expansion of the hoof. Stalling with the horse's head up and in manure and urine causes deterioration of hoof horn and poor weight distribution as the horse should spend most of its time in a head down position.
- Infrequent or improper trimming.
A barefoot horse has specific needs which are different from shod horses. Recognizing the conformation of a healthy hoof and managing the living conditions of the horse are vital to growing good quality healthy feet. Trimming by a qualified hoofcare professional that understands these needs can mean the difference between a healthy barefoot horse and an unhealthy one.
Sandra Judy - An avid horse woman for all of her life, Sandra has providedholistic hoofcare education through clinics and her website. She began with ...
