Re: barefoot and endurance

["donna dochterman" <dokada@voyager.net>]

I am sure that whether or not your horse can go barefoot depends on a lot of
factors besides simply the way he is trimmed.  I have lived in many
different places and found a lot of variation in local shoeing customs.

Growing up in Missouri, horses were barefoot unless they had a particular
reason to shoe and then they were shod all the way around.  The reason to
shoe might be the horse was getting tender on the trail or that they planned
to show the horse (didn't see barefooted horses in the show ring even in
halter classes) or "I'm going to start riding him hard this summer".  Almost
everyone pulled the shoes for the winter to "Let his feet rest".  If you saw
a horse with shoes only on the front, you knew to stay away from his back
end.  He was a kicker and those back feet were bare to protect his pasture
mates.

When I first moved to Maryland, I was shocked to see most of their horses
were kickers!  Actually, turned out the custom there is to shoe only the
front.  Barefoot horses on the trail were rare but so were horses shod all
the way around.  Again, show horses were generally shod on all four feet but
one of the reasons often given for not riding the trails on a show horse was
that, with shoes on the back, they were more likely to slip on the rocks or
the roads and get hurt.

In Michigan, while most of the horses I saw on the trails were shod on all
four feet, barefooted was not uncommon.  When I rode across the state on an
official MTRA ride the first time, I had a decision to make.  My horse was
doing fine barefoot but I was not riding him 25 miles a day for day after
day on a variety of terrain.  I put shoes on him (all 4 feet) as added
insurance he would be able to complete the entire 230 mile ride.  My riding
partner was riding an 18 year old horse who had never been shod in his life.
She opted to take him barefoot.  He was the only barefoot horse I have ever
seen do the full crossing.  (By the way, he had a standard trim--no special
"barefoot trim".)  Two years ago, I brought one of my horses who had never
been shod.  He made it 4 days before he got tender on the front.  Shoes on
the front solved the problem and he completed the crossing.

Probably many horses which we shoe could go barefoot at least most of the
time but not under all circumstances.  I rode one of my horses for two years
without shoes.  Farrier came to the barn every 2 weeks and admired Stormy's
feet and sent him on his way without touching them.  Then the fields I rode
through to the public trails were sold and I had to reroute.  Within 2
weeks, Stormy had to have shoes all the way around.  The new route was on a
mile of gravel road.  That 2 miles a day on gravel was the difference
between feet that stayed in perfect trim on their own and those worn too
short.  After that, Stormy wore through a set of barium coated shoes about
every 6 weeks.

I personally prefer to keep my horses barefooted unless I have a real reason
to put shoes on them but my reasons might not seem so important to someone
else.  For example, I am returning to Michigan to ride across the state with
friends this summer.  All three horses I am taking will be shod, including
one 12 year old who has done a few days of that ride before but has never
been shod in her life.  Why?  They might be able to make the ride barefoot
and if I had a problem, there is usually a farrier available on the ride.
But because I am driving 12 hours each way to do the ride, I want all the
insurance I can get that a preventable problem won't ground one of us.  If a
horse comes up lame, I won't be able to just run home and swap for another
horse and we all want to ride!

Donna Dochterman
Dokada Arabians
http://members.tripod.com/~DokadaArabians/index.html