Re: Bare foot horses and endurance

["baskhana" <baskhana@email.msn.com>]

Many show farms only put shoes on front as the front wear down faster and it
keeps injury to other horses down if kicking occurs.  Personally, I have not
shoed in years.  One horse I rode yrs ago had NEVER had any shoes ever.
Rode him 3 thirty milers in 6 weeks.  NO problems.. but one has to keep up
with filing the 'rough places'.  Currently riding 2 mares with no shoes.
One has NEVER had shoes.  Ones used to be tender footed, even with shoes but
no shoes in several yrs.  We were in NC in 2000 and conditioned in the
foothills near VA border.  The one with tender feet was ridden for one week
pack trip in VA.  She was the ONLY one not lame when they returned.  We have
done 2 fifty milers this summer and have NO problems.  We are NOT RACING but
going for completion in shape enough to go to show right away if we decide
to. I have been using the file mostly to keep hooves nice and keep the
natural angle of the fetlock to toe.  I have NOT been cutting out the frog
or sole or heel except for ragged edges.  Years ago another rider told me
about this and it has been working.  The sole gets very hard this way.  Our
formerly tender footed one is able to trot and canter on any surface.  BUT
we are conservative riders.
I have NOT had good experience with shoers, let alone the cost.  NO OFFENSE
meant for horseshoers.  Basically we are just using the KISS principle...
Keep It Simple Stupid.
Last weekend, discussed the Barefootin' with Darolyn Butler.  Seems to have
some good results. I will check it out more as time allows.  In the meantime
I have NO reason to change my current hoove care.  But I am NOT closed to
other systems.
To use old medical history.. back in the 1700s doctors had to be harrassed
to wash their hands between caring for patients.  Many women died from
infection due to their pigheaded/narrowmindedness.

An open mind can learn and also add to the knowledge base.

Mary Ann Spencer, TX... will this rain ever stop!!!! but at least the
drought is over.
----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 10:30 PM
Subject: RC: Bare foot horses and endurance


> Debbie  devitaphoto@boone.net
> I have a 7 yr old arab and have pulled his rear shoes due to him kicking
> other horses in the pasture.  I had them pulled 3 weeks ago.  A weekend
> ago I went to ride for a weekend in VA and went over some tough terrain.
> The next week he was tender.  I stayed off him all week. I have been using
> Keratex a harding product that stengthens the horn, hoof while allowing it
> to breath.  I was planning a ride this weekend,decided not to go due to
> his feet. While they are ok now, I feel it would not be in the best
> interest of my horse to go.  My question, are there many people who leave
> the rear feet bare doing endurance?  I am hearing more and more about
> poeple leaving horse with bare feet.  If you do ride barefoot, have you
> had any problem?  Do not want to use easy boots, they tend to tear the
> hoof up and can rub the horses feet.Oh yea! I forgot to mention he does
> have great feet.
>
> Thanks for any responce
>
> Debbie
>
>
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