Barefootin' revisited

[sharp penny <penelope_75647@yahoo.com>]

  I think in all these posts it is safe to say that
you have to experiment and find out what works for
your horse. Not what is popular or what works for your
friends horse that always top ten's and so forth.

  Some horses do great barefootin', some need to be
conditioned and eventually do great barefootin', some
horses can go barefoot only under certain type of
trails and some horses can NEVER go with out shoes, no
matter how you trim or "condition" their hooves with
rocks in pasture ect.

 A friend of mine has exhausted the barefoot avenue,
spent alot of money in her learning quest and has done
all the right things to prepare her horse's hooves for
barefootin and all to no avail. Bottom line is this
particular horse cannot go barefoot and stay sound for
any length of time. I, on the other hand have enjoyed
some success with barefootin. Even so I cannot ride my
horse on every type of trail barefoot and do use hoof
protection when necessary. Maybe with time this will
change, maybe not. I know that what ever happens, I
will adapt to what is best for my horse.  On the other
end of the spectrum I have another friend that has a
horse that has thrived since going barefoot and is
like an ATV and can motor down any trail. We all
started the barefoot quest at the same time, attended
the same clinics, do the same trim and the same
pre-conditioning of rocks in pasture ect. Yet we all
have different degrees of success.

  It is important to remember that the variables can
and will change over time. Thus you may have to adjust
your "program" occasionally. I believe Darolyn is a
prime example of this. As much as she believes in
barefootin, she isn't "married" to it and  changes her
program depending on the horse and the ride
conditions.

  These varied posts are great for letting us know
what options are available and help direct where to
investigate the subject further.

Penny & Daisy 
  


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