Barefoot

[guest@endurance.net]

K S SWIGART   katswig@earthlink.net

Lynette Helgeson wrote:
> We have been doing the natural trim and leaving our horses barefoot
> for two years. Before that we kept them shoed.

I have been keeping my horses barefoot for ten years.  Some of them have
never had shoes.  And I have never "kept" any horse shod.  If I have to
put shoes on for a competition, I put them on, and then, pretty much, take
them off right after, assuming it is going to be more than about 3 or 4
weeks between competitions.

> We have 7 horses and they are all barefoot, we have 5 riding in our
> family. This spring we went on a ride and covered 120 miles in 5 days.

And I have had no problem doing this little distance with them either. It
is when I have tried to go further that I have had tenderfooted horses.
(BTW: my horses out to pasture cover about 100 miles in 5 days without me
riding them.)

> Most of this ride was on gravel roads. We averaged a speed of 6-7 mph.
> All of our horses were barefoot. We had no soreness and all of our
> horses flew down the roads. Their hooves were in great shape by the
> end of the ride.

If you have no soreness and the horses are flying down the roads, your
horses have plenty of "hoof protection" (their bare hoof wall serving as
hoof protection) but if your horses start picking their way through the
rocks or shortening their strides slightly, it is an indication that their
hoof wear is starting to outpace their hoof growth.  In which case you
will either have to stop riding them so far or provide them with some kind
of hoof protection to reduce the wear.

I didn't have to do this until I started doing 100 milers and/or
multi-day rides.

> There have been plenty posts to explain this. It has to do with the
> functioning of a healthy hoof being much more efficient and lasting
> much longer then a steel shoe.

Nope, I have had healthy, functioning, "natural trimmed," barefoot horses,
and I have had horses with steel shoes (and a lot of other forms of hoof
protection). Barefoot doesn't even come close to lasting anywhere near as
long a steel (neither,  BTW, do any of the alternative materials that some
people make shoes out of...although I have never tried titanium, and I
have never found the need for borium my shoes don't need to last THAT
long).

> I don't think this is a passing fad. Too many amazing results with it.
> I think you will see more and more barefoot horses in performance
> sports. I know I like what I have seen so far.

I am pretty sure I am going to be able to ride my up and coming stallion
in dressage barefoot (assuming he likes the work); it is unlikely that I
will have to shoe him for show jumping (assuming he likes the work); and I
see no reason that he should not be able to event on him without shoes
(which is what I bred him for, so I hope he likes the work:)).

But, I will watch his feet AND his movement carefully and provide him with
hoof protection the instant he starts to show the indication that he needs
it.

AND, I intend to have figured out the best kind of hoof protection to
provide him with BEFORE he needs it.

If you are planning to do any longer distances in endurance, I recommend
that you begin to investigate the "what will I do for each horse to
provide them with some kind of hoof protection" now, since not all horses
do best with the same kind.  Because if you do what I have done over the
last 10 years and wait until after your horse needs it, you will find
yourself not finishing quite a few rides before you do figure it out.

If all you are ever planning on doing is 20 to 30 miles at a time.  You
probably will be able to keep your horses barefoot the whole time
(although this may not be true for every horse).

kat
Orange County, Calif.