Ridecamp: [RC] barefootin' revisited

 Lets not forget a little knowledge is a very dangerous
thing. The concept is great but reality is a whole 'nother 
deal.
 This spring my farrier and I attended a barefoot clinic.
There was a man there that had attended several of these
clinics and was making a big deal out of how this was the
answer to everything and how he was using his anvil for a
boat anchor now. Well he lives just down the road from me
and the terrain here is a sandy loam, clay mixture with
very little rocks. He went with some clients of my farrier
to OK for a 4 day ride where the rocks are plentiful and
cover most of the trail. Long story short he spent most of
the 4 days sitting back at camp. After the first day of
riding those trails, his barefoot TWH was so sore he could
barely move. Guess he forgot the part about where you have
to condition the hoof for what ever terrain you are
planning to ride on.
  I also find it very interesting that at the last
endurance ride I attended, a distributor for the polysteel
shoes was there. He stated that Darolyn was using this shoe
with great success on the horses that couldn't do the
barefoot thang. I don't know how many of her horses are
sporting these shoes but it does attest to the fact that
not all horses can go barefooted even when you religiously
follow all the guidelines.
  Just some food for thought...

Regards,
Penny

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