Re: Barefoot? My Horse? Invite Comments!

["Stephanie Wind" <wind@visionsofthewind.com>]

My stallion has been barefoot for the last 2 months or so. This is the
first time he's been barefoot since he was about 3 yrs old (he's 7 now). At
first I was worried, but I've been working him in the arena (which has some
kind of granite/rock dust) and riding him around the lower pasture (which
is incredibly steep and rocky) and he was doing fine. Last weekend I
decided to try taking him out (Easyboots along, but not on) for a ride. We
went 5 miles out along pavement, 6 miles of rocky trails and 5 miles of
pavement back home, at a trot or canter most of the way. When we got off
the rocks, he had a few little chips in the edges of his hooves, but by the
time we got home, these had smoothed out and his feet looked pretty good!
This is not a horse that I would have (previously) described as having
tough feet! He was admittedly a little tender on the gravel driveway the
next day, but by 3 or 4 days after his very first barefoot trail ride, he's
fine! I'll be putting shoes back on him for a few months, but come winter,
they're coming back off, and we'll see how he does. :-)

Stephanie Wind McCray
Golden, CO