Every horse can go barefoot.  Every horse can do it soundly and successfully.  Your horse can be barefoot and have the healthiest hooves possible.  Have problem hooves?  These are the horses that benefit the most from a well executed natural hoof care program. 

 

Unfortunately, not every horse owner can go barefoot.

 

This is the deciding factor between a successful and not-so-successful transition to bare hoof care.  Why is this?  Transitioning to natural hoof care can require a commitment from horse owners to put more time and effort into their hoof care, feeding, and housing programs.  Healthy hooves are the product of numerous factors, many of which need to be addressed to ensure a sound foundation for your horse.  This can mean booting your horse until the hooves develop properly, eradicating chronic fungal or thrush infections, improving the environment and conditions your horse is housed in, and regular exercise to establish or increase proper circulation within the hoof capsule.  Dietary changes may need to be addressed in conjunction with your new hoof care program to encourage healthy horn growth and stop recurring laminitic episodes or bouts of chronic founder. 

 

Bare hoof care, during a transitory period, is certainly more work than letting the farrier come by to put shoes on every eight to twelve weeks, writing a check, and then forgetting about it until the next visit. 

 

Fortunately, once these issues have been corrected and the hoof has developed properly, it is no more work keeping a horse barefoot than keeping one shod.  In fact, it is easier, more convenient, healthier, and less expensive.

 

Why are there people who say horses can't go barefoot?

 

Bare hoof care adversaries usually have stories for the barefoot-versus-shod debate.  They all know a horse that had weak hoof walls that chipped, thin soles, bruising, lameness, or any other host of issues that made the attempt to at going bare impossible.  Why the horror stories? 

 

These are horses that weren't transitioned properly to begin with, or owners that weren't addressing issues that impeded the proper development of the hoof.

 

 

In other words, if it were easy, all horses would be barefoot. 

 

You cannot take horses that have spent their lives shod, typically with toes that are too long and heels that are too high, pull the shoes, and expect them to travel soundly over road gravel.  That is abusive.  Some horses will be able to do this, but most will require an appropriate transitory program that will encourage proper development of the internal structures of the hoof.

 

We've heard some people say that their horses work too much to go barefoot.  To date, we've not met one horse that this was a problem for.  The notion that you'll wear a horse's hoof off is faulty.  Horses are, by design, made for traveling significant distances on a daily basis.  Our domestic horses may not be physically conditioned for it, but their hooves are still programmed genetically for it.  If your horse is kept in an extremely abrasive environment or you ride more than 30 miles per day, hoof boots offer temporary protection that can be removed when the activity is over, or worn for periods during the day.  As the hoof develops, the boots can be eliminated.    

Naked Hoof Care

Get naked.  Bare your soles.

 

Providing superior hoof care services to south-east Michigan since 1998.

 

Office:  734/428-2800

 

E-mail us at: Barefoot@NakedHoofCare.com 

 

(C) Laura Adams/Naked Hoof Care, 2009.  All images and content on this web site, in its entirety, are protected by international copyright laws and may NOT be used or reproduced in ANY manner.