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OUR EXPERIENCES On purchasing our first horse Thor, a three year old gelding, we firstly had to make the decision of whether to shoe or not. He had never been shod but his very large feet were trimmed regularly. We decided to carry on with the trimming but left the shoeing for the time being. The farrier advised us that as Thor was only been ridden a couple of times of week and his feet were strong and healthy, it would be wise to leave him barefoot. We then decided to research into the subject and the benefits of Thor going barefoot. We discovered it could be beneficial for him to remain unshod. We also discovered that in many countries horses had been ridden barefoot for centuries and still are, over some of the most rugged terrain. Some trail horses cover 30-40 miles a day barefoot! Most of the people at the livery yard where we kept Thor didn’t agree in what we were doing but he was our horse and it was our decision. After some more research my husband Mark decided he was going to learn how to trim our horse’s feet himself. At the time we were finding it difficult to get a farrier to come out just to trim. With time and a lot of patience he has now learned to trim and all five of our horses are allowed to remain barefoot. One of our horses Lulu, a thoroughbred mare, was shod when we purchased her. He shoes were badly fitted, her hooves an odd shape and very dry and cracked. Mark removed her shoes immediately and trimmed her feet. She was footsore initially so for a few weeks she was kept on grass and over the summer she was ridden on grass and gradually her feet improved. That was 2 years ago and now her feet are strong, healthy and she can be ridden on any surface. THE MECHANICS OF THE FOOT After reading some good books and watching videos, the information we discovered on how the foot works enabled us to make an informed decision to keeping our horses feet natural. We learnt that the presence of the shoe on a hoof prevents natural wear. In contrast the unshod hoof can wear from natural movement and can be trimmed as often as necessary to maintain a natural hoof length. Most importantly the unshod hoof is able to expand and contract as the horse moves along. The “flexing” of the hoof is necessary for optimal circulation and is especially important to a laminitic horse to heal damaged lamina. The combination of barefootedness and natural movement enables optimal blood circulation through your horse’s hooves and is best for your horse. If you do decide to have your horses shoes removed, the bare foot will now be in contact with the ground. Many horses, evenly perfectly sound ones can be tender footed. This will improve with regular trimming and time. Our horses feet are trimmed approximately every 4 to 6 weeks. Our horses and ponies are ridden regularly on all surfaces, shown in hand, ridden classes, jumping classes and are also hacked out. We have had only positive experiences whilst the horses remain barefoot. BAREFOOT COMPETITION HORSES Several well known trainers and riders are now choosing to train and compete their horses without shoes. Simon Earle has 21 of his 28 racehorses in training without shoes. He pioneered the notion of running unshod after the success of Saucy Night. The horse recovered from two ruptured front tendons and came back to win unshod. Tom Robinson (British Novice Eventing Champion 2002) successfully competes Millennium Master barefoot and has done well on sticky ground when other horses have been hindered. Olympic dressage rider Emma Hindle believes her horse Wie Weltmeyer has greater respect for the ground without shoes. She competes without shoes but this depends on the ground at the venue. Attitudes are changing towards unshod horses. We decided to trust our instincts and let our horses lead a natural lifestyle. All our horses remain unshod with no foot problems. FURTHER INFORMATION From our own experiences we would recommend the following books for further reading:- Horse Owners Guide to Natural Hoof care by Jaime Jackson And Founder – Prevention and Cure by Jaime Jackson (This book is excellent for the prevention and cure of laminitis.) WEBSITES Hoof Care
Books at Amazon.co.uk Lisa Sumner |
