Posted by Patty Stiller on November 09, 2003 at 11:20:33:
In Reply to: Trying barefoot posted by Mae on November 06, 2003 at 12:02:06:
: I'm going to try to get my horse barefoot. What "may" happen to his feet once the shoes are off and what do I need to take care of him? Medicine boots?
: I want to be prepared (:)
: Thanks!
First you need to ask yourelf why you want to try barefoot. There is nothing wrong with proper shoeing, and it can even help develop a better quality or heal a pathology while the horse is still able to work comfortably.
BUT, there is plenty wrong with bad shoeing.
Barefoot is crtainly preferable to bad shoeing.
However, many domesticated horses have such inherently poor feet (lacking internal cartilage support structures) that they likely cannot go barefoot in their particular environment without further damaging their feet.
A recent example is I just put shoes and frog support pads on a quarter horse yesterday that had been maintained barefoot for a year or more, on hard, dry ground and turned outsidethe majority of the time. However the horse developed increasing lameness over that time even when ridden with hoof boots, whether out on the trails or in a sand arena.
The reason he could not do well barefoot,did not develop a better foot even after a yearand became more lame was that he had inherently weak hooves with very thin soles and walls, and a lack of supportive structure internally which resulted in misalignment of the coffin joint. The lack of soft tissue structure and cofin joint misalignment was verified radiographically. According the horse's owner the dam also had poor feet.
That particular horse, even though he had an ideal environment for trying to develop a better foot, needs
'man made' help in the form of frog support and wedges to be made comfortable AND to help prevent future navicular syndrome and coffin joint disease.
On the other hand I do a HUGE warmblood,(17.2+H ) next door to that one,who is ridden on the same trails and sand arena who is doing terrific barefoot (with NO boots) after only a few months out of shoes. Why? he has better quality feet to begin with. So. consider the quality of the feet, the environment, and the use.
If your horse lives in a 'cloistered' environment such as soft bedding or ground,or damp, or a limited area (a small field or less) and you expect him to work on gravel it is likely to fail or at least cause him long term pain. You could try boots to ride but if the horse has any inherent pathology which require man made support (such as the frog support and wedges on the previosusly mentioned horse ) and you remove that support, barefoot may not be in the best interest of the horse.
In those circumstances, proper shoeing may be a more humane option.
On the other hand If he lives outdoors 24/7,in a huge environment, has great quality feet with good walls and a thick sole,and good internal structure, and you ride on the same environment he lives in, then it may work.
Patty