Going Barefoot
By Suzie Vickery 7th March 2011
2 1/2 yrs ago I made the decision to take the shoes off my novice endurance horse and see how he coped. I have to admit, the decision was initially financial, and I fully expected to put the shoes back on again in the spring, when his training increased again. However, I started to read up on the web about barefoot performance horses and how to develop a strong set of natural hooves.
The best website I found was this one: www.performancebarefoot.co.uk
It is a real inspiration and talks you through all the benefits and management issues, and gives lots of case studies.
Within a short time I was sold on the benefits of going barefoot - I wanted my horse to benefit from a naturally functioning hoof with better shock absorbency and grip. He had suffered from a chronic hind limb suspensory problem, which had stopped his dressage and jumping career - I hoped that being barefoot might help lengthen his endurance career and improve his long-term soundness.
 Finn is a Connemara x TB. He is now coming up to 16 yrs and I have had him 5 1/2 yrs.
This article outlines my thoughts and comments on the process - I am not a qualified professional, and so please read this for interest only, and don't take it as gospel. I hope it may help you with your decision as to whether barefoot is for you or not.
The process :
Nov 2008 - shoes off and my farrier did a barefoot trim to balance his feet and round off the edges (different to preparing a hoof to take a shoe). He has always had nice feet, although his frogs were quite small and ineffective. Finn was basically comfortable, but footy walking across stony ground. I ensured he did 20 mins walk and trot on tarmac 3 times a week to help develop his sole callous, and I was really pleased at how quickly he toughened up. I chose my rides carefully and rode on the verges as we went through this transition process.
Feb 2009 - I had done a lot of research on hoof boots. Having decided to go without shoes I knew I needed a set of boots for stony endurance rides, as it is 18 months before your horse's feet are fully conditioned for going barefoot.
I chose Renegades www.renegadehoofboots.com and would choose them again, despite having initial troubles with them coming off.
These problems were solved by advice from the manufacturer in the States (very helpful) and by my farrier who adjusted the point of break-over of the boots, to stop over-reaching. These boots offer a great deal of flexibility and allow the hoof and foot to move naturally. They have never rubbed my horse and he rode 80km over 2 days in them on Exmoor (in and out of bogs).
No boot is faultless and you do have to keep an eye on them. The other boots I have are Easyboot Epics - a front pair for my ponies for stony rides. These have also been very good and I would buy them again. This website is excellent: www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk/EnquiryHoofBoot.aspx use the hoof enquiry form and Lucy (who knows her stuff) will advise you on the right boots for your horse's hoof shape. You can also hire boots here.
Spring 2009 - Finn has not needed to be trimmed. Every 6 weeks when my farrier comes he checks his feet, but because he is wearing them very evenly, and because we are doing a lot of work training for Exmoor, he is wearing his feet down naturally.
This is a really important point - barefoot trimmers (who have only minimal training) will recommend trimming your horse every 4-5 weeks. If you are doing no work with your horse, then the horn will grow and they will indeed need trimming regularly. To be honest, if you are doing this little work you shouldn't really be considering going barefoot - the horse needs to work to stimulate the hoof to grow; and he needs work on hard surfaces, like tarmac, to develop a good sole callous. If the horse is being hacked 4 times a week (not schooled in an arena) including regular tarmac work, and is living out most of the time, then he will wear his feet down and he will not need trimming regularly (in the same way that a wild horse would).
It is very important to have their feet checked regularly though, to ensure the limb is skeletally aligned and the horse, as well as the hoof, remains balanced. Some horses will grow more hoof on the inside, and wear it down there less. Any well trained and experienced farrier will be able to trim and rasp to ensure good foot balance. From my experience the farrier will charge about 30% less than the barefoot trimmer to do this work, and will not insist on a monthly visit. By trimming too often you are most likely to end up with a sore footed animal constantly in need of boots.
To start with the feet can sometimes look a bit chippy round the edges but in time you end up with a smooth edged hoof of good quality horn that would make any farrier proud.
May 2009 - Finn and I achieve a Bronze award over 80km in the Exmoor Experience at the Golden Horseshoe. The going here is the worst I have ever seen so we rode in boots. We lost 3 on day 1, and I had to back track to replace them - very frustrating but I was glad he wasn't in metal shoes across the boulders and rocks. The 2nd day the boots stayed in place and caused no problems. I have no idea what made the difference !
Summer of 2009 - we did several endurance rides barefoot but ended up with a lame horse. The cause was a piece of gravel that had pressed into the white line and migrated up inside the hoof wall. He was 1 month recovering after my farrier had to excavate the hoof wall, and I learnt a lot from the experience. During the initial phase of barefoot conditioning the white line is soft - take great care over it and use a wire brush to clean it after each ride, and a shoe nail to pick out any bits of embedded gravel. Paint the white line with Eucalyptus oil, or Milton sterilising fluid, a few times a week to help toughen it up. After 12-18 months this is no longer necessary because the laminae become stronger and resist stones naturally. I still check occasionally but never find anything to pick out.
Autumn of 2009 - more endurance rides barefoot.
I reconsidered our nutrition and decided to opt for Simple System feeds - a forage based feeding system that supports good horn growth and mimics a natural way of eating for the equine. This feed system enables me to keep my virtually toothless 31 yr old pony in excellent condition even though he can't eat any hay or rough grass. It also ensures my endurance horse/ponies have the slow release energy they need to compete. It doesn't heat them up and it keeps them really well hydrated throughout competitions. www.simplesystemhorsefeeds.co.uk
Winter 2009/2010 - a year has gone by and Finn is sound barefoot on most surfaces. He would pick his way carefully over stony ground, but that to me doesn't indicate lameness - just carefulness. The hooves are not intended to be totally desensitised. This topic causes much debate and it is for you to decide what your horse finds acceptable or uncomfortable. Both you and your horse learn to watch the ground and ride accordingly. Some people find this carefulness unacceptable, and worry constantly that their horse is in pain. I think if the horse is going forward willingly, with ears forward, they are comfortable enough.
In the last year 2 of our horses have failed the vet after an endurance ride - 1 was barefoot and the other fully shod - both were suffering from a stone bruise. Having shoes does not mean that you can ride at any speed over any surface.
Spring 2010 - if you look at the Performance Barefoot website you'll see that anything that can bring on laminitis can cause your barefoot horse to become footy - even if they have never had laminitis. Fresh spring grass can bring on footiness in some horses and truly dedicated barefooters keep their horses off rich grazing. Mine all live out 24/7 but luckily I haven't seen the spring grass effect.
I have however seen the wormer effect, which I had previously not believed. The theory is that worming releases lots of toxins in the gut and causes a very mild toxicity laminitis. I have found this to be totally true and 1-2 weeks after worming all 4 of our barefoot equines will go footy. This lasts a couple of weeks. Some people use herbal wormers but I don't trust them enough for something so critical. I do worm egg counts and only worm when necessary, and I never worm just before a competition.
Summer 2010 - Finn goes Advanced. We used boots for the 2nd 40km of the final qualifying ride because it was very flinty, but did the previous 68km ride totally barefoot. I am amazed at how his feet cope with a wide range of surfaces now.
Winter 2010/2011 - despite the wet ground and the fact my horse lives out, I can hear his bare feet ringing out on the tarmac - I can hear how much harder they are this year than last. I think the crushed tarmac hardstanding area I have put round the field shelters has really helped his feet. It does take time but I am now in a position to contemplate Exmoor barefoot - although I will take my boots as back up.
March 6th 2011 - just completed 20 miles over varied terrain, some very stony, and passed the vet with the comment that it was the nicest, most level trot up he'd seen all day. Very rewarding.
The ponies: I have had 4 ponies going barefoot over the last 2 yrs
1. Cookie - 12.1hh, 31 yr old Dartmoor pony in very active Pony Club work and hacking. He has always been prone to seedy toe but it has slowly improved whilst barefoot. He does still need front boots for a flinty endurance ride but manages everything else just fine bare. He is trimmed and rebalanced usually twice a year.
2. Harmony - 12.3hh, 17 yr old Welsh sec B - fantastic tough little feet from the start. She has never worn boots and has completed lots of 20 mile endurance rides sound. She has only needed trimming once in 18 mths because she wears her feet so evenly and maintains her own natural balance.
3. Jonjo - 13hh, 24 yr old Welsh sec B - he was hard to get right. When we got him he had been bare behind and shod in front for a long time. His front feet were cracking and his back feet were perfect neat hooves with no cracks. This told me it was not a nutritional problem but one of poor farriery and poor foot balance. His front soles were very thin and soft and he did not cope well with being barefoot to start with. The ground in the field froze solid for weeks and he bruised his soles as a result. The symptoms were like mild laminitis but turned out not to be. I learnt a lot - I should have taken more care to keep him off hard rough surfaces as my farrier gradually rebalanced his feet and his soles toughened up. He recovered within a few weeks and was happy competing barefoot, but he did have front boots for endurance. He is continuing barefoot in his new home.
4. Pippa - 13.2 New Forest cross type I took her shoes off 3 months ago when I got her and she is transitioning amazingly well. She has completed her first 13 miles endurance ride barefoot, and was sound throughout despite a lot of gravel and grit. Her white lines already seem to be resisting gravel. I don't think I'm going to buy her boots but we will be careful picking the ground she goes on whilst she conditions.
What I like about having barefoot animals :
- The natural shock absorbency
- The grip on tarmac - I never worry about them slipping
- They are safer with other horses and people around them (kicking or standing on someone does less damage)
- They do less damage to my fields
- They cost a lot less to look after
- You can ride in the snow and it doesn't clog up in their feet
What I don't like :
- They are more likely to slip on smooth slippery surfaces like hard wet clay/chalk or ice.
- Using hoof boots is a hassle
- Picking gravel carefully out of their feet, and applying eucalyptus, for the first few months is time consuming.
Reasons to shoe :
- Not able to do enough of the right sort of work to toughen up the feet
- Need for studs for jumping/games
- Some remedial cases where special sole support is needed (laminitics)
1 of my horses is shod all-round and that is because she is semi-retired and ridden by friends, and doesn't get the regular work needed to toughen up her feet. She would find it hard to go barefoot, because she has naturally low heeled, flat soled feet, and would need boots for a long time.
A word about my farrier
Clive will probably delete this because he didn't want a 'promotional article' for his services - just an honest report on my experiences of going barefoot. However, I will have the final say !
Clive is a Natural Balance farrier and it is his education over the years that has led me to the ultimate natural way of keeping my horses. As a result he now shoes only 2 of the 6 horses that he used to shoe for me. He has never tried to convince me to stay shod, and has been totally supportive of my experiment, despite the reduced workload for himself. He has done a superb job trimming then, and has insisted on only doing them when they need it, which has saved me a fortune over the years.
I'm happy to be emailed with your questions on suzannevickery@dsl.pipex.com
Suzie Vickery, 7th March 2011
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