Is Barefoot Right for You?

In some cases, going barefoot is a huge decision.  It can also be quite a commitment.  Keeping your horse happy and sound without shoes isn't just about yanking the shoes off and hoping for the best.  part of it is understanding how a barefoot trim differs from what your regular farrier might do.  However, it's not just about his feet; it's about the horse as a whole--the total health of the horse.  It's being committed to providing as much freedom of movement in your horse's life as possible.  It's being aware of the surfaces he lives and works on.  And very importantly it's about diet and health.  It makes sense that the horses in the best health are the ones who have the best feet.  Your horse isn't going to ever be a "gravel crusher" if his diet isn't right or if his immune system is compromised.  As Jaime Jackson says, "What you pour on the top comes out the bottom."  Your horse's bare feet are a barometer of his overall health.

The Trim
Let's go back to the beginning.  So how does a "barefoot trim" differ from a "pasture trim?"  One of the biggest differences is toe callus. When a shoe is applied, very often the toe callus area of the sole is pared away  to create artificial concavity, to allow the shoe to sit level and/or to provide a finished look.  On the bare foot, allowing the toe callus to become dense and thick is a huge step in creating hooves tough enough for any surface.  Taking away any live sole in this area will compromise its function.

The barefoot trim will also endeavor to lower the heel as much as possible and bring the heel buttress, or triangle of the heel, back to the widest part of the frog.  Lowering the heel allows the bottom crescent of the coffin bone to sit closer to ground parallel, the position for which nature designed it.  Bringing the heel buttresses back to the widest point of the frog provides a larger surface for heel-first landings and will encourage development of the soft structures in the back of the foot.

Another prominent feature of a barefoot trim is the "mustang roll."  Most people see this as a rolled or snubbed toe.  The roll is created from the top of the foot from the front of the quarters forward.  This bevel shortens the outside wall and allows the inner wall to absorb impact and flex.  The hoof shell, or the keratinized outer wall, was never designed to absorb impact or support the hoof during breakover.  It's too hard, there's not enough "give".  This is the job of the more plastic inner wall that can absorb shock and flex with the movement.  So the mustang roll keeps the hoof shell from being stressed and pulling the wall structure away from the laminae. This promotes a healthy, tight white line.

As with all good trims, the foot should be balanced.  The heels should be low but the toe should not be allowed to run forward.  The heels should be on an even plane and the toe rim should be level.  Each hoof will vary slightly in what it requires to remain functioning soundly and a good trimmer should adjust the trim to meet the needs of the horse.  The ideal hoof looks a little different on every horse, on every leg.  But overall, you will see a hoof capsule with a much lower profile, more compact, than a shod hoof.  If you're used to seeing horses in shoes, the correct bare foot will look too short.  He's not wearing his hooves down; he's wearing them where they should be for proper function.

Maintenance
The most obvious part of maintaining a bare hoof is trimming.  Depending on living conditions and whether the horse is transitioning or perhaps working through soundness problems, the hoof may need to be trimmed or touched up every 2 - 6 weeks.  However, there are less obvious but no less important aspects to keeping a barefoot horse.

The next most important aspect of this barefoot life is DIET.  You can have the best trim in the world and if the diet is not right, the horse will still not be comfortable.  This cannot be stressed enough.  There's been a lot of press lately on the low-carb diet.  We're learning more and more all the time how the "traditional" diet (high amounts of cereal grains, rich grasses, etc.) affect our horses.  And due to the vascular nature of the inner hoof, whatever affects the metabolism in general is going the have a profound effect upon the feet.

What springs to mind immediately is the insulin-resistant horse or the horse with metabolic syndrome.  But a horse doesn't have to be displaying overt signs of carbohydrate intolerance for those carbs to be having an effect on his feet.  It may be as subtle as being comfortable in bare feet everywhere except over gravel, or a horse who never stands square in front (always one foot back).  When the diet is altered to lower the amount of non-structural carbs, suddenly these minor problems seem to correct themselves.

Other imbalances in the diet will have the same effect.  Anything that affects the horse's overall health is going to affect his feet.  Diet is one of the biggest components to keeping a horse healthy.

MOVEMENT is another important component in the maintenance of any horse, but it is doubly important to the barefoot horse.  Many barefoot advocates keep their horses turned out 24/7.  This isn't just an attempt to save bedding.  The more a horse moves on his feet, the better circulation his body will have, the more he will develop the internal structures of the foot, and the more his hoof horn will be stimulated to grow dense and strong.

Horses were designed to travel many miles in a day foraging for food.  Their bodies benefit from movement.  Circulation, digestion, bone density, tendon and ligament strength, and fitness are all improved through continuous movement.  Once again, the healthier the horse, the healthier the feet.

And the final important element is ENVIRONMENT. Many barefoot advocates are fond of saying, "bed your horse where you ride."  In other words, if your horse is expected to move soundly for many miles over hard terrain, he should be turned out and exposed to hard terrain in his living environment.  That doesn't mean he should never take a step on softer ground but providing exposure to rocks, gravel and basic hard ground will toughen the hoof horn and stimulate growth to stay abreast of the abrasion he will encounter working on that type of terrain.

Regardless of where you ride, having some firm terrain is beneficial.  This may require putting several loads of pea stone or gravel in an other wise mucky paddock or at least creating a "crossing" that the horses traverse several times per day, say, outside a frequently used shed.

Unfortunately, not everyone has an ideal set up perfect for the barefoot horse.  So what do you do if you board with limited turn out or have only muddy paddocks?  Does this mean your horse can't go barefoot?  No, it just means you may have to compensate.  Not every barefoot horse is going to be expected to compete in the Tevis Cup.  Even horses with limited turnout will benefit from being barefoot.  However, their owners may need to make some adjustments, such as using hoof boots outside of the arena.

Only you can decide if going shoeless is right for you.  Are you willing to work through the transition period?  This may mean investing in hoof boots, hand walking or riding on asphalt daily to develop hoof structure, increasing your horses turn out or exercise schedule, and changing who trims your horse and how.

Continue to TRANSITIONING...

**Trot photo courtesy of Dawn Jenson www.thecompletesporthorse.com
**Photo of horse and rider crossing rocks courtesy of Trish Lowe; Amherst, Nova Scotia.