Barefoot v. Shod

[Andie Guess]

I am thinking about using easyboots when at a race for my barefoot horses to address the tenderfoot issues. I am wondering if having your horses shod versus going barefoot in the competition area is best. For instance, Do shoes help your horse go faster, or are do they perform better in shoes. Just wonderinng the pros and cons. I prefer going barefoot. I have a horse that paws and tears his shoes off, which generally leaves him sore footed for a while. When i finally decided to keep him barefoot, he was lame for a whole year. His hooves are in excellant shape now, he was having thrush, his shoes wouldn't stay on, his hooves were splitting it was awful. So that's why I prefer barefoot, but I do want to be competitive so the reason for the question.

Thanks.


I think if a horse has really good solid feet and experiences no tenderness or soreness, I don't see why you can't run him barefooted.  The only drawback to the "barefoot theory" is when you get on hard, coarse ground that is not forgiving to a horse's foot or if they area outside the arena where you have to warm up and stand tied is rocky or rough.  I don't like the idea of riding a horse in easyboots because there is too much chance of them rubbing on the heels or around the coronary band.  There is a product called the "Hoof Slipper" that has a leather bottom on it and would protect the horse's foot when standing tied but again I wouldn't want to ride or turn a horse loose with them on.

Martha Wright

[fawna lee]

I rodeoed all over the US and Canada. With my horses shod, but sometimes when the shoer had a bad day, lazy, etc. and my horses were off, it cost me and ultimately my horses soundness. So....and it won't work with every horse, and depending where you are racing, I have been trimming all of my horses, myself, for 6 years. I am not perfect and have used lots of advice, and all the knowledge I had, about getting that foot level, when I was keeping Thelma shod. Of course, it used to cost $25 to shoe one in NM, but now OMG, it is so expensive. But, thankfully with the help of FM 11, because it has Cayenne pepper in it, it not only speeds up the circulation in the feet, causing wonderful growth. It is very beneficial to my horses, as they continually grow great foot and I trim about every 2/3 weeks. So unless it is really dry, they have good enough feet to run barefooted, all the time. One mare is very tenderfooted, she wears Soft Ride, when it really wet, or we are walking on rocks to get to an arena. Otherwise, I trim her 2 weeks before a big show, and then just keep them pretty and neat, before. I (where is the wood), have had no slips, barefooted.