Do Barefoot advocates wear shoes?

maggiesmum said:
And yet its perfectly acceptable to advise remedial shoeing despite its limited success.
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Perhaps because there are some problems that cannot be fixed? Barefoot is NOT a guaranteed fix all as the original quote declared, and it is advocating cruelty to suggest it is.
 
I love having my horses barefoot. The pony was wild on the mountains for years without them and coped fine, shes never been lame or footsore. My horse (TBx) is also barefoot. I've had her since she was 2 and have never had her shod. Her feet get trimmed twice a year but sometimes get reshaped when the farrier comes for the pony and shes also never been lame or footsore. My farrier agrees with me that shes better off unshod and has recommended some hoofboots if I ever need something extra.

I get a bit wound up when I was competing and people would make rude comments to me about having my horse barefoot - quite what the issue was I don't know :confused:
 
Changes said:
Perhaps because there are some problems that cannot be fixed? Barefoot is NOT a guaranteed fix all as the original quote declared, and it is advocating cruelty to suggest it is.
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The original quote said -
"And next time someone posts on here that they are going to have to have their horse PTS due to a foot problem (that could be sorted out by going barefoot) - perhaps I should just not reply because it ruffles a few feathers?"

It doesn't say all foot problems, nor does it claim to fix all problems - I think you're seeing what you want to see here rather than what it actually says.

And are you suggesting that we shouldn't offer up our knowledge that barefoot is an option worth exploring as its successful with lots of hoof problems?
The difference is that we know not 100% of horses can be fixed by taking them barefoot - some have other issues going on that prevent this, the anti barefoot people simply refuse to accept that barefoot is even an option - and they call us blinkered!! :D
 
maggiesmum said:
The original quote said -
"And next time someone posts on here that they are going to have to have their horse PTS due to a foot problem (that could be sorted out by going barefoot) - perhaps I should just not reply because it ruffles a few feathers?"

It doesn't say all foot problems, nor does it claim to fix all problems - I think you're seeing what you want to see here rather than what it actually says.

And are you suggesting that we shouldn't offer up our knowledge that barefoot is an option worth exploring as its successful with lots of hoof problems?
The difference is that we know not 100% of horses can be fixed by taking them barefoot - some have other issues going on that prevent this, the anti barefoot people simply refuse to accept that barefoot is even an option - and they call us blinkered!! :D
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That IS how it reads.

Shod or unshod are viable and sensible options. Barefoot followed as a sole ('scuse the pun :o) solution, IME, is a triumph of ego over common sense.

So - would you (as a human) go barefoot? And if not, why ask your horse to do it?
 
Now now, no squabbling about horsey feet. My question was do barefoot advocates wear shoes.

Reading articles on the biomechanics of the human foot and the detrimental effect of shoes, I just want to know how many of you carry the interest of your horses foot balance over to yourselves. If humans wearing shoes is so bad, then it obviously affects the whole body, and given that I think we all want to be the perfect rider, shoes are going to affect the way we sit, and how our muscles and skeletal frame works, which is a potential for an unbalanced or restrictive position when sat on a horse.
 
Changes said:
So - would you (as a human) go barefoot? And if not, why ask your horse to do it?
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If it prevented/cured long term lameness and gave me a better quality of life you bet I'd go barefoot!

I don't 'ask' my horse to do it, I do it because she is sounder than she was when shod, I can spot any potential problems earlier and she and I are happier all round. If we weren't I wouldn't be adverse to putting on shoes.
 
I kicked off my boots the other day when I was schooling, the mare can be a bit lazy in the school and it really helped, but I couldn't ride 'barefoot' with stirrups, they hurt my feet.

I tend to wear shoes due to it being a socially normative thing to do. Unfortunately this tends to be the reason for much shoeing of horses too. My mare is shod on her hinds only due to the effects of an old injury making her hooves wear unevenly. Her fronts are fine and don't need shoes. I get many 'how strange' comments about shoeing her only on the backs. I don't understand why it is strange to only put shoes on the hooves that require them.
 
I agree Irish-Only, I think that wearing shoes does affect a person's posture particularly some of the more extreme styles most of us have ended up wearing (I'm old - I've worn most of 'em, killer heels,platforms,etc etc:D).

The pragmatic answer is that we go along with the cultural norms and sort out the problems that occur. In the case of riding we take lunge lessons and see physios.

A thought that has just occurred - does riding with its emphasis on posture actually help to mitigate the damage? - we are more aware so even if we wear shoes we consider how we move, sit etc off the horse.

Hmm, lots of cross-over with shoes and horses here
(PS my current nags are natives and don't really need shoes;))
 
I am not actually averse to doing so and as per earlier post try to be as near it as I can ... but

So - would you (as a human) go barefoot? And if not, why ask your horse to do it?
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there is not a direct comparision between a horses foot and a human foot, right from the beginning a foal has harder surfaces to the parts that contact the ground than a human baby, the foal does not have skin contact wih the ground and the human does not have hard sole between the ground and the bone or a wall of strong fairly solid substance to protect it.

my horse also is on grass or smooth road for the majority of her life and I gave her the conditions she needed to get conditioned at her pace and only the amount of work / more stony ground that she could deal with. When we are about and about we can choose what ground is suitable and if necessary put boots on if she needs them.



those two reasons are why I feel that I can ask her to go barefoot ..... plus I have more than half a century of having sole protection for a lot of the time ;) :D :D :D :D :D


also

In order to keep her in the manner she is accustomed to I have to work and I must also daily function in an environment non conducive to being able to gradually harden off my feet, I still need protection for a good portion of the time so it would take a long, long time to be fully barefoot . I just try to be as near as possible


of course it is possible to go completely barefoot for a human but it will take much longer for the feet to be sufficiently hard :cool:
 
irish_only said:
Now now, no squabbling about horsey feet. My question was do barefoot advocates wear shoes.

Reading articles on the biomechanics of the human foot and the detrimental effect of shoes, I just want to know how many of you carry the interest of your horses foot balance over to yourselves. If humans wearing shoes is so bad, then it obviously affects the whole body, and given that I think we all want to be the perfect rider, shoes are going to affect the way we sit, and how our muscles and skeletal frame works, which is a potential for an unbalanced or restrictive position when sat on a horse.
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My apologies - I misunderstood your intention for the thread.

I have indeed taken my interest in barefoot over to myself. I regularly walk down the field barefoot (yes, I know it's risky) until it becomes just too cold to be pleasant.

I experience initial discomfort and after 2 minutes comes a pleasant, tingling sensation that lasts for hours.

Having the mud squish between your toes is an icky delight:)

My footfall becomes shorter and I land mid-foot first and roll rather than heel first. I believe the bio-mech geeks theorize that a mid-foot roll is better than the heel strike we all subscribe to with shoes on.

In horses, a heel first landing is the gold standard.

I cannot bear to wear uncomfortable shoes or any heels.

I wear Crocs in various guises - 13.5 hour shifts and my feet feel fresh at the end - love them. My trainers are a pair on Nike Free and my slippers are a pair of handmade moccasins that my M-I-L sends over from Spain every Christmas - I also wear these to the shops etc.

I have a theory that most shoes just aren't wide enough and by squashing your toes by even a fraction causes early fatigue and altered gait affecting the whole body.
 
I grew up in malaysia in the 80's where it is socially acceptable to be barefoot in and around the villages... human and horse. I can't remember seeing a "farrier" come to the village. People trimmed the horses, goats and cows themselves. The climate and terrain was conducive to an excellent life barefooted.

(However, there were places that did shoe some of them e.g. the polo club. They weren't kept naturally so needed them.)

Can't say it's very acceptable here... human barefoot that is, not with all the dog-doo and spit on the paths/fields. Plus it's cold and wet and miserable. If I had my own estate, perhaps... summer only lol :D

Some people need orthopeadic/environmental support, like horses so then shoes are good for that. Isn't it fantastic that we have the choice?

Do wish the bickering about how we treat horses feet would stop. Seems so pointless and now that I'm reminded what life can be like, I think we are incredibly lucky to have a community of people who can offer help for when things go wrong be it with shoes or without.

ETS: pointless post but had to share my perspective...
 
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Hippy guy round our way used to go everywhere bare foot - and we are talking Scotland in winter, so it can be done, though I wouldn't fancy it.

He also used to cycle a unicycle on the road with a big dog on a lead and do naked yoga in his garden, so maybe not that representative:p
 
Crocks or MBTs, or barefoot around the house - need some more conditioning for stoney lanes. Muck boots for the yard.
"Shoeless" to me indicates thet there were shoes there to begin with, barefoot is the original state, so I go with barefoot.
 
I wear shoes at work cos I have to - safety boots and I wear boots when I'm at the yard. Outside of that I'm either barefoot or in my Vibram 5 Fingers. I am finding that my back aches so much less and my posture is better when I'm bare or in 5 Fingers :) And yes I do enjoy the wierd looks, but more often, interested questions I get when I'm in 5 Fingers :D

This guy is totally barefoot:
http://www.performancebarefoot.co.uk/barefootmike.html
 
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