What is the highest standard you can get too riding "barefoot" or "parelli" etc

R2R

R2R

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As title really - how high up the ranks can you go? This post not intended to start a pro or anti debate, rather see how far you can go?
 
I don't understand your post. Not shoeing your horse does not mean you can't compete at a high level in any discipline. As for Parelli, it's just a faddy method of communicating with your horse, it doesn't mean you can't compete with it ?
 
Do you mean the levels?

I do no Parelli officially, but I am told I do a lot of it anyway in the way that I work with my mare? If that is the case, then it's just old horsemanship and listening. If you mean the taught levels, the tapes, videos, books, gear and lessons kinda thing, then take a look at the Parelli site I guess.

Barefoot is barefoot as my mare is, unless you mean to be a barefoot trimmer?
 
There's Lucinda McAlpine who has a large stud/competition yard (South-wards way I believe) who keeps all her horses au naturelle.

I think it would be difficult to know for sure as (as far as I can tell) those that are into parelli etc aren't necessarily into competing/going up the ranks so you might not ever find out. No reason why it would have any effect on how high you could go, it would be down to the normal sorts of things like skill, talent, training, and a bit of pure luck I suppose. Physical factors like being barefoot might make more of a difference in things like xc/sj where studs might be needed tho.
Just my 2 cents anyway
 
Barefoot makes no difference as long as the feet can stand up to the work required.

If you want to ride your horse in Parelli garb (ie halter and pad) I would think the only thing you could compete in is possibly endurance?

I can't think of anything else you would be able to enter...maybe inhand showing :p
 
I mean, what is the highest level attained by someone who is “au naturel” with their horses? Could I keep my horse barefoot and still go out and jump 1.20’s? And does anyone actually do this?
 
R2R said:
I mean, what is the highest level attained by someone who is “au naturel” with their horses? Could I keep my horse barefoot and still go out and jump 1.20’s? And does anyone actually do this?
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Yes my daughter does with no probs at all, many, many wins;):D
 
P.S. i don't have a clue about all this barefoot stuff.
My daughters pony has the farrier but just does not need shoes. My horses have gone unshod for 27 years:D
 
R2R said:
Horses 13 how do they cope jumping on grass etc?
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No probs. As my daughter has never jumped a shod horse she has had balance etc drummed into her head.
At a Championships in April many horses shod with studs were slipping.
My daughters pony did not slip once. She has natural good grip.
As it is normal for me i have no idea about the technical stuff, its just what we are used to and have never had a problem.
 
You can jump as high as you like on a surface. The problems start if there is little covering on 'grass' it is hard and then lightly showered. It's unfair to ask them to jump then, due to the risk of slipping. Theoretically, unless your horse has really impossibly weak feet, you could do any discipline you like as long as the going was perfect. Ours are unshod behind (mostly) and have had no problems.
 
horses13 said:
No probs. As my daughter has never jumped a shod horse she has had balance etc drummed into her head.
At a Championships in April many horses shod with studs were slipping.
My daughters pony did not slip once. She has natural good grip.
As it is normal for me i have no idea about the technical stuff, its just what we are used to and have never had a problem.
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Good point - she'll HAVE to ride properly or she'll slip. Bet that keeps your wits sharp!
 
My horse is barefoot, i don't think it makes any differences whatsoever to anything, you can easily showjump. only thing you can't do it studs etc in XC or SJ on grass but they are sometimes more surefooted without shoes anyway (e.g. endurance horses are often barefoot) - as with everything, depends on your horse and your limits.
 
A lot of Sports have people practising Parelli in it.The Canadian Gold and Silver Paralimpic Champion does Parelli as well as Showjumpers,racehorse owners,Dressage etc.
Simon Earle races his horses barefoot and others already mentioned. :)
 
Barefoot doesn't make any difference. There is a rider here competing at Intermediaire / working Grand Prix whose horse is barefoot. And plenty of horses aren't shod behind, Weltall won an Olympic gold medal ridden by Martin Schaudt with no shoes behind :)
 
R2R said:
I mean, what is the highest level attained by someone who is “au naturel” with their horses? Could I keep my horse barefoot and still go out and jump 1.20’s? And does anyone actually do this?
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Well I keep my horse shod spring to autumn as he needs studs for eventing but then his shoes are taken off all winter - during that time I compete him at 1.20m level. It makes no difference on a surface ;)
 
MagicMelon said:
Well I keep my horse shod spring to autumn as he needs studs for eventing but then his shoes are taken off all winter - during that time I compete him at 1.20m level. It makes no difference on a surface ;)
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Do you find that the horses take the transition well? Goodness, it would be lovely if I could run a similar schedule!
 
Interesting line of thought, as I heard that someone who does parelli up the road from me once went showjumping in her parelli halter. Don't know the details though, whether she competed as normal, or went hc etc.

Would have to check the rule book for tack for each individual discipline I suppose!!
 
brighteyes said:
You can jump as high as you like on a surface. The problems start if there is little covering on 'grass' it is hard and then lightly showered. It's unfair to ask them to jump then, due to the risk of slipping. Theoretically, unless your horse has really impossibly weak feet, you could do any discipline you like as long as the going was perfect. Ours are unshod behind (mostly) and have had no problems.
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Oh dear :-( I wish I'd known I was being unkind before two of my horses earned points BE shoeless on all kinds of going including hard then lightly showered. I didn't find it made any difference at all. My hunter doesn't seem to notice either, and he doesn't have prepared take-offs and landings on his fences.

To answer the OP, one horse has evented to Advanced shoeless, because they couldn't keep it sound with shoes on, not because they believed in barefoot. I know of one person running Intermediate eventers and I'm sure she must be planning to go advanced. I don't know her name but someone else may.
 
previous horse competed to adv med barefoot, and was schooling GP stuff.

current horse is only 5, so only competing nov/elem but in 5/6 years i hope will be GP and still barefoot :)

both are ex racers by the way.
 
Harriet Day did cross country in her Parelli rope hackamore, I believe her horse H was unshod. I think it was against the rules to actually compete in the hackamore though? Can't remember now.
My friend (who might not want to be named) is a talented classical rider with a good "nh" base through Silversand. She rides her horses barefoot to a high standard, but isn't competing at the moment because one horse is rather old, and the other is still rather young.
 
H&H ran a story a couple of months back about people riding and competing bridleless or without a saddle (CPTrays may have the link if its online as it is the issue where her friend hunted without a bridle?)

Pic of the team chasers who do it in headcollars:
http://www.msjump.co.uk/Hold your horses CLINICS.html

I think there may be a point being missed in that:
a) lots of people have horses without shoes and get on with it quietly, probably at all levels of competition

b) natural horsemanship training, depending on what, and if you subscribe to a particular school of thought, doesn't always involve riding the horse in a rope halter for the rest of his life.

:)
 
As has been said there are plenty of endurance horses that compete at high levels without shoes, Simon Earle had barefoot racehorses too.
 
studentvet said:
Do you find that the horses take the transition well? Goodness, it would be lovely if I could run a similar schedule!
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Oh yeah, there's no "transition" to be honest - my horse couldn't care less if he has shoes on or not. He doesn't go lame for a few days or anything like some people seem to expect. His hooves are decent anyway though so they never crack either. I'd definately take shoes off if you can - I'd love to keep mine unshod but really can't when I event. I hate shoes TBH, nailing metal things onto their feet seems horrid to me!
 
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