Who is teaching the pros about barefoot?

[stangs]

Don't get me wrong, I do think it's good that we're seeing an increase in barefoot showjumpers at a top level and hopefully other disciplines will follow suit. However, reading this opinion piece by John Whitaker made me wonder why, despite this improvement, misinformation about having horses barefoot remains.

In particular:

We do a lot of roadwork with our horses, which is also largely out of the question without shoes. Even horses who are walking around shows where it’s stony or concrete, or those that paw on the truck, will need some kind of additional protection such as strap-on hoof boots.

Not that there's anything wrong with having a horse in boots, and I appreciate that a professional is unlikely to take their horse out of competition to focus on rehabbing their feet, but to insinuate that a barefoot horse can't even walk around a show ground without protection? "Tell me your horse is lame without telling me your horse is lame" comes to mind.

 

[Caol Ila]

Very interesting. My two are much happier in front boots when carrying weight over rocky ground, for sure. But fine barefoot for whatever else.

A lot of myths, and a lot if people who can’t be arsed going through or don’t understand the rehab process. Especially the latter. A friend pulled her horse’s hind shoes after he kept losing them, but then the horse (shod his whole life) was sore over stones. Friend panicked and whacked shoes back on.

 

[Grassy]

Don't get me wrong, I do think it's good that we're seeing an increase in barefoot showjumpers at a top level and hopefully other disciplines will follow suit. However, reading this opinion piece by John Whitaker made me wonder why, despite this improvement, misinformation about having horses barefoot remains.

In particular:


Not that there's anything wrong with having a horse in boots, and I appreciate that a professional is unlikely to take their horse out of competition to focus on rehabbing their feet, but to insinuate that a barefoot horse can't even walk around a show ground without protection? "Tell me your horse is lame without telling me your horse is lame" comes to mind.

Because they can’t risk the horse standing on a sharp stone & bruising their foot & not being able to jump. They are talking about the needs of their particular horses.

 

[Gloi]

Because they can’t risk the horse standing on a sharp stone & bruising their foot & not being able to jump. They are talking about the needs of their particular horses.

They can bruise all their foot apart from the bit covered up with the shoe when they are shod.
If they are worried about stones they could stick some hoof armour on.

 

[stormox]

They can bruise all their foot apart from the bit covered up with the shoe when they are shod.
If they are worried about stones they could stick some hoof armour on.

The sole is lifted off the ground more with shoes, and especially if studs are in.
"Shows with stony ground" is mentioned, not grass. So I think its a valid point.

 

[GreyDot]

Slightly off topice here, but a major gripe of mine is the stony tracks and car parks at shows. My horse is barefoot and we hack fine, but every show I go to, we are carefully picking our way over horrible surfaces to get to the arenas.

 

[Gloi]

The sole is lifted off the ground more with shoes, and especially if studs are in.
"Shows with stony ground" is mentioned, not grass. So I think its a valid point.

I still stick with it. With enough work putting the miles in and a bit of hoof armour if needed, hooves can be conditioned into handling stony car parks and tracks. It may take a bit of effort but it can be done. This current pony has never been shod and is rockproof, however my last one found it difficult walking on stones in shoes due to thin soles but after putting in a fair bit of effort he became able to be ridden on any surface barefoot.

 

[southerncomfort]

I live near JW and sometimes ride where his horses are hacked.

The roads are ok but some of the tracks are really rocky. My Fell copes fine but he's never been shod.

It would take an awful lot of rehab/transitioning work to get showjumpers, who've been shod all their lives, comfortable enough to be ridden on those tracks regularly.

I suspect that's why he says he'll see how the younger horses cope first.

Seems sensible to me.

 

[Fieldlife]

I still stick with it. With enough work putting the miles in and a bit of hoof armour if needed, hooves can be conditioned into handling stony car parks and tracks. It may take a bit of effort but it can be done. This current pony has never been shod and is rockproof, however my last one found it difficult walking on stones in shoes due to thin soles but after putting in a fair bit of effort he became able to be ridden on any surface barefoot.

I’ve got a barefoot 17hh 13 yo warmblood. Been barefoot ago 20 months. (Not my first barefoot horse).

He’s got reasonable feet, good diet, careful attention to prevent thrush, regular use hoof armor. I’ve a good trimmer every 5 weeks and I tidy up weekly. He’s mostly okay without back boots but he’s still not very keen over stones without front boots.

Think we might get there most of the year (not when very wet) with more work.

But IMO it can be a lot of work in the wet U.K. to have a big competition horse barefoot and comfy on all surfaces, and distance hacking, especially if been previously shod most of their lives.