Barefoot Horses
Hello , this is John speaking again.
I get alot of questions about barefoot horses. can all horses go barefoot, how can i tell if it's ok for my horse to be barefoot, what if my barefoot horse gets sore, what are the risks of barefoot horses etc etc etc. Who would have ever thought just letting a horse go barefoot could be so confusing- after all horses in the wild are barefoot right?
Rigth off the bat my mind is racing about so many aspects of a horse being barefoot, i'll see if i can cover a few without making this post too long.
#1 horses out in the wild aren't running or working nearly as much as our horses do when we start riding. Taking that into consideration there's much less stress on their feet,legs, and joints compared to our horses which might be ridden several hours per day.
Depending on the terrain ( if quite rocky ) riding a horse barefoot can bring on a risk of injuring the coffin bone from stone/rock pressure.
You know it's also quite possible for a horses feet to founder if it's feet get too tramatized - if for example the horses adrenalin is running high then the horse is ridden hard over rough terrain while barefoot the feet can become very bruised to the point of blood type blisters, in a severe enough case Laminitis could result.
Road founder, foundering from riding the horse on pavement for example, although not directly related to being barefoot is still an example of what can happen to horses feet.
#2 What do you do if your horse comes up sore the first time you take the shoes off?
What do you do if you're riding barefoot and the horse starts showing signs of lameness.
#3 What can be done about the chipping and cracking of the hoof wall when barefoot? is that even OK ?
#4 What if the horse wears all the heels down ? Doesn't that stress tendons and ligaments? Yes !
#5 How do you address corrections while barefoot ( There "IS" a difference you know ) - that is - some things can be corrected while barefoot some not . So how do you surmise all the risks and scenarios ? Wow!
#6 What about the rumor that "ALL" horses should be barefoot. promoted by "The barefoot Advocates "...
#7 What about the horses tolerance to pain in general when barefoot - some horses are just much much more sensitive to pain than other horses.
So you can see right away there's alot to consider when going barefoot. Making the right decision might take a while ( if you're not so knowledgable in the first place ) This last statement i just made is right back to "Well some Farriers have ALOT of experience" but horses still come up lame due to their work. If the Farriers are still in the dark how then do you come into the light and remove the risk of lameness.
What i really wanted to do here is get you thinking by posing the above following concerns and questions. Doesn't it seem obvious already that some horses just are not going to tolerate being barefoot - that you'd be risking permanent lameness with some horses by driving them along barefoot - that you just don't pull the shoes off your horses and just "Expect" everything is going to be ok .
If you have the time to monitor your horses feet while barefoot then there's a good chance you can keep on top of things to keep your horse safe / (Providing the horse has thick enough sole to tolerate being barefoot in the first place. ( Some horses just aren't going to make that grade and you'll just need to keep them shod
if you plan on doing any serious riding with them.
To close - there are also some conformational details that just can not be fixed unless shoeing is taking place. Sorry but it's true. And it just so happens the ones that can only be repaired while shod are the most serious issues - and "Most" horses already have the inherant problem ... 98% of horses.
Hopefully this hasn't all come across as me being an alarmist - the real point here is just "pay attention to your horses" --- reason : Some real serious (Possibly permanent) lameness's can result from going barefoot. If you haven't surmised all the risks concerning your horses feet , well , Then they're still at RISK ! I don't know about you but being "AT RISK" is just way too much RISK TO TAKE. It only takes one time for your horse to come up permanently lame. You can't leave one step out of the correction/correct game - you can't miss one trick to getting horses feet correct - if you missed it (Your horse is at risk!) it's just that simple ! RISK is NOT GOOD !
You'll need to get ahold of my DVD or ebook as soon as i get it done. I'll be covering ALL the bases with "NEW" methodologies not being taught in the schools or textbooks. I'll cover things that are just way too difficult to discuss here in text alone. You'll have videos diagrams and full explanations of what "Works" with nothing left out. All the Mysteries and all the Secrets - "The missing links" - The exact same method i have used for over 16 years that has produced a 100 % track record for me, mainly "Not One Single Lame Horse"
In the mean time - keep in touch - i'm still giving consultations on any shoeing needs or conformation / behavioral problems at - No Cost - that's "Free". This will be on a limited time basis as time and schedule allows- so better be quick about it (-:
As usual Happy and Safe riding and remember to always www.Care4Horses.com
<----Just click the box for more of my articles at Ezinearticles.com thanks
I get alot of questions about barefoot horses. can all horses go barefoot, how can i tell if it's ok for my horse to be barefoot, what if my barefoot horse gets sore, what are the risks of barefoot horses etc etc etc. Who would have ever thought just letting a horse go barefoot could be so confusing- after all horses in the wild are barefoot right?
Rigth off the bat my mind is racing about so many aspects of a horse being barefoot, i'll see if i can cover a few without making this post too long.
#1 horses out in the wild aren't running or working nearly as much as our horses do when we start riding. Taking that into consideration there's much less stress on their feet,legs, and joints compared to our horses which might be ridden several hours per day.
Depending on the terrain ( if quite rocky ) riding a horse barefoot can bring on a risk of injuring the coffin bone from stone/rock pressure.
You know it's also quite possible for a horses feet to founder if it's feet get too tramatized - if for example the horses adrenalin is running high then the horse is ridden hard over rough terrain while barefoot the feet can become very bruised to the point of blood type blisters, in a severe enough case Laminitis could result.
Road founder, foundering from riding the horse on pavement for example, although not directly related to being barefoot is still an example of what can happen to horses feet.
#2 What do you do if your horse comes up sore the first time you take the shoes off?
What do you do if you're riding barefoot and the horse starts showing signs of lameness.
#3 What can be done about the chipping and cracking of the hoof wall when barefoot? is that even OK ?
#4 What if the horse wears all the heels down ? Doesn't that stress tendons and ligaments? Yes !
#5 How do you address corrections while barefoot ( There "IS" a difference you know ) - that is - some things can be corrected while barefoot some not . So how do you surmise all the risks and scenarios ? Wow!
#6 What about the rumor that "ALL" horses should be barefoot. promoted by "The barefoot Advocates "...
#7 What about the horses tolerance to pain in general when barefoot - some horses are just much much more sensitive to pain than other horses.
So you can see right away there's alot to consider when going barefoot. Making the right decision might take a while ( if you're not so knowledgable in the first place ) This last statement i just made is right back to "Well some Farriers have ALOT of experience" but horses still come up lame due to their work. If the Farriers are still in the dark how then do you come into the light and remove the risk of lameness.
What i really wanted to do here is get you thinking by posing the above following concerns and questions. Doesn't it seem obvious already that some horses just are not going to tolerate being barefoot - that you'd be risking permanent lameness with some horses by driving them along barefoot - that you just don't pull the shoes off your horses and just "Expect" everything is going to be ok .
If you have the time to monitor your horses feet while barefoot then there's a good chance you can keep on top of things to keep your horse safe / (Providing the horse has thick enough sole to tolerate being barefoot in the first place. ( Some horses just aren't going to make that grade and you'll just need to keep them shod
if you plan on doing any serious riding with them.To close - there are also some conformational details that just can not be fixed unless shoeing is taking place. Sorry but it's true. And it just so happens the ones that can only be repaired while shod are the most serious issues - and "Most" horses already have the inherant problem ... 98% of horses.
Hopefully this hasn't all come across as me being an alarmist - the real point here is just "pay attention to your horses" --- reason : Some real serious (Possibly permanent) lameness's can result from going barefoot. If you haven't surmised all the risks concerning your horses feet , well , Then they're still at RISK ! I don't know about you but being "AT RISK" is just way too much RISK TO TAKE. It only takes one time for your horse to come up permanently lame. You can't leave one step out of the correction/correct game - you can't miss one trick to getting horses feet correct - if you missed it (Your horse is at risk!) it's just that simple ! RISK is NOT GOOD !
You'll need to get ahold of my DVD or ebook as soon as i get it done. I'll be covering ALL the bases with "NEW" methodologies not being taught in the schools or textbooks. I'll cover things that are just way too difficult to discuss here in text alone. You'll have videos diagrams and full explanations of what "Works" with nothing left out. All the Mysteries and all the Secrets - "The missing links" - The exact same method i have used for over 16 years that has produced a 100 % track record for me, mainly "Not One Single Lame Horse"
In the mean time - keep in touch - i'm still giving consultations on any shoeing needs or conformation / behavioral problems at - No Cost - that's "Free". This will be on a limited time basis as time and schedule allows- so better be quick about it (-:
As usual Happy and Safe riding and remember to always www.Care4Horses.com
<----Just click the box for more of my articles at Ezinearticles.com thanks
Whew John: I knew that I knew little but reading your articles, I shouldn't even have a horse. But I'm learning and this article answered a question that I've had. I've read and listened to both sides of shoeing or not. You've taught me that at the ranch where I board the terrain demands shoeing. Thanks John and maybe when I grow up (I'm almost 60) I can know about the care of horses -- with your help.
-------------------------
My response:
Thank you June, but it's really my pleasure. We all need help ey ?
john "The Foot Doctor" silveira
Reply to this
Do you agree/disagree that by using a shoe, you force the horse to stand (support himself) on just the hoof wall? Do you also agree/disagree, that the horse owner has the power to house/manage the horse in an environment that is condusive to healthy hoof circulation/stimulation paired with a nutrition program as devoid of unnatural sugars as is possible (ie: forage first in other words)?
I'm not here to argue, just wondering how the farriers perceive the effects of diet/environment on the hooves they work on.
=======================================
Of course nutrition plays a role in horses feet that's why there's supplements right ?
as far as does a shoe force the horse to stand only on it's hoofwall my answer is "it depends"
if the horse only stands on pavement all it's life then i'd say of course there's no contact to the sole of the foot or the frog even, just to answer your question.
Now to elaborate alittle further along the lines of your question i'll add - i've also worked on horses that have lived in thich pads where the foot NEVER saw sole pressure or frog pressure from the ground and the feet were outstanding and in awesome shape. And no the horse wasn't having any leg problems at all - in fact were fine show horses being used and worked nearly every day.
i think there's more to horses feet than just whether or not the frog or sole sees pressure.
Reply to this