Re: RC: Shoes, blood flow, and endurance

[Farafix@aol.com]

I made the mistake of keeping shoes on for 2 yrs, trying to get a lot of LSD 
conditioning miles on.  As a result, my poor horse got contracted, underrun 
heels, poor hoof angle, etc. etc.  I finally got smart & pulled the shoes, 
and am now about 3 1/2 months without shoes.  I've foregone competing until 
the hoof grows out (we're getting there!) as in the mid-Atlantic region there 
are just too many rocks at rides!  I seem to be able to condition about 20-30 
miles a week barefoot, which is consistent with the history on my previous 2 
horses.  Fortunately, my home trails are soft, esp with all the rain we've 
had, and few rocks, which we walk thru.
In the future, I'll pull shoes in the winter and July, Aug as there's a bit 
of a lull in rides then.  If you can get away with it, some barefoot time 
helps grow out any inbalances from having shoes on (and a good farrier is a 
real BIG help, too!), but I'd have on shoes for anything over 25 miles (I did 
successfully complete a 25 mile CTR with the current horse's dam several yrs 
ago --- she was a last min replacement & was due to be bred in a few days --- 
she has great feet!!!).

Nancy & Tempo (enjoying being barefoot in the summer)
Md