Re: RC: re: barefoot

[LSimoni197@aol.com]

I have been lucky enough to own some very good horses who could go barefooted the whole year.  For other horses it depended on the surface of the trails, some old roads were just too rocky for much barefooted riding.

This year a horse of mine Completed the 30 mile B to B ride barefooted and got BC.  I am a heavy weight rider.  The amazing thing is that the horse was padded all summer, and still could do this after having the pads pulled only a couple of months before.

Another young horse of mine completed the Lake Orville 30 mile ride barefooted.  He was carrying a FW rider.  He was not the least bit sore footed on the ride or on the following days.  We will continue to ride this horse without shoes.

I have noticed some posts really pushing the point that no horse should be ridden barefooted because some horse appeared lame at an endurance ride and was barefooted.
Wish I could remember how many horses were pulled at Tevis this year for lameness, all wearing shoes.  A very foolish one rat study could suggest that all of these horses would have done better at Tevis if they wore no shoes.

Please remember, we have Vets. at these rides to pull a horse who is lame, or in any other kind of trouble.  All horses are not the same, nor conditioned the same.  In the early days, one of the most attractive things about endurance was the freedom to use the tack, feed, trailer, clothing of choice.  Even the freedom to ride fast or slow over the same trail.  I appreciate the Vets and ride managers who still support this freedom of choice.

Lynge