Re: RC: Re: Re: Barefoot

["Tiffany D'Virgilio" <dvirgilio@mindspring.com>]

on 11/28/01 11:54 AM, Tracey Ritter at tracey_ritter@yahoo.com wrote:

> If she indeed finish the Sunland 50 barefoot
> and without any problems, let's at least recognize that (I haven't
> heard anything to contrary on that one).  After all, that was a
> toughie by seemingly everyone's input who was there.

One thing-I have had both a shod and barefoot horse in Sunland (I boarded
there and rode extensively for over a year) and here in my current location
which is Alta Loma about 50 miles east of Sunland. Sunland trail conditions
were loads better than what I have here. The rocks are not nearly as bad.
There are lots of nice soft trails there-could it be that the Silver States
ride conditions were worse and not appropriate for a barefoot horse, hence
the condition of the horse later? I mean, there are rocky trails, and there
are ROCKY trails. The horse I have shod now was bare in Sunland with not a
lot of problems. She would never be able to cut it here in these conditions.
Most of us who had bare horses have now shod them. It is just plain cruel
not too. And until you come ride these trails, I can't imagine how anyone
could say they could go bare and still put serious miles on...and have a
pain free horse. 
Tiffany