Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I'm one of those folks who doesn't shoe their horses and have found they are far better for it. You have to understand, however, that the mare is a BLM mustang and has feet like iron. So, too, with my half arab nitwit, Doimas. And, Tracy, I think he and Gryffindor must be related. He broke my nose one time by knocking me down in the pasture and jumping over me (unfortunately, I wasn't completely down when he made his leap and caught me with a front hoof).  He's like riding a claymoor mine.

Anyhoo, my oldest horse, Sebastian, came to me when he was around 14 and had been shod all his life. His nutrition was poor and feet were cracked. It took over a year to get his feet healthy again. I fed him a biotin mix (Horseshoer's Secret??) for several months, plus good feed. I ride Sebastian (and all the others) barefoot where I live in Central AZ. The ground is very dry (go figure in the desert) and filled with volcanic rock. It saves money on farriers, since the rock keeps their hooves worn down, but with Sebastian I have to be careful. His heels will wear down to almost nothing in the front if I continually ride him on the rocks. None of my horses have ever come up lame or footsore. 

One thing ya'll might realize is alot of barefoot vs. shoes has to do with genetics. We humans conspired to have pretty, perfect bodies on our horses for eons and didn't think too much about the feet. I know years ago people wanted their horses to have little feet because they were much prettier than what my mustang mare has. In doing this, we really messed up the feet. (Don't jump on me, folks, remember, this is all just my opinion.) Consequently, some horses are going to have lousy hoofies, and with those I'd use Boa or Easy Boots. When I took Sebastian to Cobre Ridge, I had front shoes put on him. He did really well over the rocks and I'll probably continue to shoe the front when we do endurance, or buy him some Boas. I'd prefer boots to shoes, but gotta pimp out my stud a few more times to buy them.

I love watched my farrier trimming my horses. Their feet are so hard, that little vein sticks out on his forehead when he's trimming. 

Glad to hear there are some other barefooters out there. I get alot of grief from people who think it's "cruel" not to shoe. Of course, I think just the opposite.

Cindy Edwards
Buckeye, AZ