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[RC] to shoe or not... - DreamWeaverAt 03:43 PM 4/17/2005, you wrote:Barefoot is an option, feeding supplements is an option, riding = treeless is an option, going bitless is an option. well, it's only really an option if it works for your horse, or in simpler terms, if your horse allows it to be so. I have horses that allow me to not feed them supplements if I want (because except for E/Se, I don't), that I can ride in a treeless saddle, and some with or without a bit, or barefoot -- but in some cases doing otherwise, is really not an option because it either becomes unsafe or in the case of being barefoot it could hurt the horse. I'm all for finding out what works for the horse, and pursuing that and trying to make things work, if that is what somebody desires. What I hate to see is people thinking that all horses can do things one way, or that there is only one right way to do something. I hate reading statements from people along the lines of "my horse was lame when it had shoes on". Well, that is a management problem/bad farrier issue. I've got horses that have had shoes on and aren't lame, and so do enough people to sufficiently prove that shoes don't necessarily cause a horse to be lame. It's how they are applied and overall management of the horse. Even worse, are the ones that think that a horse just needs to transition over to being barefoot and it's okay if the horse is lame or has to limp around for weeks, or even months in order for that to happen. If we can't manage them so they don't have to suffer, then we shouldn't have them. I'm saying this from the perspective of somebody who has seen horses ridden in rides barefoot that DID suffer greatly at the hands of their riders who should have known better but were too caught up in the cult of barefootedness to have any sense. I hate to think that even more horses might have to go thru that same kind of abuse because people are reading on ridecamp that 'barefoot is better' for every horse. It isn't. I have two horses that are barefoot right now. Two that have shoes. None of them have any problems relating to their feet or as a result of their hoofcare. If they do, I'll adjust how they are managed accordingly. I believe that the majority of endurance horses do not have the hoof quality necessary to be ridden competitively while barefoot, nor do they live in conditions that will allow that. A certain % probably have good enough quality to compete with hoof boots over bare feet. That isn't a call to get people to prove me wrong, but rather hopefully people keep an open mind about the whole topic before doing something that could end up causing their horses harm. Here are links to my Easyboot pages: http://www.redwrench.com/ezboot/default.htm http://www.redwrench.com/ezboot/easyboot101part2.html I'll try to do some pages with more photos on the Epics soon, after I get more of an opportunity to use them on my barefoot horses. They are working really well so far. Karen in NV =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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