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[RC] Barefoot - Bruce Weary DCHere comes that sound again: "Whoosh!" It's the sound of a can of worms opening up again. I tried the barefoot program for two years on four horses at the same time. I should modify that by saying that my horses were barefoot in their corral, and booted for workouts and rides. I did see the improvements in the shape of hooves, and it was interesting to see the year-long process of the foot growing out and developing thicker walls, etc.,. But I was going to become a clock tower sniper if I tried to keep 16 easy boots on ( for my horse, and those of my wife and kids) for every ride. I also just got tired of putting on boots every time I went riding. So, I went back to shoeing, but did my horses a BIG favor. I got a better farrier. Now they still have great hoof walls and hoof structure, they don't contract, are protected, and they stay very, very sound. So, we clearly can go down the trail either shod or not and need not sacrifice quality feet for the sake of shoes.I have always been reluctant to accept the claims that steel shoes cause excessive or damaging vibration/concussion, implying that a horse's career might be shortened due to the negative effects on his joints. As I review AERC's list of horses that have achieved 5,000 or more miles, the only names I can identify that ride barefoot are Karen Chaton ( who still wears boots and is therefore not "barefoot") and Don Funk, on his great mustang Geronimo, who always rode very slowly. There may be others. Rushcreek Ladd, at over 18,000 miles, did it in those vibrating, concussive steel shoes (and a lot of duct tape, as I recall), and he was never pulled for lameness, as I recall. I think every winner of Tevis had steel shoes on. Might be true for the Big Horn and OD as well. Anyone know otherwise? I don't want to misstate things. Horses truly riding barefoot and unprotected here in the Southwest are as rare as hen's teeth. Even Sue Walz will tack on some synthetic shoes for Tevis. And there are many rides that are far more rocky than Tevis. Moderation in all things is a pretty good philosophy, in my book. Barefoot and booted, if you're okay with messin' with the boots, is probably a good alternative. Barefoot and unprotected over rocky terrain, while it might work for a few individuals, probably won't stand the test over the thousands of horses that participate in this sport. I remember reading that in the olden days, boxers would soak their heads in saltwater, which apparently made their skin tougher and less likely to cut in a fight. Probably still not as helpful as wearing headgear. Dr Q world renowned opinion generator =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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