Make Your Horse Lame

Rocky in the rocks on a training ride last Sunday at Indian Springs.

Why do some people easily make the leap from shod to barefoot while others struggle?

• It’s not because their horse feels no pain.
• It’s not because they ‘know people’.
• It’s not even because they’re lucky.

It’s because they’re not scared of making their horse lame.

And when they make that leap, they no longer have to focus on short-term fixes that keep their horse flirting with soundness. They focus instead on long-term strategies that make their horse healthier.


Clydea and Rusty enjoying a brief pause at the Verde River during the training ride.

I’ve been picking up my horses’ feet every day for the last few months and squeezing their heel bulbs between my thumb and forefinger. I’m actually pinching myself to make sure what I am seeing is real. It is astounding to see how much the heel area moves from the simple pressure squeezing it.

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