lkvaughan
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Oct 28, 2005, 9:32 AM
Post #2 of 28
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Re: [CJuneau] Barefoot Horses!
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christina
i have an 18yo trakaner that stays barefoot, and does very well competeing in dressage that way- if you put shoes on him his feet crack and he will pull a shoe within a week- so no shoes for him!
my sister has a QH that had good feeet, was shod and his feet went to H***! the horns started deteriorating (looked like a a toenail with a fungus infection), they were cracking, and were just BAD- she treied everything- different hoff treatments, supplementing with biotin, ect....we made the decision to pull his shoes last winter, and after a year his feet are GREAT! his soles used to be super flat, and his feet were flaring with the shoes- now his soles are nicely concave and the hoof is solid... she rides him on hunts, cross country, and dressage and so far he is sound- before with shoes he would have abesses, and be lame off and on... and all his feet are white- from the research that i have read there is no physiological difference between dark or white hoofs in terms of 'hardness'
i had a firends horse who had bad feet- the heels were contracted- he was in eggbars, they were chipping cracking ect... when i had him i became convinced that the egbars were making his feet worse! (it didnt help that he pulled them off on an almost weekly basis) i finally convinced her to try him barefoot- and he is doing great- his heels have spread and the hoof is much more healthy....and he is an eventer too....
the farrier we have at home is like yours- very progressive about barefoot horses- he has been telling me (and several of my sisters profs at vetschool have told her the same) that in our area they have seen a HUGE increase in horses that are having problems like my sisters QH- the hoof horn gets weak and crumbles- like we thought it seems to be a fungal infection that gains access through the nail holes and breaks down the tubules that form the hoof wall- horses with shoes ahve horrible feet, while horeses that are barefoot have good feet.... of course the wet weather we have been having in the summer/spring for the past few years has not helped
my 3yo anglo has GREAT feet- and has never had a shoe- i am like you- he will never have a shoe if i can get away with it- he will be my eventer and i dont think i will ever put a shoe on him
i have a friend that has a 20yo hanovarian that she competes in upper level dressage that goes better barefoot than with shoes- and he has a club foot!
my ponies growing up never needed shoes- and although i had one horses that needed them- i got to thinking why do all my horses need them?? i plan on going barefoot as much as possible...
although i have been having sucess with barefoot horses i just learned more about the 'barefoot trim' movement- ive been reading about it and so far am very intrigued- i think i might try it with one of my guys and see how it does- the theory behind it makes a lot of sense- so i figure its worth a try... take a look at the site www.nakedhoof.net- her site is good, but i was particularly interested in the sites that she links too (particularly peter ramsey's) some of the sites have examples of horses that are compeeting successfully in endurance, trail, eventing, ect that are barefoot- while not everyhorse will be able to do this it atleast means its possible- id be interested in other people interpretation of what they have to say....
thanks for starting this thread- i am also interested inwhat other people have to say...
happy riding!
kelly
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) for a couple of years now. We have a good mix of breeds ranging from yearlings to 30 some odd year old retirees. No matter the age, discipline, or breed, they have all improved by going barefoot. 
in the woods, through fields etc..as well as hunt her, barefoot. She has great feet and has never had a problem...of course she has been trimmed by a barefoot trimmer since she was 10 weeks old. Glad to hear that word is catching on. My vet is highly recommending this as well as she has also seen the wonders that it works for horses with navicular and founder. 
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