"A horse must have shoes to be ridden or put into work, and attempting to do so
barefoot may cause him to go lame and be ruined.”
 You’ve probably heard this more than once, but it’s a mistaken belief that arises
not only from our inherent impatience, but also from a lack of understanding about
the natural lifeway requirements of the horse. This belief often leads to barefoot
transitional failure and the perception that “going barefoot” is not possible.
Having pulled shoes from hundreds of horses and guided them into performance barefoot
status, I would like to share some of my views about the reality of the transitional phase,
and the associated requirements for a successful transition to barefoot soundness.
What exactly is transition?
Transition is the phase after pulling shoes
when the horse rebuilds and restores his
hooves, achieving a level of comfort,
soundness and usability generally expected
from a domestic horse.
Not included in normal transition is
the horse recovering from laminitis/
founder or other serious hoof aliments;
this should be viewed as a state of
rehabilitation and is not specifically
addressed in this article.
Will your horse get sore or
go lame if you pull shoes?
Yes, no and maybe. The act of pulling shoes
to go barefoot does not cause soreness
or lameness in and of itself. It does,
however, greatly improve the circulatory
system and the firing of nerves, and this
will bring to light the true state of health
in a newly de-shod hoof. It may manifest
in the form of soreness and lameness
during the transitional phase.
Genetics and bad trimming aside, it is
the health of a horse’s feet at the time of
shoe removal that influences immediate
soundness and durability more than any
other initial factor. Hoof health therefore
plays a big role in both the extent and
intensity of the transitional phase.
It’s about time
You might be asking, “How long is
this going to take?” Depending on the
terrain, horses with reasonably healthy
hooves devoid of major wall flares and
with relatively healthy soles and frogs
can go back to work immediately or in several days, weeks or a month.
Horses with less than healthy hooves
may need many months or a year or
more to transition. In any event, one
must not be overly critical of the horse’s
way of going until at least one new hoof
capsule has grown out.
Next Page >
Published in the January/February 2007 issue of Equine Wellness Magazine
|
