Barefoot for Soundness
at barefoothorse.com
There have always been people who have kept their horses barefoot because they couldn't afford horseshoes. Likewise it is common practice to keep ponies barefoot, simply because their feet are too small for the nails. And there are people who keep their horse or pony on pasture because they can't afford to keep it in a boarding stable.
If we look at the hooves of these barefoot horses and ponies, and
especially the ones that live on pasture, we find 
them to be well-shaped,
with wide, healthy frogs and good concavity of sole, and made of tough,
good-looking horn. Such hooves are rarely lame; the horses are sure-footed
and will go confidently on any footing, even over rocks.
In recent years, owners who are looking for healthier, more species-appropriate methods of care for their horse, have finally noticed the big secret and are 'going barefoot' with their shod performance horses.
We find that as the horse completes a 'transition year' of recovery from insidious internal damage done by the horseshoe, de-shod hooves transform into the shape and toughness of hooves that have never been shod. An additional benefit is that foundered horses are being successfully rehabilitated, using the barefoot trim along with 24-hour turnout.
Barefoot for Soundness explains what happens to a hoof that is shod, and how to assist a hoof to regain its integrity after pulling the shoe. We find that a hoof shape approximating that of horses living in the wild is more successful than the typical, longer-heeled 'pasture trim'. The website includes instructions for trimming one's own hooves, should a farrier not be available who will do the desired wild-horse trim.
The website's author, Marjorie Smith, started trimming her two horses in 1998 when she realized she was able to see imbalances that affected their gaits, that the farriers were not correcting. She had the shoes pulled, "They were just in my way," she remembers; and began to learn how to use the rasp and hoof knife to do her own trimming.
"I made every mistake you can imagine," she says, but their hooves gradually improved and after a year reached stability. "I believe a horse is better off without shoes, even during your learning process, with all the learning-mistakes. The wonderful thing is that a barefoot horse lets you know immediately when you've made a mistake, because he will be a little tender on that foot, so that you can correct your trim. If you were to slap a shoe on the mistake, you'd never realize you'd left an imbalance, and your trimming wouldn't improve."
It was only after she had already settled down to a good working trim for her horses that Marjorie discovered the books of Jaime Jackson, a farrier who has studied the hooves of wild mustangs in the western USA. She attended a clinic that he taught, and made adjustments to her trim to get in line with his findings. At that point he referred a chronically foundered horse in her area, so that she could learn how to apply the wild horse trim to rehabilitating his feet. She also began to teach individual horse owners how to trim their own hooves. She finds the great majority of owners that go the barefoot route do so with horses that are sound and in work.
In order to make barefoot information available to a wider audience, and to help horse owners complete the transition year most easily, Marjorie started the website in 2000 and improves it as better information becomes available. There are now barefoot performance horses in at least 14 countries around the world; a number of clinicians teaching the wild horse trim; and some farriers beginning to offer it to their clients.
A recent improvement puts a toe rocker on the front feet, which allows the foot to break over early enough to then land heel-first on the next footfall. Heel-first landing helps the entire hoof function better, and seems to reverse the progression to navicular pain that is often seen when the foot lands toe-first. This is an exciting development and we look forward to helping many horses whose navicular-like soreness has been difficult to reverse.
There are enough horses that have completed their transition year and are fully competing again, so that we can safely say a barefoot horse is competitive with its shod compatriots. The endurance horses are particularly encouraging, placing well and often winning the Best Condition award in the post-race vetting; there are increasing reports of barefoot horses continuing easily over rocky ground that caused shod-horse riders to dismount. A foxhunter, still in transition and wearing hoof boots, reports his horses are already substantially more sure-footed over rough ground.
Horses are no longer work-it-into-the-ground transportation; they are friends and/or valued sporting companions with a large investment of training. Either way, many horse owners are looking for more natural ways to care for the horse in captivity - because we love them, or to have them performing their best.
Barefoot hooves and full-time turnout go hand-in-hand to keep horses healthy and happy for their jobs in the human world.
Marjorie recommends the following books by Jaime Jackson, which you can buy from Amazon by clicking on the links below - click on the book covers to buy in GBP from amazon.co.uk:
Click below to buy in US$ from amazon.com
Marjorie also recommends a video by farrier Gene Ovnicek, Natural Balance Trimming, which has excellent graphics showing how the hoof works, and talks about the importance of the heel-first landing and how to trim so the horse is able to land heel-first. The video is available on Gene's website www.hopeforsoundness.com.
For more information, including lots of 'before and after' photographs, please visit Marjorie's web site: www.barefoothorse.com
If you have any comments or questions regarding barefoot trimming, or to read what others have to say, trot along to our Forum
Barefoot & Bitless horses for sale in Nagtrader Ads Section
Why not have a totally 'iron-free' horse - check out Dr Cook's in-depth articles on bits & the bitless bridle.
More resources on barefoot trimming, treating founder (laminitis) without shoes etc
www.ibem.org.uk UK-based Institute of Barefoot Management
www.laughinghorses.co.uk/barefoot_living.htm article on barefoot living and case study of horse with broken splint bone
www.hoofdoctor.co.uk more case histories including another 'death row' founder / laminitis case
www.tribeequus.com more info on barefoot and pics of barefoot performance horses
www.tribeequus.com/help.html list of barefoot practitioners worldwide
www.naturalhorsetrim.com Treating founder (chronic laminitis) without horseshoes (a huge amount of information here, including many photographs - the site is a little slow to load, please be patient - it's well worth the wait!)
Barefoot webring (16 sites)
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