# Barefoot Trimming-what it's all about



## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

I was asked to start a thread just covering the concept of barefoot trimming vs. regular trims. So here 'tis!

First, a regular trim is one that generally preps the foot for a shoe. The sole is pared out to the live horn, the frog trimmed away so it's nice and tidy. The walls are nipped flat and maybe rasped a little to even out the nipper marks. This is all done from the bottom, or ground surface of the hoof. About the only modification I see from farriers for their "pasture trim" where they don't plan to shoe, is some guys will leave the sole more intact, or will leave a taller wall so the sole won't contact the ground, essentially making a shoe out of the wall. Their goal is to keep the sole from touching the ground to avoid tenderness. Usually the hoof is trimmed to a pre-determined angle of 45-55 degrees, depending on the horse's career. Most of these trims start to flare, chip and crack pretty quickly and the soles bruise quite easily. Some horses are never bothered at all by this trim.

Most farriers are driven to "straighten" out the legs if they aren't perfectly straight and attempt to make the leg appear perfect. This can strain tendons and bones and cause lameness over time. 

For a barefoot, natural trim (whatever you choose to call it), the hoof is trimmed in an effort to mimic the way hooves wear naturally if the horse gets enough exercise to balance wear with growth. Domestic horses don't get that much exercise, so the trimming becomes necessary. 

The trim is basically leaving the sole intact to cushion the coffin bone. The dead material either gets abraded away with exercise, naturally or is packed down into a callous, toughening the foot. The frog is barely trimmed, if at all, just to remove flaps that can harbor bacteria and breed thrush. The wall is trimmed to just above sole level (about 1/8- 1/4 inch high) to allow the sole to contact the ground some. The walls are also beveled, or rolled at about a 45 degree (average, depends on the horse) to ease breakover. This is usually finished from the top, with the hoof on the stand.The hoof is NOT trimmed to a specific angle, but trimmed to what the foot indicates it needs. (it would take a long time to explain how to determine what the foot is indicating, so I'll skip that), but they usually fall into the "ideal" angles naturally..

The trim is considered balanced when the horse lands comfortably flat footed or heel first, with no extreme deviations of the limb in flight, and no effort is made to force the leg into perfect straightness if the animal is mature. A crooked leg shouldn't be trimmed straight, just as a straight leg shouldn't be trimmed crooked. Barefoot trims can elimintate chipping, flaring and cracking, if kept on the same 6-8 week schedule. Tenderness is not there ( but a transition period may be in order if the horse has been shod for a long time-all the sole that's been pared out has to grow back to eliminate tenderness). 

I was asked to post pics to show the differences, but I have a website up for that purpose already. I don't have any of my own pics of "pasture" trims because I don't do those anymore. Feel free to look on my website for pics of natural trims. There is a links page as well to find other barefoot sites. If anyone wants to ask specific questions, don't hesitate. 

I hope this satisfies the request for this thread.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

So why do white hooves seem to crack and chip easier then black hooves. My little mare Chloe has two white hooves (one on front, on eon back) and the front one seems to chip and crack really easy unless we throw shoes on the front. I use hoof cream but it doesnt seem to matter. I heard of the natual way about a month or two ago from some one and it always interested me.

Thanks


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Actually, there is no difference in the quality of white vs dark hooves. The white just shows the damage much more vividly.
Trust me, in the summer, all the hooves get hard as nails around here, white or black and in the winter, they all soften up as it stays damp. 

The only difference is genetics in each horse, not hoof. There can be soft black hooves and hard white ones. 

I think a good example of this is hooves that are multi colored. Appaloosas esp. since they have striped hooves. They don't just chip where the light stripes are, and they don't split where the black meets white. Im pretty sure if there was a difference in the quality from color, the striped/multicolored hooves would split right at the juncture of the two colors. It would be like sewing heavy leather onto soft cloth. The soft cloth would rip at the stitches, while the leather remained intact. Yet, I don't ever see a hoof do this. 

I DO see a difference from horse to horse, kept at the same barn, same feed program, same hoof color. It also can depend on the shoe factor. I've seen horses have different quality of horn in fronts vs hinds, and the only difference being that the fronts were always shod from an early age, and the hinds weren't. I have noticed a difference in hoof quality, overall in horses that were shod consistently from an early age (2yrs-3yrs old) vs ones that didn't have the first set of shoes until after maturity. Not only do they tend to have thinner walls, but narrower feet in general. My advice on that is if you feel that shoes are necessary, please wait as long as you can to start on a young horse.


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

From an earlier conversation we had I know that you are familiar with the terrain in my neck of the woods. I am the only person that I know of that barefoot trims our horses (besides our farrier  )

Since we are all gravel roads and rocky soil here I was wondering if barefoot was really the best way to go. The 6 acre pasture the horses are in has knee high grass and a whole heard of baseball size rocks... we clean out rocks out all the time it would be impossible to get them all. Dumas has gotten a stone bruise and is doing really well now. Would shoes have prevented this? The horses seem to have just wonderful feet and they haven't had shoes on for over 2 years. I am scheduled for my 2nd barefoot trim the 3rd of july. Should I just keep at it? Will their feet improve with time? 

We are going against the norm here and I am qustioning it. Thanks for any info and advice!


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Don't apologize for questioning anything. You are just wanting to do what's right for your horse. It's smart to question new things and find out all you can!

Being barefoot in AR- perfectly doable. In fact, I don't think I would have "bought into that barefoot thing" if I wasn't from there. First let me answer your question, then I'll babble on about the other.

Shoes are not that thick. Sometimes they are a false sense of securtiy of protection.They raise the hoof about 1/4 in off the ground, with a big open section in the middle and back (unless you are using bar shoes or pads, but I digress) . The rocks you are going over are larger than 1/4 inch gravel. It might make the rock seem 1/4in smaller, but a 1 1/2 inch rock can still jab into the sole and can cause a bruise. So if your farrier cleaned out the sole (to poperly fit and secure that shoe on the hoof) the sole doesn't even have it's own usual callous to protect it. Many horses lose some circulation in the hooves with shoes, so they feel numb to some of that, even if it 's bruised. Blessing in that they may not feel it, but curse in that they can do some damage and not know it, too. They can come down harder on a stone because they don't have the same sensitivity in the foot to feel where it's landing.. 

A bare hoof, when it's toughened up to not having shoes on, can still bruise, but is less likely to because it's calloused and thickened on the bottom. It heals faster, (thanks to better circulation) and most of the time they will FEEL the rock before they put all the weight onto it and adjust their step accordingly. Have you ever stepped on something in your house (ahem..kids toys) and "gimped" before you bruised your foot? You felt it, you altered your step to protect yourself, and no damage was done to your foot.

Shoes can't stop all the bruises. A lot of horses that are coming out of shoes will be more sensitive at first because they don't have the callousing to protect it, plus they can feel more sensations. The improved circulation will allow a previously constricted foot to start healing, and this is why some horses with a history of chronic problems go through a cycle of abscessing coming out of shoes but end up healthier than with their corrective shoes.

Don't give up after just one trim and one stone bruise. Your horse could have bruised with a shoe or not.

Now, for my babble. I grew up in your area. Had always shod our horses, and I wasn't allowed to ride in the spring until the farrier came (we always pulled them in winter). My second job ever was working for my farrier. I started colts for him (and apprenticed for shoeing with him). He wouldn't shoe the colts we started. Said they didn't need it unless we were going to trail ride all day every day, until they were adults (I'm not sure now why he thought they suddenly needed shoes at 5, but whatever) . The pen, arena and pastures we rode them in were rocky as heck. I was scared of falling off and busting myself on a rock, and these colts never missed a lick. These were just QH, not a notably tough footed breed. 

I noticed that when we pulled shoes in the winter, our horses had no trouble running on the rocks in the pasture for fun. Mom had told me that was different than carrying a rider, and I had no reason to question that. 

But, as I got my own colts, and started them out barefoot, I decided to wait until they "needed" shoes to put them on. When they wore too short or got sore, that's when I planned to shoe them. Well, they never wore off too short and never got sore. And I'm talking about putting lots of miles on them. Gravel roads, the buffalo river trails..took them on the Wagon Train from Harrsion to Springdale and made it the whole way on the same horse barefoot. Still , never needed shoes, and I wasn't doing a special "barefoot trim" either. I just barely rolled the toes to stop chipping. The point being, that they adjusted just fine in one of the rockiest places you can find. Later, I'd swap for older, shod horses, and pull them for the winter, and same theory, ride until they needed the shoes. Well, after a winter off, they never seemed to need shoes again. I think if I'd pulled them mid-riding season, that the results wouldn't have been as postitive. They would have been soft from the shoes and tender, but having a few months to toughen on their own, they were ready for riding by spring.

Later on is when I found out about a better syle of trim, and what I do now is lot better than what I did then. I still learn new things all the time. But, if a person sticks with it, and keeps their horse on a regular schedule, I've not seen a horse yet that couldn't adjust to being barefoot where they lived. 

When will barefoot NOT work? Well, assuming they can go longer between trims (waiting until there's already damage is setting you up for frustration). And expecting a horse to perform outside his usual environment. You can't let a horse live in a soft bedded stall all the time and expect him to be tough enough to go 12 miles on a rocky trail. His feet, and his body, aren't in condition for it. Their feet adjust their growth to the exercise and footing they live on. You want a horse that can go anywhere?..let him live on rocks. He can ALWAYS go on softer footing. But..that' s why they make boots For that occasional ride that will be on rougher footing. It's just an extra protection and peace of mind. Not everyone has time to ride their horse 3 hours on giant rocks to condition them (or you can't find the rock in your area) every day.You can still ride barefoot on his normal terrain and condtion the rest of his body, just use boots for that exceptional terrain. (boots outlast metal shoes and you can remove them at the end of the ride, where as if you get shoes for that one ride a year, you set your horse back for six weeks and he's apt to be more tender when you pull them back off) The other time barefoot won't work? If you are only doing it to save money. That' s not any reason to pick a farrier or trimmer. Pick a qualified individual. If they charge more, but do quality work, you will spend less in vet bills and down time than if you save a buck with cheap trims. If you can't find a good, TRAINED barefoot trimmer, you are probably better off finding a top farrier and staying with shoes.


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

I have a question! *raises hand*

my guys are barefoot. I'm going to presume that the last farrier was NOT a barefoot trimmer and just trimmed them like they were getting prepped for a shoe, and no shoe was put on.

Gem is going to go back into work, but he needs a trim badly so we're using the barn owner's farrier for now. I'm not sure if Tom wants to do barefoot trimming with him, but i'll suggest it.

I would like to do barefoot trimmings with Vega. She's never had shoes (except when she accidentally got shoes on for a week) and I like to keep it that way. I only ride her for pleasure, the only trails we are going to be doing is on the property.

Now that we are at a different place and can get any farrier we want, should i go ahead and get a barefoot trimmer? Is there a list of trained barefoot trimmers (so i know i'm not going to get someone who _claims_ they know it when they don't)

I've never had to hire a farrier before, what type of questions should i ask them? Would you know them if i gave you their names? I'm in New Jersey.

Thanks a bunch in advance!


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Wow very interesting explanations, BFH!


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

I would recommend hiring a barefoot trimmer instead of a farrier. Some farriers are open minded enough to give it a try, but just lack the training and it's really hard for them to resist a little sole paring here and there or don't bevel the walls enough. It's easy for them to resort to shoeing instead of working through any glitches, as well. They just sort of think differently. If your horses are already without shoes, the trim can only make them feel better. No transition period to worry about, so it will be super easy for you. 

When hiring either a trimmer or farrier, ask them what experience (how long, where) they have. Where did they get their training? Are they certified?( Being certified can sometimes not mean much, unfortunately, and I've seen some talented ones that never went to school for it.) However, it's a rare person that can just pick up some nippers and do a quality job. If the training didn't come from a reputable school, there should be some hands on training from another farrier/trainer (apprentice) . I don't mean casual "training" where they watched their farrier once, either. A clinic here and there is helpful, but there should be some consistent guidance in there. Either way, they should be honest about their experience, or lack thereof.

I personally think the best barefoot trimmers have a background in shoeing and/or vetrinary background.They know what DOESN'T work and why, and really know anatomy. 

Word of mouth will give you the best feel for the person in question. Just remember, nobody is perfect and there is likely to be SOMEONE out there that didn't like the trim or the person. But if the majority of the feedback is postitive, then procede. 

Ask for references and actually check them. Find out how long the trimmer has worked on these other horses, how the owner found this individual, what they like and don't. How is the trimmer in handling the horses? Is he/she patient and gentle, but firm? Or too rough and rowdy?More than just a trim, you need someone you agree with in dealing with your horse. If you find the trimmer/farrier by referral, then they are worth checking out. People don't recommend farriers/trimmers they have lukewarm feelings about usually. I find I get LOADS more requests for business from word of mouth than any ad I ever put up. 

Ask for the trim(and shoe if it's a farrier) price, of course, per horse. Find out if there is a farm fee (gas charge, trip charge, same thing, different name) and if that's affordable for you. Some will give a multi horse discount or waive the gas charge if there are enough horses to make it worth their trip. Don't be afraid to ask for a consultation. Look at is as a paid interview. Trust me. You'll be happier if you pay a gas charge to talk to this person, have them handle your horse and tell you how they would trim the horse before they ever cut anything. You can get that "gut feeling" and decide if you really want to hire them. If nothing else, you may have made a backup contact for emergencies (like when your trimmer gets pregnant *ahem* :shock: ) . 

Finding a trimmer on a list is a good place to start. No, I personally don't know anybody in your area. Sorry.Ask around at shows or events if you see a barefoot horse, ask the owner who does the work. Follow the basics of checking references and background and you are set to give them a whirl. 

A side note for trimmers, ask them if they are familiar with fitting boots for their clients or not. That should be part of their experience-ability to get you in boots you will be happy with,if needed or tell you it's NOT needed. It can be a frustrating process. Just be wary of someone that only sells a certain brand for everything. I personally try to use the different styles and brands and don't have contract with a company, so I'm free to recommend whatever I think is best per horse/situation.


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

Thanks so much Barefoothooves!

The owner of the barn has her horses barefoot right now, except for a one horse i believe.. he has bar shoes on the front.

And she is an animal cruelty agent (she had a baby so she's only working part time) I'll ask her about it, and if any of the names pop up. I'll also e-mail a few people and ask them some questions.

I like the idea of the paid interview. I'd feel much better meeting the person and getting an idea of what has to be done BEFORE anything happens.

Tom doesn't seem to like the idea, but i think if i print out some info and show it to him and when he's not at work it might work out a lot better. But it's something i definitely want to do for Vega. She just got trimmed on the 4th i believe and before we moved her, they were starting to crack! :shock: 
Now that she's in the pasture and has dirt and stuff, they seem to be going away. I'll take pictures of her hooves tomorrow and keep like a picture album of them.

Thanks so much for the info! It's really reassured me!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Just wondering what you think about riding boots (I mean, horse boots, not human boots, of course  )? Any brands preference?


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## Miss Katie (Dec 30, 2007)

None of my babies have ever been shod, and they handle the terrain here easily. We dont have a barefoot trimmer round these parts so I trim them myself. I think Ive been doing a pretty good job with them, except Ive never bevelled them before.
I should get some pics so you can tell me how they are looking.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

barefoothooves said:


> Actually, there is no difference in the quality of white vs dark hooves. The white just shows the damage much more vividly.
> Trust me, in the summer, all the hooves get hard as nails around here, white or black and in the winter, they all soften up as it stays damp.
> 
> The only difference is genetics in each horse, not hoof. There can be soft black hooves and hard white ones.
> ...


Thanks for explanation. Chloe got her first known pair of shes when she was 6 and now every year since. She just gets really tender on the front without them and have talked to different people and they said to put shoes on... never tried the barefoot trimmer. I might start ti try it this fall when the shoes dont get put back on this fall. My 5 year old mare is still barefoot and hasnt had any problems so she is going to stay that way. Thanks for the help and have a great day (great web site too!!!)


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Kitten Val,
Boots can be GREAT tools! For brands, it really just depends on what type of riding you do and the shape of your horse's feet. The only brand that I distinctly dislike is Davis (although I LOVE their soaking boots!!) . They just don't work. But most of the other brands are fine, all have good points and bad. I can make recomendations per situation.

Angel Leaguer,
It DOES take some adjusting if they've been shod, so if you want to go without shoes, pick a time when you will not plan to ride as much to let the horse get used to it on their own. Usually that's winter time, but if you were planning on riding all winter, but were going on a month long vacation in the summer, with no competiton right after, go ahead and pull shoes. Boots (if you aren't showing) can keep you from missing any rides anyways, and some competitons it doesn't matter if you want to use the boots. Though most arenas are soft enough you can ride without boots, even if you just pulled the shoes. 

Glad to help explain things to you guys. Thanks for the compliments on the website! That's my first attempt at making one, and I'm computer illiterate for the most part!


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

Barefoothooves....Thank You Thank You Thank You! I really appreciate the lengthy and well written and explained post that you took the time to write. My farrier is the only one in our area that does barefoot trims and I wanted another opinion. You said almost to the letter what she (farrier) did. 

My farrier also suggested putting rocks the length of the horses body around the water trough so that they would have to get all 4 feet on the rocks to get a drink. To be perfectly honest...lol...I was being lazy and didn't want to haul all that rock. (this was what she suggested for their pen) We have since let the horses out on the larger 6 acre pasture where the cattle were previously and there is nothing but rock arount the water tanks. I can tell the difference already...its been about 3 weeks. The horses are running harder and faster in the pasture and not missing a beat. Dumas was only sore about a week with his bruise...is that normal? Any ways... I thought the rocks near the water idea was bologna at first...now I'm a believer!

Yesterday we had the horses up in the yard and they decided to run back into the pasture (we left the gate open for them) They both ran full tilt back into the pasture on the gravel drive...even once they got into the pasture with knee high grass they kept at it about 100 yards past the gate on the gravel. I am really excited about the barefoot way. Thanks again for all the great advice! 8)


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## mlkarel2010 (Jan 27, 2008)

Hmm, my trainer trims hooves and hasn't been trained for barefoot cuts, but does exaclty what you say anyway.... i told him about i like a month ago and he thought it was interesting and said he already did that and he learned just from working w/ horses..... it's pretty amazing though, and i hope he will teach me....


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

barefoothooves said:


> Kitten Val,
> Boots can be GREAT tools! For brands, it really just depends on what type of riding you do and the shape of your horse's feet. The only brand that I distinctly dislike is Davis (although I LOVE their soaking boots!!) . They just don't work. But most of the other brands are fine, all have good points and bad. I can make recomendations per situation.


Thanks a lot! Actually I use easyboot bare on my qh. But my paint has really weird hoofs: wider than longer (I mean width is more than length, like she's #1 for easyboot in length, but #3 in width :shock: ). So I can't think of the brand, which would work for such. Can you recommend something may be?


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## Miss Katie (Dec 30, 2007)

Have you tried the inserts for the boots??


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Actually, I didn't think of inserts. I'll check the site for sure. Thanks!


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Kitten Val,
I find that Cavallo boots are GREAT for round, wide feet. They tend to slip more on narrow, boxy feet. 
Pros: VERY easy off/on , easy to clean, wonderful drainage holes if you cross water a lot is a plus, and you can still use easycare pads in them, just cut them differently (if you ever used the pads for any reason). Durable. No traction problems on terrain.
Cons: since they come above the hairline, there IS more chance for rubbing, but my clients that have them, use the pastern wraps and swear that eliminates the problem and these gals are serious trail riders in all terrain. Also, they look a bit clunky and twist if they don't fit. 

The Epics/bares are better for more oval/boxy feet, in my experience. Boas are made by the same company, and are more similar to cavallos in style, but the shape is better for narrower feet, as well, plus the cables can snap, and there is a cap that can pop off and get lost pretty easy. Still a good boot for foundered horses, and if you don't hit the rough country.


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## FriesianSH (May 28, 2008)

Thanks for all the info, Barefoothooves! It's very interesting. I'm a huge advocate for keeping horses barefoot whenever possible.


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## newhorsemom (Jun 20, 2008)

I need more person advise than horsey advise so if anybody is willing to give some I'd love to hear it!

I recently bought a 8-year old Arab who is barefoot and her previous owner told me that she used to wear shoes but did not do well at all so they went barefoot and her hooves became healthy. We have been having the same "natural barefoot trimmer" coming every 6-weeks and things are going great. 

That being said, I keep my horse with at my MIL's and my MIL is very old-school and thinks all of this "natural barefoot stuff" is a load of you-know-what. She believes that I am just asking for stone bruises and I'm crazy to be taking an necessary risk. Furthermore, when the trimmer came out the other day she didn't trim perfectly even, implied that is was alright that there were some SMALL chips on a rear hoof, and was not too concerned that my mares front hoof that had been growing inward (making it look like her leg was beginning twist), she wants to keep an eye on it to see how it will look in another 6 weeks. This just proved to my MIL that my trimmer doesn't have a clue as to what she is doing. I don't have that feeling yet and I know that this trimmer has been with my horse for at least 2 or 3 years and that the prev. owners swore by her.

My MIL has much more experience than I have so I was beginning to second guess myself about whether I should listen to her or keep our mare barefoot. Every time I mention that Lily didn't do well shoes in the past my MIL rolls her eyes as if to say yeah, right, just get a competent farrier. I have decided that the best thing I can do for my horse is to keep her the was she is. And I have to say the more research I do the more it makes sense to keep her barefoot.

Does anyone have any advise as to how to deal with my MIL without getting into an argument? She gets pretty defensive about it so I'm sensitive to that. 

thanks!


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

Sounds like what we have been going through. ALL of our horsey friends shoe their horses. We are like the black sheep. :lol: True, my husband and I don't have more "years" under our belts but we have done more research that all of our friends put together. I was questioning whether we should put shoes on our guys or not...Its not easy being different. Now the thing that IS different is that we don't have a MIL breathing down our necks..lol.
I would just try my best to avoid that topic all together. If she insists on bringing it up, I would just point out that its the way the horse came and that you want to give it a whirl. Ya know..like..."Yeah, i want to give >horsey name< a shot at being barefoot here. There's a couple things I want to work on her with. Blah blah blah I want to give this farrier a shot he/she's been with this horse for a long time. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out" :lol: Just give the MIL the Sure I hear you and you make sence aknowledgement. Then just do what you want. :lol: ( I have to do this with my MIL about the kids all the time...the woman drives me crazy but I love her. She is wanting the best for our family she just isn't very good at accepting the fact that we won't do what she says all the time)


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Good for you for sticking to your guns. It can be really hard sometimes when you get those condescending looks :? . I was trimming some horses at a boarding facility a couple of years ago, started with one, she LOVED the trims, and ended up doing several more, as the other boarders noticed. But the BO was old school and eventually convinced every one of those gals to put shoes back on their horses. One of the them said she wouldn't be allowed to keep her horse there barefoot and ride, as the BO said it was "cruel" . They really liked the facilities and the price, so they caved (oh, and did I mention the BO's son is the farrier she insisted they use?) :roll: 

Facing relatives can be tough, I KNOW!!! My own Mom was "old school" too. Until I was able to fix the foundered pony for her, she wasn' t sure about it, either.

So, to deal with MIL, just tell you appreciate her concern, but that you really have done your homework and are sure that you are doing what's best for this mare, esp since 2 years of being barefoot should be evidence enough that this particular mare at least is faring well. (You don' t have to worry about convincing her that all horses are better off, just yours). Point out that she's not been bruised since you have had her, and that besides minor cosmetic issues there's been no problem at all. 

You can tell her that if the mare ever goes lame in the future, you will "consider" the shoes again, and that might placate her enough to get her off your back.(even if it is just lip service) It might help if when the vet does the next round of routine vaccinations/pulling coggins test etc, that you ask what he thinks of your horse's feet. If you can get a vet to say they look great, that might have some clout with your MIL. 

It's funny how if a horse just "stays sound" when you pull the shoes, it's not nearly as convincing as one that was crippled and about to be put down because shoes couldn't fix it, and barefoot was the last ditch effort before euthanasia, and it not only survives but recovers, THAT is suddenly more meaningful to the skeptics.So since your horse is sound already, you don't seem to be proving anything. But..over time, if it comes up, point out she's STILL sound, so apparently the lack of shoes isn't hurting her.


Oh, and the trims..minor chipping is not a big deal occasionally, esp if it's been really wet in your area, but shouldn't happen every time, and the turning foot-I would be concerned that it's just now turning after a couple of years. If she were just out of shoes, I can see "waiting to see" what's going on, but in this case, trimmer should be a tad more pro-active since it's not the norm for this mare (2 or more years is plenty of time to see that the leg isn't normally turned). So next trim it should be remedied, IMO or determined WHY it's changing.


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## newhorsemom (Jun 20, 2008)

Thanks so much for the advise and support!! I do love and appreciate my MIL, we keep our horse at her place for free and she feeds her daily for us. It's just that as far as she is concerned there is only one right way to do things - HER WAY!!! Yes I love her, but she can make me crazy!!

I once mentioned that I read a very good article on barefoot horses and her reply was "Yeah, I'm sure you did". I guess I'll just let her know I'm comfortable with what I'm doing - don't fix it if it isn't broken. I don't know what else to do.

My barefoot trimmer wanted to wait and see how my mare's hooves will do because her environment has changed so much since I've had her (almost 3 months). Before I got her she had no turn-out - just a stall and a very small paddock (12' x 40') and was ridden in an indoor arena. She now has a larger paddock than before and daily turnout on 5 acres. We ride her mostly in the pasture and, when it's dry in the round pen area. The trimmer was thinking that her hooves were changing a bit as a result of her new environment but she mentioned that she wants to watch them. What's your opinion?

Again, thanks for the great input!!!


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Glad to offer suggestions, I just hope they actually help. You know you MIL and I don't so I can't say for sure what is the right thing to say. 

For the trimming. better conservative than aggressive, for sure. I understand wanting to watch things. Still, I'd wonder why the foot is rotating at all, even with environment /exercise change. That shouldn't really cause a limb to twist. What I'm picturing is it's wearing a little uneven and that is what's causing the twist, so i would look to see where it needs to be rasped off to counter that wear, and you wouldn't really have to wait to see what would happen. If it were a horse new to the trimmer, I think I would side more with "wait and see" but with that much history, it's already known not to, so I'd be asking what the trimmer thinks is causing the change. Not in any way doubting her, just figuring out the cause. She/He should be happy to explain their thoughts on the matter.. 

Onc cause would be some soreness somewhere else, changing how the mare would use that leg so that could alter the wear.A pulled muscle or fatigue from the increase in use, but, even at that, you don't want to let that foot get out of balance. Your trimmer likely has an idea of what the root cause is,but I'm still wondering why not try to keep that limb in it's usual position.

If your tires were out of balance and car needed alignment, would you keep driving it and shorten the life of the tires, or would you rotate and balance the tires and get the alignment fixed in the mean time to solve the problem? Balancing the tires alone would only keep the tires from having a shorter life span, but alignment alone would still leave you with an unbalanced tire. So the trimmer should keep her "tires" balanced while figuring out if it's the "alignment" or some other issue that's causing the tires to get out of whack. 

I think you and your trimmer are on the right track, that the increase in movement is causing the change,and the foot is a good clue as to where the real issue is, just don't let the foot get too out of balance in the mean time.


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## sspromise (Jun 9, 2008)

Thank you so much for all this good info. After the whole red ring episode I went away for a week and came back to two lame horses (they had just been trimmed before I left). A few people had looked over them while I was away and explained that my farrier has been trimming them as if he was putting shoes on them, but they are staying barefoot. Walls cut back, frogs trimmed, they are basically walking on their soles. They've been barefoot and trimmed this way since October, and now I have to start all over with shoes (just fronts thankfully) to let their feet grow out, they are just too sore to be barefoot right now. It's difficult when we trust our farriers to know these things, but they all are trained differently. I'm glad there is people like you who can explain these things so we can all learn how it should be done. The natural barefoot way is definately the way to go. I probably could go with boots, but the shoe will be less of a hassle. Thank you again


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

sspromise,
Glad to offer any help or advice when needed. Too bad you have to put shoes on at all, but you have to do what works best in your individual situation, and in this case it's using shoes instead of boots. At least you have options and are armed with more knowledge for the the future.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

barefoothooves said:


> Kitten Val,
> I find that Cavallo boots are GREAT for round, wide feet. They tend to slip more on narrow, boxy feet.
> Pros: VERY easy off/on , easy to clean, wonderful drainage holes if you cross water a lot is a plus, and you can still use easycare pads in them, just cut them differently (if you ever used the pads for any reason). Durable. No traction problems on terrain.
> Cons: since they come above the hairline, there IS more chance for rubbing, but my clients that have them, use the pastern wraps and swear that eliminates the problem and these gals are serious trail riders in all terrain. Also, they look a bit clunky and twist if they don't fit.


Thanks a lot! I know number of stores around sell Cavallo (while Bares go only through Internet for me). May be they'll let me borrow and try on her. 

Does pastern wrap also come from Cavallo (whoever the producer is)? Or it's something different?


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

The pastern wrap is sold separately from the cavallo boots, same manufacturer and they are designed for use with the boot, so they sort of velcro into the fastening system. Seems like everytime new pastern wraps are ordered they have a new, better way of making them.

To try them on and leave them unscathed so there will be no problem with a return if needed:

use Saran (plastic wrap) wrap over the entire hoof. It won't affect the fit, just keeps the dirt off the boot. Apply the boot. Put a Walmart/grocery bag over the boot after it's adjusted-you can use some duct or electric tape to secure the outer bag, again, it's just to keep the boot clean temporarily. Walk/trot the horse over soft ground, such as grass or a rubber mat (plastic bags wear through fast!) Make sure to do a couple of sharp turns and stops. 

Then remove the outer bag. Is the boot twisted or still in place? If it's twisted, you need to go down a size. Go ahead now and remove the whole boot and look inside at the bottom of the boot. There should be a light hoof impression (it will pop out after a little while) and judge how much space between the outer edge of the print and the boot side. If you have more than 1/8-1/4 inch, of space, the boot is too big,and you need to go down a size. If the hoof was snug up against the boot side, then it fits! If the toe was up against the boot but the sides have a huge gap, the boot isn't the right shape and Easyboot Epics/Bares would be a better option.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Thanks a lot! I certainly will give it a try. The Bares not gonna fit, because her hoof is round (I measured it, I'd even say it's oval other direction - side oval  ). My other horse has normal oval hoofs, but not the paint (unfortunately).


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## sspromise (Jun 9, 2008)

Don't worry those shoes are coming off asap. I just need to give them enough time to grow out. They're just too sore to keep barefoot at the moment, they don't even want to come out of their stalls  I've learned more in the last week about hooves than I have in 10 years! With correct trimming they'll be good to go barefoot again in a month or two.


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## Miss Katie (Dec 30, 2007)

Ok so I finally got around to getting fotos of one of the horses hooves. This is Nudge, my arabian pony gelding...

Near fore








Off fore








Forelegs








Off hind








Near hind









Near hind









I know there is some white line disease, he is being treated with salt baths...








And because of this the sole especially around the white line, is very soft.
Its being very hard to clear it up tho. I want to try spraying bleach on the hooves, what do people think??



He


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Actually, I think they look pretty good. I don't know that I would say he needs the baths anymore. It doesn't look infected, it looks like the bevel isn't sharp enough, so when he grows a tiny bit, it would start to pry a little sooner.
The wall is a good, even height all the way around. I think I would want to finish the bevel a little more. When you get the bevel right, it will actually stop tiny bit of separation at the white line you see here. I don't think you have a germ issue, but a very slight mechanical one. Has he been sore for any reason on any footing? His feet look good to me.

Here's a picture of mine that really shows the bevel. See the difference in the hoof wall compared to yours? It's the only thing I would change on your horse's hooves at this point, based on just the pictures I can see.


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