Walked like an alligator, now struts like a dude (yes OTTB can go barefoot)

It might be me, but I've always figured horses should walk like horses.  Until I met 'Pretzel' who with his pulled out shoulders hauling up his odd shaped feet, appeared a least a bit like an alligator.

'Pretzel' because that was the shape of the shoes on his front feet.

To be honest it is early days yet and there are hurdles to be leapt before this horse has truly robust functional feet. But for any horse just out of shoes he is doing well.  For an OTTB with a serious injury in his past and more than a score of races he is doing really well.

It wasn't the easiest deshoe, the nail clenches were buried in the foot and the clips were so tight the hoof was the filling in a sandwich.  We got there though and Pretzel walked off better without the metal.

Hooves were a long way from healthy.  On the fronts the soles were thin, convex, with some thrush, and thinned hoof walls.  Not the worst but definitely on the way. Completely bent out of shape, largely from human intervention and the application of metal.

His person had done everything within their grasp right, including putting him on a more suitable bucket feed for six weeks prior to shoe removal.   At present off the shelf hoof boots don't come in his particular shape. So his human was on the case making nappy and duct tape boots (NDB) so Pretzel could negotiate stony ground while his soles were still so thin.

Regular walking in NDB helped stimulate his feet, took him through the pins and needles stage and within four days it was already possible to see an improvement.

Hind feet - Just deshod to the right, four days post deshoe to the left

The frog is bulking up and the thrush is all but gone.  This has been a relatively inexpensive process.  Nappies at 7.5 pence each (9 US cents) and a few rolls of duct tape. Much Red Horse Artimud has been used initially, with daily use of Red Horse Sole Cleanse.  But when thrush is in check, application once or twice per week is sufficient depending on your horse and their environment.

Pretzel in shoes would stand in his field and hardly move.  Barefoot Pretzel runs, plays and has a great time.  And has been sound enough to school, moving better than ever according to the Instructor.

Does it matter what breed my horse is if I want to take them barefoot?

From an anatomical point of view - not really.

Sure you will notice a difference in the shape and size of hoof according to breed.

However all normal hooves have the same internal and external anatomy.  And I have seen some with congenital issues that still worked perfectly barefoot.

What may be different is the health of those structures when they are first taken barefoot.  And that is a human made problem.

Horses Bred for Competition

If your horse was bred for competition, chances are that they will have started having problems early on. 

Diets intended to 'grow a horse on'.  ie make them appear more mature than they really are, for futurities or the sale ring, tend to have a negative impact on foot health.

These horses also tend to get shod very early on, long before the hoof has reached maturity, which compounds the problem.

That happened to Kevin and the end result was that he was going to be PTS before he was even 5 years old because of 'incurable' navicular.  He is still with us, still sound and around age 13.  And he had a competitive career before he landed at my door.

Kevin

Thoroughbreds intended for racing suffer even more.  But they can still be rehabilitated and have a successful competitive career post racing.  Tends to take a bit longer, but not always.

Competitor at Barefoot Show

Can highly bred horses be rehabilitated?

Yes but it tends to take a bit more time, patience and skill than those horses who have not had these early management challenges.

Often these broken down sports horses come to barefoot as a last chance. Everything else having been tried, many thousands spent.  And yet they still come right.  Extraordinary really.  But it happens time and again.  Success is hugely dependent on the care givers and the advice they receive and are able to implement.

Is size an issue?

How are you measuring size?  The height of the horse is pretty much irrelevant.  Kevin is 17.2 (177cm), a lot of barefoot horses are this tall, some are bigger.  It isn't an issue.

However if you horse is obese this won't help.  But no horse should be kept fat regardless of how we want to manage their hooves.

Can your horse's hooves be too small?  This is an old myth that still pops up from time. My old, old horse, before we took her barefoot, had her hooves deliberately flared in the mistaken belief that this would give a greater surface area on which to spread the load.  It didn't work, and was one of the reasons we took the great leap and removed her shoes.  Her competitive career continued.

Of course my sample is skewed because I mostly see this type of horse when they have been broken beyond the redemption of tradition.

In summary, the breed isn't that relevant, but the nature of the 'injury' suffered will impact on how long it takes to get the hoof back to optimum health.

Can I take my horse barefoot?

Unless you get 'bounced' by circumstance into de-shoeing your horse you need to ask yourself some frank questions before adopting the barefoot horse lifestyle.

A Why do I want to take the shoes off my horse?

1. Shoes are expensive
2. Barefoot seems more natural
3. Horse is lame/tripping/not moving properly
4. I want to be able to be more involved in the management of my horse

B What do I expect to gain from it?

1. Save money
2. A sound horse
3. A happier, healthier horse
4. A more natural horse

C How much time and effort am I prepared to spend managing my horse?

1. Less than I spend now
2. The same as I spend now
3. More than I spend now but not much more
4. No more than I do now

D Do I have support for my choices?

1. None at all
2. My friend who is barefoot
3. My hoof care professional and/or vet
4. I don't need it

E Are you prepared to change the management of your horse if necessary?

1. No
2. Maybe if it doesn't cost anything more or take more time
3. Yes to some extent
4. Yes I will do whatever is needed

F How do you think about your horse?

1. My horses have to have a 'job' and earn their living
2. Horses are happiest left to their own devices and can take care of themselves if turned out
3. My horse is a family member, like any other pet
4. Horses are sentient beings that need to be respected and well cared for

G Who is responsible for your horses hoof health?

1. Hoof care professional
2. Yard manager and staff
3. Both of the above
4. I am

In conclusion

Now tot up your answers.  If you have responded with mostly 3's and 4's you have a good chance of successfully managing a barefoot horse.

Having a barefooted horse very firmly places the responsibility for managing the detail of achieving a healthy hoof in the owner/main care giver's hands.  Be prepared to put aside a myriad of myth and start learning some real wisdom in modern hoof care.

If you have answered mostly 1's and 2's you might struggle to manage your horse barefoot. The responsibility for keeping your horse's hooves in optimum health is firmly in your hands.  It takes time, patience and a lot of myth ditching and learning new techniques.  

If you mess up you have to take the consequences.

On the plus side, there is nothing more rewarding than realising you have the power to transform your horse's well being and then doing just that.