I didn't set out to become a fan of barefoot. I was quite happy keeping my horses at a traditional yard, stabled 23 hours a day and shod on all four feet. In fact, I believed there was no better way.

Jack, the subject of this article, in June 2010

However, like many others who have been driven to try barefoot for reasons of soundness, it became clear to me that traditional shoeing was not working for my younger horse, Jack, an off-the-track Thoroughbred who had flat feet, thin soles and walls, and started going lame for weeks after every shoeing.

In the process of rehabbing his hooves, I learned so much about what a healthy hoof actually looks like, how it functions, and how unhealthy feet can improve if they are allowed to. I'm still learning and this article is a summary of the most important facts on feet I’ve picked up so far.

Navicular syndrome

There are many reasons for going barefoot, but soundness is one of the biggest ones, and for many owners taking shoes off, is literally a last resort. Some shod horses, for various reasons, begin to land toe first. Over time, this puts excessive strain on the deep digital flexor tendon and causes navicular damage. When correctly trimmed and comfortable barefoot, horses will land heel first, which allows the tendon to repair. Navicular horses have shown phenomenal and usually permanent improvements in soundness when barefooted.

Laminitis

A horse suffering from an acute attack of laminitis, often has a much better chance of making a full recovery if the shoes are removed and the horse is fitted with pads and hoof boots for sole support, and allowed to move around freely. This should, of course, be done together with dietary changes and under the guidance of a vet and farrier or qualified trimmer.

It makes sense when you consider that horseshoes are nailed to the hoof walls, so a shod horse with laminitis is being forced to bear weight just where all the separation is taking place – on the most inflamed and painful parts of his feet. There are some excellent articles and case studies on this subject on Pete Ramey’s website – www.hoofrehab.com.

Optimal hoof function

A horse was never designed to bear all his weight on his hoof walls. The heel, sole, frog and walls of a healthy hoof all work together to spread the load in a way that absorbs shock efficiently and minimises stress in the joints and tendons. A horseshoe restricts the shock-absorbing ability of the hoof and its blood flow. Hooves play an important part in aiding circulation and endurance riders who have switched to barefoot, have noted that their horses' heart rates are lower at the end of a ride than they were when shod.

Surefootedness and grip

Bare feet are better able to grip on all surfaces – no more heart-stopping skids on tarmac or smooth paving! In addition, barefoot horses have a much better sense of where their feet are, because they can feel the terrain they are moving over. This reduces slipping and stumbling. Even for higher level competition, a horse with well-developed and correctly trimmed bare feet, should not need studs. The bars of the hind feet provide superb grip, so these should never be trimmed away.

Starting out

Making a successful barefoot transition depends on a number of variables. You’ll need time, patience, a suitable diet and routine for the horse, and a farrier or trimmer who understands barefoot. There are no horses who "need" shoes; they are not born with them. There may be horses who, due to their diet, circumstances or workload, require hoof boots or shoes for certain periods of time, but there are increasing numbers of horses who are competing successfully in various disciplines – dressage, endurance, showjumping and eventing – while barefoot.

Trimming

A farrier who trims the hoof flat, as if preparing to shoe, is going to trim away all the sole callous that the barefoot horse has been working so hard to create. When it comes to trimming, less is definitely more. A trimmer or farrier who specialises in barefoot performance horses, will know exactly how much to trim (usually not much at all) and what areas of the hoof should be left alone. A newly barefoot horse might be a little more sensitive for a few days after a trim, but if your horse is sore for two weeks, then the trim was inappropriate.

Diet is crucial

Diet is the most crucial part of going barefoot. An incorrect diet is the most common cause of sole sensitivity, hoof wall separation (flaring), seedy toe and laminitis. All horses, not just barefoot ones, will thrive on a diet that includes high quantities of fibre, minimal sugar and grains, and a good supply of vitamins and minerals – natural sources are best.

An inappropriate diet will include high levels of molasses or grains, both common ingredients in many commercial feeds, and can also include too much rich grass. All of these can cause sole sensitivity.

Shoes mask this, which is why a shod horse on an inappropriate diet is sound, albeit prone to thrush and other foot problems, but is footsore when a shoe comes off. It took me two years, and lots of reading, to come up with a diet that suited Jack the best and not surprisingly, the diet that is healthiest for the feet is also best for the whole horse in terms of condition and well-being. One of the most helpful books on diet is Feet First by Nic Barker and Sarah Braithwaite.

Concavity

Concavity does not need to be trimmed into a hoof (the Strasser method). A correctly trimmed bare hoof that gets lots of healthy movement and a suitable diet, will automatically grow a tighter, better connected hoof capsule. This will lift the internal structures of the hoof and concavity will develop naturally. Some horses naturally have more concave hooves than others and concavity can be affected by many factors, including the type of terrain the horse lives and works on. Harder ground produces a flatter foot and a more pronounced frog.

Jack's daily diet

Jack is a 16,2 hh, 5 year old Thoroughbred in light but regular work six days a week. He gets virtually no concentrates. As well as getting ad lib tef and eragrostis day and night and limited quantities of lucerne, his total daily intake of food and supplements consists of half a kilogram of whole oats, half a kilogram of soaked Speedi Beet, and various natural supplements including crushed linseed, brewers' yeast and seaweed, as well as magnesium oxide which is important for hoof health.

When I started including these natural supplements and magnesium oxide in Jack's diet, a noticeable line appeared in his hooves a few weeks later, indicating stronger growth. This "event line" can occur when the angle of a hoof changes (commonly after going barefoot) or when the horse’s diet changes. A bare foot grows faster than a shod one, so an entirely new hoof takes 4-6 months to grow, compared to the 8-12 months a shod foot takes.

Movement

A barefoot horse should have as much movement as possible over a wide variety of terrain. The more turnout they can have, and the more work they can do, the better. If a barefoot horse is regularly exposed to a variety of surfaces, he will grow the hoof he needs in order to cope with them.

At first, your horse may be sensitive or uncomfortable on certain types of going. Don't ever force a horse to work when he is uncomfortable – baby steps are the key to success. If your horse is footsore on a certain surface, avoid it until his feet are stronger or use well-fitted hoofboots and, if necessary, pads, to ride on that surface. As your horse's hooves grow stronger, you can introduce short periods of work without boots. Your horse will tell you when he is comfortable enough to cope.

Hand-walking your horse on tarmac is a useful exercise, starting with a few minutes a day and building up to half an hour or so, and then to ridden work. When hooves are stronger, a good long trot on tarmac once or twice a week will do wonders to keep bare feet tough and in shape. Long rides are excellent for bare hooves.

You can also install a variety of surfaces in their paddock – when my horses had been barefoot for a while, I put a 15 cm layer of gravel under their shade shelter. This means this area is always well-drained, and their feet are stimulated when they stand on it.

Hoof hygiene

If your horse is stabled overnight, the bed should be as clean as possible. Dirty bedding causes feet to swiftly degrade. However, stabling is not always bad – in wet weather, feet need a break from being out in a muddy paddock, and standing on clean, dry bedding for a few hours will allow them to dry out. In very dry weather, hooves will benefit from a daily hosing down or periodic soaking in water.

Hooves need to be picked out regularly and monitored for any signs of thrush, and this should be treated with substances that do not damage living tissue – soaking in a weak solution of Milton's or in 50-50 apple cider vinegar and water for ten minutes a day works well.

Timeframes

There is no set time that it takes for a horse to develop rock-crushing feet – every horse is different and every owner's circumstances are, too. Some horses will be sound on all surfaces the minute their shoes come off, while others will take longer to regrow a healthy hoof. If your diet and trim are right, you should see a dramatic improvement after four months, but hooves can keep on improving for years after a horse is unshod. Some horses may always need hoofboots in certain situations, but the advantage of hoof boots is that, unlike shoes, they can be used for an hour or two and then removed.

Jack today

From a horse who was lame in shoes, with thin soles, weak, cracked walls and flat, flared feet, Jack's feet have improved and strengthened dramatically over the past year. He was lame only once during his transition – a sole bruise that healed in a few days – and he never abscessed.

However, he was cautious and “footy” on challenging surfaces for a long time. Patience, time, correct trimming, diet and exercise helped his feet to change. Today he is comfortable on all surfaces and can cope with stones, rocks, trotting on tarmac, deep sand, and hard uneven going. I don’t regret going barefoot for a moment and I often wonder how sound Jack would be now if he had stayed in shoes.

E-mail jassy@horsegrapevine.co.za for more information