Transitioning to barefoot

Is going barefoot a viable option?

As horse owners learn more and more about the benefits of keeping horses barefoot, they are questioning why horses need shoes in the first place, and going barefoot is growing in popularity. If you’re considering transitioning from shoes to barefoot, you might have some questions about what’s the best way to go about it:

Going barefoot

What is the best time of year to go barefoot? What are the common barefoot horses’ problems that you should consider? How soon can you ride after taking shoes off your horse?

Here we have compiled the key information you need to know before taking the plunge into barefoot horse life.

Pros and cons of barefoot horses

What are the pros and cons of having your horse barefoot? These things are worth considering before taking your horse’s shoes off, so that you can make the transition as easy and painless as possible.

Pros

• Hooves can interact with various ground surfaces, which in term can stimulate and strengthen the frog, sole, and internal structures.
• Owners are able to see when a new sensitivity or lameness pops up at the earliest sign, before they would have been detected if shod.
• Better proprioception through interacting with the ground, making the horse more sure-footed.
• Faster improvement of the hooves, provided that the hooves are trimmed correctly and often enough, and other aspects of good hoof care are also attended to appropriately.

Cons

• If hooves are unhealthy, transition can take some time before full comfort is seen.
• You might have to give riding a break whilst your horse’s hooves are improving.

How to succeed with barefoot transition

In order for your horse to transition from shoes to barefoot life successfully, these are the key things that you need to pay attention to.

1. Diet

Healthy hooves grow from the inside out, so what your horse eats has a major impact on how healthy their hooves are. Most think “diet” simply means the hard feed or supplements, but really it is the forage (hay, haylage, grass, etc.) that your horse consumes that matters, too! Everything that the horse eats should be low in combined sugar and starch, and any dietary shortfalls should be addressed with the right kind of supplement.

Several feeds are marketed as “barefoot friendly”, but always read the small print and have at least the basic knowledge of what is or isn’t, in fact, good for your horse’s hooves. As for forage, having your hay and grass analysed for nutritional content and sugar/starch levels is a good idea. With an accurate view of what your hay provides, you can feed a balancer or supplements to ensure your horse’s diet is balanced and species appropriate.

2. Trim

A trim for a barefoot horse is different from when a horse’s hooves are trimmed in preparation for a shoe. Even before you take your horse’s shoes off, make sure your hoofcare provider is aware of how these trims may differ, and has a plan for a trim that will help improve the hoof health, and won’t remove material the horse needs for comfort.

We advocate for owners to learn to do a small weekly maintenance trim themselves, to help keep the hooves in their ideal shape and size at all times. This is incredibly beneficial for the horse, and also ensures that your hoof boots fit in the best possible way all throughout the trim cycle.

3. Living environment

In the wild, horses roam vast distances every day; they are literally created to move all the time. When a horse is confined to a stable or a small paddock, it affects the horse’s mental and physical health. For hooves to grow strong, they need ample blood flow, and to get that, you need movement. Horses do best when they live outside 24/7, and are encouraged to move as much as possible. Track systems and other similar set-ups are ideal for this.

Another practical aspect regarding the living environment is the surfaces that the horse moves on. If you can create areas of varied terrain for the horse, that will strengthen the hooves as the horse walks over the surfaces. In an ideal world, you’d have some parts with soft sand, pea gravel in other areas, some harder surfaces elsewhere, and so on

4. Exercise

Where and how you exercise your horse affects their hooves. When the shoes first come off, it’s likely that your horse hesitates to move for example on hard ground or on stony paths. Allow your horse to walk slowly when it needs to, and always pay attention to whether they are in pain. Increase time on these kinds of surfaces very gradually.

If the hooves are in very bad condition, be prepared to give riding a break and allow your horse some time to heal. Note how any chances in diet, environment, or trim affects their comfort, as this will help you piece together the puzzle to keep that individual horse comfortable and sound.

5. Hoof protection

Our view is that all barefoot horses should always be offered hoof protection when they are asked to work, especially if they are carrying a rider or pulling a load. Horses were not designed for these activities, so if we can make it more comfortable for them, we should. No matter how good your horse’s hooves are, why not provide them extra comfort by utilizing hoof boots?

We can compare this to ourselves: you could probably run barefoot on tarmac, but doing it with cushioned running shoes on is much more comfortable for you. Your horse feels the same! Flex Boots are ideal for this; as the softest hoof boots on the market, they offer superior shock absorption and amazing protection for your horse’s hooves. They require no breaking-in, and when fitted correctly can be used 24/7 if required.

More about transitioning to barefoot

You can read more about transitioning to barefoot in our blogs.