I have had a mustang for over 12 years, never had shoe or easy boots on and i do some hard rocky rides in the mts of az, my average rides are 8-10 + hrs never had a problem, and had her trimed only about 5 times and that was because i couldn't get out and ride ( i did arena work at that time )and she was kept in a stall, I even rode with a endurance rider for a few months farriers have looked at her feet and really liked the good shape they stay in as they get wore down naturally and exactally perfect as nature has intended I also have an appy that hasnt had shoes on for 6 years

As hoss said, caring for horses feet is more than just trimming or shoeing for the sake of it. Consideration has to be taken for the structure of the horse and alignment, balance, use, etc. Amen lazyt.... so many new horse enthusiasts has created a market for the 'magic leadrope and stick' and anyone who can market a (so-called) great idea or have a strong enough back to pick up a pair of hoof nippers, a rasp and a hoof. As in any profession, there's much more to it. More harm than good can come from an incorrect shoeing/trimming.

I agree with ladytsha. Image and the other horses at the barn are barefoot year round. We also, to help them out, give them a biotin supplement and have been very pleased with how well their feet are. One of the first things we do when a new rescue comes in is take it's shoes off. I think it comes down to a matter of choice, I know someone who would never let their horse go barefoot around here. It is just our opinion that it is better to let nature do it's thing than to interfere with it. A farrier does come out once and a while but mostly we find they only need filing which we do and we do have one horse that needs special trimming due to laminitis. But as I said that's just our opinion.

Common sense is needed for this. Many are not able to do their own trimming so that would definitely put the price up for going barefoot. You can cut out the frog and the sole of the foot and keep shoes on except for the off season and say you tried the 'barefoot' thing and it was a failure. The hooves need conditioning on the terrain they are to be used. If going from a not rocky to a rocky environment, a time for adjustment is needed-as with any major changes. It is not rocket science but does take common sense, studying and the physical ability to do it. Horse trimming if not so easy on the back..........

As a farrier of 26 years I can tell ya that the bare foot thing can work but theres alot of work to it.Pens and feet need to be keeped clean and dry. Keep in mind that we shoe the horse to maintain boney colume alinement,If ya can't do the triming yer self then you'll see the farrier every 2 to 3 weeks. The cost works out about the same. ole hoss

I just checked the site by clicking on it here in the message board. It worked!!! It shows what can happen when you get just one character wrong on an address. On my original post, I put in a "/" where a "." should go.

OK guys. Before you send the lynch mob after me, I think I see the problem. I made a mistake in the address!!! It is: www.thenakedhoof.com.au I hope this works, or I give up. Maybe I'll take a look at the one you guys found.

Tried to type and to access it off the screen and you wouldn't beleve where it sent me.

For some reason, the Naked Hoof address doesn't seem to work when you try to access it from this site. It does work when I type it in, or when I access it from my favorites list. However, when I click on it in the message board, it does send me to a site that does have topics related to natural hoof trimming. Hope it works to get you to the information you want.

I am getting more interested in having my mare go barefoot, too. There is one boarding stable near me that only allows unshod horses. Anyway, two sites I have found so far: www.hoofrehab.com www.thenakedhoof.com/au/index.htm If you read the stuff on the sites, I'd be interested in hearing your impressions.