The barefoot transition

TEXT: CHRISTINE PINNA, CABALLO BAREFOOT TRIMMING

HOW TO TRANSITION YOUR HORSE FROM SHOD TO BAREFOOT

Have you ever wondered if your horse really needs shoes? Are you struggling with relentless hoof issues that you feel you would like to try dealing with barefoot, but you lack the support? Is your horse a Thoroughbred that everyone says absolutely "needs shoes"? Perhaps you are scared that things will go horribly wrong for your horse if you take his shoes off, so you've just never tried it despite being curious about the ever-growing barefoot movement. With the Olympic showjumping team gold medals and individual silver and fourth place going to riders with barefoot horses, perhaps now more than ever, you are curious about how to venture into the barefoot movement.

WHY BAREFOOT?

Going barefoot has many advantages for your horse. Removing shoes can drastically reduce concussion on his joints, allowing him to develop better biomechanics so that over time, his hoof walls get stronger and thicker - yes, even with the Thoroughbreds. As the horse's hooves recover from being shod and the heels strengthen, many horses may start to land heel-first for the first time resulting in a larger, more expressive stride. Barefoot horses generally also have much better proprioception, making them more aware of where their feet are, which can be quite an advantage in the competition arena. Who can say no to a horse that can potentially jump better, move bigger and stay sounder?

But of course, like most great things in life, they don't always come so easy.

HOW TO GO BAREFOOT

If you're strongly contemplating going barefoot, it is important that you have the necessary support. A farrier who is not on board with your mission will not be able to provide you with this support, so it's important that your farrier is as keen on the idea as you are.

Possibly the next most important person in your team is a nutritionist who knows the needs of the barefoot horse. Mineral balancing is absolutely vital. In South Africa and various other parts of the world, copper, zinc, and magnesium are lacking, and our soils are often far too high in iron, which further imbalances things. The appropriate balance of copper and zinc is vital for growing strong hoof walls that can cope with being bare. Is the bagged feed you are giving your horse providing sufficient in copper and zinc? The feed company consultant might seem to think so, but does it really? Does the feed contain additional iron? Do you know what's in your horse's roughage? These are all things that the right nutritionist can assist you with. I cannot overemphasise how important a properly mineral balanced, low sugar diet is if you are considering going barefoot. Some genetically strong horses may cope fine despite what they are fed, but many horses need all the help they can get.

13 year old Thoroughbred transitioned from a very wet and lush area to a dry area with a mineral balanced, low sugar diet.

Six months post transition.

Expansion of foot from shod to barefoot.

The process of shoe removal can also be more complicated than one would expect. Again, some genetically superior horses may go on their way quite merrily when the shoes come off, regardless of the trim they receive. But many horses won't. In the barefoot trimming world, I have learned that the quickest way to get a horse back into shoes is to remove sole in the toe callous area - unless it is dead and ready to come out, which is generally the exception rather than the rule when shoes are first removed. Another barefoot dream killer is the routine trimming of the frog. In fact, for most horses, not a lot should be done at first when the shoes come off. I go into trimming methodology more in my last article, ‘Barefoot vs Farrier trim’, which can be viewed by clicking this link. Of course, leaving the feet to grow too long can also be a problem, resulting in a foot that isn't functional.

Ultimately, you want to get to the point where your barefoot horse is being trimmed every 4-5 weeks unless the horse is working hard and wearing the feet down naturally.

MOVEMENT AND HYGIENE

Two often missed factors that can absolutely make or break your barefoot transition are movement and hygiene, and the two often go hand in hand. Horses living out with access to a shelter generally move a lot more and stay away from their poop a lot more, too, provided the paddock is cleaned regularly. This is an easy way to seriously enhance your horse's hoof health, and quite likely, his general health and happiness. Of course, not all yards will allow this, or perhaps it's simply not what you desire for your horse. In that case, there are some measures that can be put in place instead: 1. Offer your horse as much turnout as possible in the largest paddock possible. 2. Try to ride when your horse might otherwise be spending that hour standing in his stable. 3. Hand-walk or lunge your horse on days you don't ride.

Perhaps your horse can even be ponied from another horse on a hack if he has a quiet temperament. Another fun activity that many horses enjoy is a good gallop around at liberty in the arena if facilities allow for it. 4. Remove all urine and faeces from the stable daily. Both are terribly corrosive to the hooves and can easily cause thrush. It is important that your horse is standing on clean, thick shavings as much as possible when he is inside the stable.

WHEN TO GO BAREFOOT

I prefer to transition horses in dry weather if at all possible so that we are a few months into the transition by the time we hit the rainy season. Having said that, I have had many perfectly successful rainy season transitions, but it can be trickier when the ground is wet and unavoidable stones are lying around. In either case, it is good to consider having hoof boots on hand in case they are needed or be prepared to keep your horse off harder going for a while.

Ideally, I try not to transition a horse when too many other changes are going on. For example, dewormers can cause an inflammatory response in the gut resulting in inflammation in the feet. Moving the horse to a new paddock that might be quite high in sugar can also be a problem. Both of these situations can cause uncomfortable feet, and it is best to wait for a little before removing shoes if possible.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN

If you have ever worn gel or false nails for a while and then removed them, you'll notice how easily your nails break until they grow out. This is how hooves usually are when coming out of shoes. For about three to four months, a bit of chipping and cracking can be quite normal, but after this, most horses are in a very good place, and the walls should begin to get much stronger as they respond to the surfaces they move around on.

Most horses provided the diet and trim are correct, and provided they aren't expected to work on ground they can't handle yet, don't seem to notice too much after their shoes are off. Others might stride a little shorter for a few days before they start to improve.

When the shoes are removed, the horse starts to load his frog and heels, which then start to widen, and this often happens quicker than one would expect. If you imagine the previously disused frog and heels as your biceps that are starting a new workout at the gym, you can understand what your horse's feet are now going through.

A horse that is very lame after the shoes come off may have a degree of active laminitis which went unnoticed, or he may have a prolapsed frog which, in most cases, will need a boot and a pad with the frog area cut out to help to keep the horse comfortable until the heels grow and the frog returns to its correct position.

It is also important to be aware of any event lines and how these could be impacting your horse's hoof wall quality, bearing in mind that these can take many months to grow out. To learn more about event lines you can view my previous article by clicking here.

If you've gone through all of the above but you're still struggling with things such as abscesses, cracks, white line disease and thin walls and soles, it might be time to look deeper into your horse's health. Some horses with liver or kidney issues or various other health problems may have chronic hoof problems. In this case, I would suggest getting blood work done with a holistically-minded vet and consulting with a good herbalist.

With a bit of patience and time as well the right support and "ingredients" there is no reason why your horse can't thrive barefoot.

CABALLO

Are you considering going barefoot, but you don't quite know where to start? We offer both online and in-person consultations. We will hold your hand as long as it is needed and walk you through the process. We will also put you in touch with a range of practitioners who can assist with all aspects of your horse's transition, from nutrition to trimming and addressing any physical issues that may be picked up during the consultation. Visit www.caballo.co.za for more information.

Louise Brown, Advanced dressage rider. Photography: Melissa Maeder

MYTH "The top European showjumpers can go barefoot because their arena surfaces are superior to those of ours in South Africa." BUSTED by Amelia Campbell-Horne, 1.50m showjumper: "Having ridden both in Europe and South Africa I can safely say that our surfaces are much the same here as in Europe. A lot has been done to improve the surfaces we jump on here in South Africa over the years." MYTH "Thoroughbreds can't go barefoot." BUSTED by Amy Blair, 1.20m showjumper & Instagram influencer: "I think the most important part, as an owner, is learning about all the aspects of keeping a horse barefoot successfully - diet, hygiene, trim and exposure to beneficial surfaces. Knowledge and understanding are powerful for making the right changes! As the owner of a Thoroughbred who was definitely not blessed on the hoof genetics front,

I can say that switching him over to a barefoot-friendly diet had a hugely positive impact on his hoof quality. The hoof that grew out after this change was so much healthier and stronger that it was hard to believe it belonged to the same horse! It inspired me to dive deep into learning about the BAREFOOT MYTHS BUSTED other aspects, too, and with each change, we got even better results. It made me realise that changes in these aspects aren't just "suggestions" but rather essential changes, and when they are all addressed correctly, even the "thin-soled, crumbling Thoroughbred hooves" can make the most amazing turnaround and transition to barefoot successfully." MYTH "Shoes are needed to help with conformation issues so that horses can have better balance and engagement." BUSTED by Louise Brown, Advanced dressage rider and 1.30m showjumper: "People believe that the shoe is required to correct imbalances when actually a thoughtfully trimmed barefoot hoof is the best tool to balance the imbalances in the leg conformation. If we artificially make a hoof straight without considering the structures above it, we do more damage than good."