Frequently Asked Questions and Helpful Hints

Hints And Tips For Going Barefoot With Your Horse

Coming out of shoes

• Don’t panic! the first week can be tough, only around 2% of horses are immediately sound with no intervention coming out of shoes.
  
  
• Bearing in mind point 1, be prepared to use boots, pads or modify the horses environment so it can avoid surfaces that can cause problems in the early days, eg large stones, gravel, rough concrete. Arnica and Rescue Remedy can be useful, your horse may appreciate some too!
  
  
• Think about whether you can manage your environment to make the transition as easy as possible for your horse. Are you on a livery yard with lots of rules? Does someone else turn your horse out? Are you about to go on holiday for a couple of weeks? Does your horse have to be stabled for the majority of the time? What are the ‘yard politics’ like at your yard? Is now the best time to go barefoot?
  
  
• If the farrier is removing shoes, ask him to take one nail out at a time instead of levering the shoe off. Please also ask him not to trim at all. This can be hard for farriers, good luck.
  
  
• If you are going to use a trimmer have them booked ready to do a tidy up trim shortly following the shoe removal. At this stage this may only be a cosmetic tidy up until the horse grows more hoof.

Hoof Health

• Unhealthy/unviable wall will break off. This can look scary, if it was healthy it probably wouldn't break, applying a bevel or roll can help with this.
  
  
• It’s quite likely that the hoof will have anaerobic fungus underneath the shoe. This is sometimes called white line disease if it is in the white line or mistakenly called thrush if it’s around the frog. It’s black, slimy, smelly stuff. Even if the foot looks ok, a soak in Milton will get rid of anything lurking and will help the frogs to harden up. A 10 minute soak in a 30% Milton solution to the following routine will help:
  

Twice a week for a week
Once a week for a fortnight
Once a fortnight for a fortnight
Once a month for a month

Following that routine a periodic spray of Milton is useful.

• The feet may feel quite warm (sometimes scarily warm) in the first couple of days. The same warmth in all four feet is good, one hot foot three cold feet is bad. The feet will probably always be slightly warmer than a shod foot, this is either caused by an increase in circulation of the foot or the fact that a shoe that dissipates heat has been removed (jury is still out on this one - depends on who you speak to).
  

Diet And Nutrition

• It may look like you horse has grown a surprising amount of foot in the first four weeks, this could be the case or it could be that sole has exfoliated which means the hoof walls are longer. Stimulation of the foot, eg work, actually increases the amount of growth, good nutrition also plays a big part in hoof growth and health. A vitamin and mineral supplement can help a lot, our favorites are Top Spec Anti-Lam or Baileys Lo-Cal (in that order), with the addition of extra magnesium oxide. Hoof specific supplements are generally expensive, and not as good as the supplements above.
  
  
• A low carb, low starch, fibre based diet is particularly good for a barefoot horse. Try and avoid sugars wherever possible, a diet of less than 10% sugar is good, condition and energy can be provided by oils and slow release cereals. The more exercise your horse gets the better it can metabolise higher powered feeds. Alfalfa based chaffs are good as they tend not to contain any sugars, Alfalfa A Oil is a good example of this, no added sugars and it contains oil. However some horses can not tolerate Alfalfa, it can make them excitable and in some reported cases a bit footy. Soaking hay can remove around half the sugars, if you use haylage this can be soaked as well. Mixing oat or barley straw with hay can be useful for laminitics.
  
  
• ‘Growth rings’ on horses feet are not good and not normal. This is a sign of inflammation of the laminae so in effect a sign of a laminitis attack, that you may not have even been aware of. It is normal to see a ring shortly after the shoes come off, this is the change in angle and condition of the hoof. Multiple rings indicate a problem and your horse is at risk from a full blown laminitis attack.
  
  
• A horses foot should have a consistent moisture level. A dry/hard hoof is actually a good hoof. Oil based hoof dressings stop the foot from breathing and water based hoof dressings just add more moisture to the foot. You do not need to apply hoof dressings to a barefoot horse. In winter moisture levels in the UK can soften the foot too much, access to dry hard standing for around 4 hours a day, or bringing in overnight is helpful. A healthy foot comes from good nutrition and hoof care, not from painting something on the outside of it.
  

Boots And Pads

• Be prepared to buy boots. If you use a Hoof Care Professional (HCP) they may be able to lend you a pair for a couple of weeks. Measure your horse following a trim, there is a bit of an art to deciding on which type of boot would suit your horse, an HCP or one of the barefoot forums can give you advice on this. Pre order some boots in a couple of different sizes, you can send back the ones you don’t need. Ebay is a good source for second hand boots.
  

• Do whatever it takes to get your horse comfortable and doing a heel first landing, and then give it some exercise. Don’t expect your horse to wear boots for the first time and go out for your normal ride and they not rub, break them in slowly.
  

• If you haven’t got any boots you can do very creative things with taped on mouse mats, camping mat, garden kneeling pads and nappies. Only leave a taped on pad for a maximum of 72 hours and then remove. Spray the bottom of the foot with Milton and leave for a few hours to dry. Boots should not be left on for longer than 12 hours without checking as they can rub. If a boot is used for turnout, periodically spray the inside of the boot with diluted Milton.
  

Exercise

• 10 minutes work a day on concrete or tarmac is good stimulation for the hoof. This can be in hand initially and then ridden. This doesn't’t have to be the only work you give your horse, ride it in the school or around the fields, or do a longer ride wearing boots in addition to the 10 minutes. Hand walking for 10 minutes around the yard is better than nothing. If your horse is not comfortable to walk on tarmac without protection, then a taped on abrasive pad like a Sole Mate can be useful in the early days.
  
  
• Build up your work without boots gradually. If the horse has coped with 10 minutes without boots, do it again the next day, don’t increase the distance. A week of 10 minutes a day, 15 minutes a day the following week, 20 the next is a good way to build up. Keep to the same sort of rides, don’t suddenly do a new ride over a different surface. You can add to your mileage by the use of boots. Use boots for the worst surface on your ride, or the last bit home. If you are coping with 20 minutes without boots and want to do a 40 minute ride, carry your boots with you and use them for the last 20 minutes, or the worst terrain.
  
  
• If you only ever work your horse in boots, that’s all it will ever be able to do, this isn't a problem, boots are getting better all the time and at least you can take them off. Understand that just because you get your horse to a 'rock crunching' stage, that doesn't mean you won't have to rely on boots at some point in the future. There is no shame in going back to boots for a while.
  
  
• Following every ride check the foot for chips and be prepared to tidy them up with either a rasp, or a simple sanding block. Periodically clean the hoof with Borax so you can really see what’s going on with it.
  

Trimmers Or DIY?

• You don’t have to use a professional trimmer, some people live in areas where there is no access to professional trimmers and have had to learn by experience. It can be hard doing it on your own though and if you can get on to a trimming for owners course you will be more confident. Books and videos can tell you a lot, but having a more knowledgeable person looking over your shoulder from time to time is good. If you do use a trimmer then don’t expect them to perform miracles every six weeks, you can achieve much more if you are prepared to do interim trims under their guidance every couple of weeks or so.
  
  
• If you do decide to use a professional trimmer have a think about what method you prefer and find one from that school. Don't be afraid to ask them lots of questions, they won't mind. They should be happy to refer you to a couple of their clients for a chat as well. If your horse has any particular issues, ask if they have experience with these problems. Have a think about where they are located, if they live two hours away from you and only trim part-time, will they be able to help you out at short notice in an emergency? Don't discount a trimmer in training, they tend to have less horses on their books and are keen to learn.
  

And Finally ......

• Read everything you can about barefoot, buy the books, go on the websites. Don’t mix and match your methods. Don’t buy the Pete Ramey book and then have a KC La Pierre trim and wonder why they don’t look the same. Speak to people who are already barefoot. Take pictures of your horses feet once a month to track progress. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t panic.
  
  
• You may initially be told things that you don't want to hear, usually around diet and exercise. Try and think about this objectively, you may not be ready to hear it, but don't dismiss it, file it away and one day it may all just fall in to place.
  
  
• Take responsibility for your horses feet yourself, don't hand 'ownership' of your horse over to a trimmer, farrier, vet, yard owner etc. It's your horse and it's your responsibility to do your best by it. You may not physically deal with his feet yourself, but don't let anyone emotionally steal your horse!.