Living Requirements for the BAREFOOT HORSE© Gwenyth Browning Jones Santagate
Oct 11, 2004
Having your horse go barefoot is not some*thing* that we *do* -- it is a style of life for the horse and for the horse owner. Taking off the shoes does not mean simply rasping down the hoof a bit then putting the horse back into the stall or small paddock. It's not just a 'part' of what has been always the conventional or traditional manner of keeping horses. It is a different way of horse husbandry altogether. It is a commitment to a more 'natural' manner of living. Think! Think of how the wild horses have survived for all these thousands of years. No one is out there on the open range trimming their hooves every 4 weeks or floating their teeth every year or grooming their coats til they gleam in the sun. No one is stabbing them with vaccine loaded syringes and needles every other month. The horses survive without man's intervention. They not only survive; they THRIVE.
Taking the Barefoot Horse lifestyle in hand means changing the way you live with your horse and the way the horse lives 24/7. Of course, this is not to say that a barefoot horse CAN'T live in thtradtionalal manner of being stalled for hours; eating enriched, processed grains, living singularly in a small paddock etc. However, the chances are for the hooves to become fully functional and healthy are weak and inferior to the chances when the horse is allowed to be a horse. It will take much longer time for the hooves to regain health and strength. It may be that they even won't regain full health and strength but merely 'improve' slightly over time. The following are my recommendations when I am called into remove the shoes from a horse: --24/7 turnout with free choice shelter. LOTS of movement!
--Daily access to mud or water in which to stand to drink.
--Turnout with a herd for socialization and encouragement to move.
--Basic diet of free-choice hay. Grain used only as a supplement for older horses or horse with compromised nutritional/digestive systems.
--Free choice Mineral and salt blocks.
--No blanketing except in emergency situations.
--Grooming done only before saddling or on a weekly basis.
--Area of gravel and large stones on which the horse must travel during the day OR
-- Walking daily on rocks, gravel or tarred roads.
--Frequent trims; every 4 weeks or less.
--No chemicals i.e. vaccines, wormers, chemical supplements.
--Use of Homeopathy and Herbal Remedies for health care. *** Allopathic veterinary care only for severe wounds/injuries, etc.
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