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The health of the equine foot can be restored and maintained without shoes, but how do we
accomplish this in New England? The question should be asked, "can my horse go without shoes?" The answer should
be, "it depends" ... as owner commitment, environment, discipline and the trim all play a role into the successful
transition of a horse going barefoot.
I am seeing some amazing success stories out there in the field,
some very committed owners and very happy horses. When I first started trimming I really thought that there would only
be a small community of people out there going barefoot, but as time goes on I am seeing more and more people with
their horses going sound shoeless, it is humbling and very rewarding. New England is not an easy environment to
transition a horse from shoes, but you have to ask the question, even with the shoe the foot is facing a similar environment,
so why not give it all the help it can get by removing the shoe and letting the horse and hoof heel itself.
One
of the most important elements in transitioning a horse to barefoot is letting it have the time it needs to restore the damaged
hoof and foot. And don't be fooled, horses that have been barefoot for a long time don't always have great feet,
they too must take time to heal in order to function properly if the structure is not and has not been healthy in the past.
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