The barefoot experiment continues to go well.

Commentary, hoof care, Horse care, horse health, , , , 1 Comment

Freedom has now been barefoot since October and his feet keep looking better and better. Here’s the progression.

During the summer Freedom's hooves showed the effects of wet/dry cycling that we had in the spring. We had to patch his feet to keep his shoes on -- and I had to ride with my fingers crossed.
Freedom lost a front shoe out hunting in October. His hoof looked pretty good considering how long he galloped and jumped on it. In fact, he didn't take a bad step, even when we hacked back.
Two weeks later he lost a hind shoe so I pulled them all. The ground was soft and although there was some chipping, he was pretty comfortable. I used hoof boots when I rode.
Freedom's feet three months into the mission are looking much better. In the snow he doesn't need hoof boots, even for riding. I love not having to worry about the shoes coming off and the charge for a trim sure beats studs and snow rims!

It’s funny. I never thought that Freedom would be able to go barefoot because I’ve had so much trouble with his feet. My farrier was the one who suggested that I pull his shoes and see what happened. She’s pleased with how they look now too.

One thought on “The barefoot experiment continues to go well.”

  1. It’s great that you have a farrier that actually encourages bare feet. My old show farrier thought I was nuts when I wanted to pull the shoes from my show horse – but he was healthier and more sound after I did so!

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