Barefoot in the Pasture, Protected on the Trail

By Carole Herder

So you want to go barefoot (or rather you want your horse to go barefoot!) but you are nervous.

Will he be lame?

Will I be able to ride?

Will he damage himself?

What will everyone think of me?

How long will it take his hooves to be strong?

So many questions, so little time. I knew of a lady, a long time ago, who was very interested in having her horse barefoot. He wore shoes when she purchased him. She had done the research, attended the courses, practiced trimming on her ponies and was all ready to go, but she was afraid of taking that last step. She spoke to a barefoot trimmer and voiced her concerns and she was told, “Just rip the shoes off and get on with it”. This was all very well if one had the knowledge or support of advanced barefoot trimming. She had neither. Now thank goodness she was a sensible lady and did not take this ridiculous advice. She knew she had to wait until she had all of the information and experience necessary under her belt before she took the big step.

I’m glad to say that she finally got her horse barefoot and is doing fantastically. She made the right decision by waiting until she had all the tools necessary (or access to a qualified trimmer), thus causing no pain to her horse and leaving her, and everyone around her, very confident about going barefoot.

And for everyone who is nervous, don’t forget one of the Cavallo motto’s: Protected on the trail, Barefoot in the pasture. This is aimed at exactly those scenarios described above. Your horse does not have to be lame, you do not have to go without riding and hooves can take their time to grow strong. Put Cavallo hoof boots on your horse while riding and keep them barefoot the rest of time. This allows all of those worries to go away.