The Benefits of Barefoot Trimming Horses

Barefoot trimming means maintaining a horse's hooves without the use of horseshoes. The decision on whether to shoe a horse or leave it barefoot depends on the horse's fitness level, the type of work it does and the type of surfaces where it works, the condition and structure of its feet and whether or not it has any lameness or health issues that may require shoes. There are a number of benefits to leaving the horse barefoot if possible.

  1. Hoof Health

    • A horse with a barefoot trim does not require nails to be tapped through the hoof wall. This may help prevent some cracking of the hoof wall, although chipping around the base of the foot often occurs with a barefoot trim unless the horse is kept on soft ground. The barefoot trim allows the sole to become calloused to protect the horse from bruising whereas shoes elevate the hoof off the ground, keeping it softer and more likely to develop painful bruising or tenderness when the shoes are taken off.

    Reduced Injuries

    • While there is no sure-fire way of preventing horses from injuring themselves, leaving a horse barefoot can help matters when the animals are turned out in a herd. A horse that wears steel shoes poses a greater threat to its herd mates when playing or kicking because the steel shoes can inflict greater pain than the barefoot hoof. The horse wearing the shoes also has a greater chance of stepping on its own front feet with the back which can rip off the front shoes, and often take chunks of the hoof wall with it, which can lead to lameness.

    Traction

    • A horse that is barefoot rather than shod has better traction on wet grass, ice and snow than a horse shod with metal shoes. Riding at high speeds on grass surfaces requires the use of calks for traction. These small metal cleats are screwed into each shoe to provide traction each time the horse is ridden in these conditions. A barefoot horse does not require this because the hoof sole and wall already have natural traction.

    Cost

    • The cost of a barefoot trim is significantly less than shoeing a horse. Since the barefoot trim does not use shoes, the cost of the shoe itself is saved, as well as significant labor costs due to the additional time it takes to forge, shape and nail shoes on to each hoof.