Should Your Horse Wear Shoes or Go Barefoot? (2024)

FAQs

Should Your Horse Wear Shoes or Go Barefoot? ›

Harder surfaces may require shoes for increased support, protection and traction. Rocky, rough, icy or snow-packed surfaces or the need for optimized performance can cause foot soreness, bruising, and decreased performance for the barefoot horse so horseshoes offer the horse more benefits.

American natural hoof care specialist and driving trainer, Heike Bean, says a barefoot horse with healthy hooves can feel the ground better and enjoy dramatically reduced concussion on hard ground. “They are also more sure-footed, usually move more freely, and have better traction on most surfaces,” Bean states.

If you care for a healthy horse resident with healthy hooves, there is a good chance they don't need shoes! In fact, shoeing them may actually cause issues that weren't previously there.

Pain and Bruising- Some horse can become footsore and prone to bruises after a long ride. Lack of protection- If a horse has medical issues and needs protection of their hooves the only way to do this when barefoot is to buy some hoof boots which can be quite expensive.

Most horses with good hooves and good conformation are fine barefoot, especially if they are worked on a soft surface while being ridden. However, the health of the hoof depends on adequate movement; it is, therefore, crucial that barefoot horses have plenty of room to roam freely.

Harder surfaces may require shoes for increased support, protection and traction. Rocky, rough, icy or snow-packed surfaces or the need for optimized performance can cause foot soreness, bruising, and decreased performance for the barefoot horse so horseshoes offer the horse more benefits.

Deciding whether or not your horse needs shoes should come down to these key factors: protection, performance, conformation and medical conditions. The environment a horse is living and working in impacts the necessity for shoes. Hard, stony ground can cause soreness or bruising, so many horses do better on it shod.

In some cases, it may be possible for a horse to go a day without horseshoes without any negative consequences. This is often the case for horses that are kept in soft, grassy pastures and do not do any strenuous work that would put additional wear and tear on their hooves.

Cons of going barefoot

Increased risk of injury: Although proper hoof maintenance and good nutrition can help to build up the strength and resilience of the hoof and sole, there will always be a chance that the horse may suffer a stone bruise or other injury during work.

Why do wild horses don't need shoes? ›

Wild horses get by okay without hoof trimming and maintenance because they are continuously running on hard and textured terrain, which naturally wears down their hooves. Ultimately, the choice of whether to shoe your horse is highly personal – and depends upon several factors.

On the other hand, if a horse cannot handle being barefoot and continually comes up lame, Dryden suggests providing protection via shoes as opposed to making him “tough it out.” When transitioning back to shoes, “if the horse does not have enough substantial hoof wall to nail to, you can apply alternative means such as ...

Why don't wild horses need shoes? The reason wild horses can exist without shoes is twofold: firstly they do not “work” as hard or as often as a horse with an owner. Therefore, they wear away their hooves slower than the hooves grow.

For barefoot riding, the horse needs the healthiest hoof possible. If barefoot riding is your goal, riding in hoof boots is usually the quickest way to get there—the correct movement typically provided by hoof boots causes healthier hoof growth, which in turn may cause the horse to no longer need the boots.

Shod horses need to be re-shod every four to six weeks irrespective of whether they have worn the shoes out or not. The hooves grow continuously and when shod the hoof cannot wear down as it can (in the correct conditions) with an unshod horse.

The moment you notice that your horse has lost a shoe, dismount and assess the foot. If you continue riding you may injure your horse's foot, or they may have already sustained a foot injury that could worsen if you continue riding. Regardless, try to prevent or minimize further injury.

Increased risk of injury – Horses that are not wearing shoes are more vulnerable to injuries caused by sharp objects or uneven terrain. Hooves still require trimming – Even barefoot hooves still require frequent and regular trimming to ensure they're in a healthy condition.

The advantages of keeping a horse barefoot

The hoof regains its elasticity and shock absorption is improved because the rear part of the hoof, the digital cushion and lateral cartilage can fulfill their shock-absorbing function. As a result, barefoot horses often suffer less injuries to joints, ligaments and tendons.