Both the barefoot trim and shoeing have their advantages and disadvantages. I cannot say that every horse can or should go barefoot, although there are a lot of horses that are shod that don’t need shoes. The problem I see with a lot of barefoot trimmers and farriers is that they see this as a religious argument. The barefoot trimmers see shoes as an instrument of evil, and the farriers see the barefoot trimmers as a bunch of hippies. I feel that both methods have something to add, and there are a lot of useful tools in both camps. This is why I try to study both methods and see what makes the most sense to me when I look at the anatomy of a horses foot and leg. In dealing with horses, I have found that never and always do not apply, you will always find the exception to the rule.

There are some horses that just need shoes. One is if the horse has very thin soles and poor quality wall. In this situation, shoes should be worn, possibly with pads to keep the horse comfortable. This horse could be left barefoot, but it would require the owner to provide a footing (such as sand) so that there is nothing to bruise the sole. This horse would not be able to live comfortably in the pastures that we have around here, as there is too much rock, and he would always be getting stone bruises that would lead to abscesses, further compromising the quality of the hoof. In a perfect world this horse could go barefoot, but unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world.

I feel that it is my duty to the horse to have available to him every tool that is available to make his life as comfortable as possible. If that means that he needs shoes, then I will put shoes on him, if he can go barefoot, I would recommend going barefoot. I will admit that I tend more towards the side of the barefoot trim, as there are a lot of advantages to going barefoot, which I will discuss further at a later date.