Barehoof or shoeing: Requirements, advantages & disadvantages

Many owners of shod horses wish to convert their horse from shoes to barehooves. Before doing so, however, it is very important to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of barehoof walking and how long the changeover will take.

Individual factors such as hoof position, hoof shape, horn quality as well as the surface, terrain and use of the horse must be included in the decision. Not every horse has the prerequisites for a bare hoof. Careful consideration should be given here in order to offer the horse an optimum solution.

In this guide, you will learn all about the advantages and disadvantages, the process and the requirements for a successful changeover.

Why convert a horse to bare hooves?

There are various reasons and factors in favor of switching to bare hooves. 

Not all horses necessarily need to be shod; many horses, especially in the leisure sector, can manage without shoeing or other hoof protection without any problems. Even in sport, there are now highly successful barehoofhorses that manage perfectly well without shoes.

Even when a horse is retired, goes into breeding or is given a longer break from grazing, a change to bare hooves is a good idea - provided the horse is not on overly stony ground. The hooves are then not exposed to much wear and tear and the risk of injury for the horse itself and its paddock mates is significantly reduced. Snow can also hardly accumulate without shoes.

An epleasing side effect without shoeing: With a barehoof horse barehoof horse significantly lower costs for regular hoof trimming.

The hoof mechanism

Another reason for a change is the desire to achieve a natural, usually more pronounced hoof mechanism. more pronounced hoof mechanism and therefore better blood circulation in the hooves and of course the entire limb itself. 

Shoeing or barehoof?

Influence on position and movement sequence

By shoeing, the hoof trimmer is able to influence the lateral and vertical position of the hooves and the entire limb. Misalignments can often be corrected better with shoeing, or their shape can be maintained. 

With bare hooves, some positional faults are exacerbated by the increased one-sided wear, e.g. extremely narrow or wide toes or very steep, buck-hoofed or very flat hooves. In this case, bare hooves only have a lasting influence from foal age to 3 to 4 years of age, in that they can be corrected every 1 to 2 weeks. A change can then take place with every growth spurt. After the epiphyseal grooves have closed, this is only minimal. The weight of a shoe changes footing and movement of the horse. Often in a form desired by the farrier.

Position corrections on the bare hoof

In contrast to shod hooves, bare hoofedhorse can also be corrected between treatment periods. Ask your hoof trimmer to show you which areas of the hoof need to be trimmed in order to improve the position.

Better horn quality with bare hooves

The horn walls and the sole of healthy barehooves grow more stable and often thicker than those of shod horses, not only because of the lack of nail holes, but also because the horn-producing hides are stimulated to produce more horn.

Risk with shod hooves: White Line Disease

Depending on horn growth, normal shoeing periods last 6 to 10 weeks. During this time, horn decomposing germs have time to penetrate the white line and nail holes under the shoe and damage the horn - a process known as white line disease is known as white line disease. This can be seen by the blacksmith after removal of the iron as a mealy-black "white line" mainly in the side wall area and in the corner brace angles.

If enough healthy horn has grown back, the blacksmith can remove the damaged material when cutting it out. If not, problems often start with hollow walls and wall breakouts. It therefore makes sense for shod horses to have the Keralit Hoof Hardener not only to the wall and the nail holes, but also to run it under the shoe from the sole side or to apply the Keralit Undercover under the shoe from the outset.

Time frame: How long can a changeover to bare hooves take?

Important to note:

Not all horses can be converted to barehoof in a short period of time. bare hoof in a shorter period of time. Cost savings must not be allowed to compromise the horse's health and quality of life! That is why the duration of the conversion must remain within a framework that is acceptable for the horse. And, if no progress is visible in the horse, a return to shoeing or hoof protection should be accepted.

A changeover can easily take up to six months. During this time, however, it is important to notice a continuous improvement in gait and horn quality.

The following photo series shows a good example:

Important at this time:

During this time, the wall and base were treated every 2-3 days with the Keralit Hoof Hardener The hoof trimmer and the horse owner constantly made sure that loose horn shreds were removed from the wall and sole and that the edges of the bearing surface were rounded off.

Sport horses during the winter break

Sport horses also often have their shoes removed over the winter months, as they are moved more on soft ground during this time. The old nail holes can then grow out completely during the winter break. Especially in this phase, the Keralit Hoof Hardener provides particularly valuable services by stabilizing the existing and newly growing horn and protecting it from further damage. The white line and sole of the hoof also become much more stable and less sensitive to pressure, making it much easier for the horse to change over.

Pay attention in winter: An uneven frozen winter paddock or run (frozen mud paddock) is like a gravel run with large stones and quickly causes real problems for bare hoofed horses.

Barefoot, when nothing else works

Horn wall damage, wall break-outs, cracks, hollow walls. Even if the horn wall in the side wall area is so damaged that the farrier can hardly drive in durable nails, it is time to think about a barehoof period.

Often there is nothing else left to do. It is now possible to replace missing wall horn with artificial horn, i.e. a bonded plastic with horn-like properties, which can also be nailed into. However, this is quite expensive and of course not as good and durable as the naturally grown horn. Rotting processes can also easily form under the adhesive.

The first time after the changeover: What barehoof horses need now

Common problems: Clamp gait & wall breakouts

The risk of the changeover leading to a clammy gait due to sensitivity and excessive wear is quite high at the beginning. The remaining horn substance must be well managed and the surfaces on which the horse is ridden must be carefully selected. 

Particularly during the time when walls walls that have been weakened by nailing are not uncommon. Removing hanging pieces of horn wall prevents further tearing and major horn wall damage.

Learn a new sense of touch

Depending on the breed and hoof shape, the horse must now be given a few weeks to months to adapt. There are several reasons for an initially clammy gait: excessive abrasion, slow hoof growth or insecurity on the part of the horse. This is because the shoe has so far virtually prevented the hoof from being able to feel - this must now be relearned.

For example, when a horse walks on an inclined plane or steps on an uneven surface and the hoof adapts in height to the inclined ground. This movement was previously completely compensated for by the shoe and then reduced by the overlying joints under load. This may initially be perceived as unusual by the horse and is not to be equated with a feeling of being too sensitive.

During this initial period, malpositions naturally require special attention and correction by a hoof trimmer. Walking barefoot now provides growth impulses from the ground to the sole, wall, frog and coronet skin, which ensure a stable and increasingly thicker horn. The time it takes for the stronger horn to become available varies from horse to horse.

Especially in this phase, the Keralit Hoof Hardener provides particularly valuable services by stabilizing the existing and newly growing horn and protecting it from further damage. The white line and sole of the hoof also become significantly more stable and less sensitive to pressure, making it much easier for the horse to change over.

Back to shoeing - When does a horse need hoof protection again?

• In general, if there is too much abrasion of the wall and sole, i.e. if abrasion and growth are not in balance even over a longer period of time.

• With recognizably persistently unwilling clammy gait, with feeling even several weeks to months after the change to bare hooves, despite good conditions.

In addition to breakouts, the hooves may also show an increase in temperature, as the sole horn may not be able to adequately protect the sole leather skin from external influences such as pressure from stones. 

Extremely important: hoof shape and sole curvature

With a higher arched sole, not every stone immediately presses down

All of these symptoms can occur in horses to varying degrees and for varying lengths of time. Hoof shape and horn quality at the time of iron removal naturally play an important role here.

For hoof diseasessuch as hoof cancer, hollow walls or horn splits the situation should be discussed in detail with the farrier and vet as to whether it makes sense to let the horse run barehoof. Especially for deer horses running barehoof is often questionable due to the rotated and/or lowered coffin bone. Lowering the coffin bone reduces the arch of the sole and therefore also the thickness of the sole, which can lead to pain. However, there are also laminitis horses with chronic or healed laminitis that run better barehoof than with various shoes.

Also breed-typical unfavorable conditions, such as extremely flat hooves with thin walls or a thin sole, often in conjunction with poor horn quality, make conversion difficult or impossible (often in thoroughbreds).

From an anatomical point of view, the changeover is much more difficult for strong, heavy horses with rather wide, flat hooves than for lighter horses with a narrower hoof shape, steeper hoof walls and therefore a well-defined sole arch.

Of course, the soil conditions are also a decisive factor in the decision to convert. soil conditions on site.

Video tip: You can find an informative video on the subject of bare hooves, sole arches and suppleness here.

Would you like to convert your horse?

In part 2 you will learn how to the changeover to bare hoovesChoose the right time, prepare the hooves, master the first few weeks and solve typical problems.