Many owners of shod horses would like to transition their horses from shoes to barefoot. However, it is very important beforehand to be aware of the pros and cons of going barefoot and the duration of the transition.
Individual factors such as hoof conformation, hoof shape, horn quality, as well as the ground conditions, terrain, and use of the horse must be factored into the decision. Not every horse is naturally suited to being barefoot. This should be carefully weighed to provide the optimal solution for the horse as well.
In this guide, you will learn all about the pros and cons, the process, and the prerequisites for a successful transition.
Why transition a horse to barefoot?
There are various reasons and factors that speak in favor of transitioning to barefoot.
By no means do all horses need to be shod; a great many horses, especially leisure horses, easily manage without shoes or other hoof protection. In equestrian sports, too, there are now highly successful barefoot horses that get along exceptionally well without shoes.
Even when a horse retires, enters breeding, or gets an extended pasture break, switching to barefoot is a great option – provided the horse is not turned out on overly stony ground. The hooves are not subject to heavy wear, and the risk of injury to the horse itself and its pasture mates is significantly reduced. Snow is also unlikely to ball up under unshod hooves.
A pleasant side effect of going without shoes: A barefoot horse incurs significantly lower costs for regular hoof care.
The hoof mechanism
Another reason for a transition is the desire to achieve a natural, usually more pronounced hoof mechanism and thus better blood circulation in the hooves and, naturally, the entire limbs themselves.
Shod or barefoot?
Influence on conformation and movement
With horseshoes, the farrier is able to influence the lateral and vertical conformation of the hooves as well as the entire limb. Faulty conformations can often be better corrected or maintained in their form using shoes.
When kept barefoot, certain conformation flaws are exacerbated by increasingly unilateral wear, such as extremely toe-narrow or toe-wide stances, or very steep, upright hooves, or very flat hooves. In this regard, a lasting influence can actually only be exerted from the foal stage up to the age of 3 to 4 years by making corrections every 1 to 2 weeks. A change can then take place with every growth spurt. Once the epiphyseal plates close, this is only possible to a minimal extent. The weight of a horseshoe alters the horse's footfall and movement pattern, often in a manner desired by the farrier.
Conformation corrections on the barefoot hoof
Unlike shod hooves, corrections can also be made on the barefoot horse between trimming intervals. Ask your hoof care professional to show you which areas of the hoof wall need to be rasped to achieve an improvement in conformation.
Better horn quality through going barefoot
On healthy barefoot horses, the hoof walls and sole grow more stably and often thicker than on shod horses. This is not only due to the absence of nail holes, but because the horn-producing dermis is stimulated to produce more horn.
Risk in shod hooves: White Line Disease
Normal shoeing intervals last 6 to 10 weeks depending on horn growth. During this time, horn-destroying germs have the opportunity to penetrate under the shoe into the White Line and the nail holes, damaging the horn – a process known as White Line Disease . After removing the shoe, the farrier sees this as a powdery-black "White Line," predominantly in the quarter wall area and the angle of the bars.
If enough healthy horn has regrown, the farrier can remove the damaged material during trimming. If not, problems with hollow walls and wall breakages often begin. Therefore, with a shod horse, it is advisable not only to apply the Keralit Hoof Hardener to the wall and the nail holes, but also to let it run under the shoe from the sole side, or to use Keralit Undercover under the shoe from the outset.
Timeframe: How long can a transition to barefoot take?
Important to note:
Not all horses can simply be transitioned to barefoot within a short period. Furthermore, saving on costs must not compromise the horse's health and quality of life under any circumstances! Therefore, the duration of the transition must remain within a tolerable framework for the horse. And, if no progress is visible in the horse, a return to shoes or hoof protection must also be accepted.
A transition can easily take up to half a year. During this time, however, it is important that a continuous improvement in gait and horn quality can be observed.
A good example is shown in the following photo series:
Photo 3: Icelandic horse Drafnar: Beginning of the transition due to loss of shoes, nothing works anymore
Photo 4: 3 weeks after transition, the hoof wall defects are growing out
Foto 5: approx. 10 weeks after the start of the transition, the wall damage has completely grown out, good, resilient hooves
Important during this time:
During this time, the wall and sole were brushed every 2-3 days with Keralit Hoof Hardener ; the hoof care professional and the horse owner constantly ensured that loose horn fragments on the wall and sole were removed and that the edges of the weight-bearing border were rounded off.
Sport horses during the winter break
Sport horses are also often unshod over the winter months, as they are increasingly moved on soft ground during this time. The old nail holes can then grow out completely during the winter break. Especially in this phase, Keralit Hoof Hardener provides particularly valuable service by stabilizing the existing and newly growing horn and protecting it from further damage. The white line and sole also become significantly more stable and less sensitive to pressure, making the transition much easier for the horse.
Keep in mind for winter: An uneven, frozen winter paddock or turnout (frozen mud paddock) is like a gravel paddock with large stones and quickly causes real problems for barefoot horses.
Barefoot when nothing else works
Hoof wall damage, wall cracks, fissures, hollow walls. Even if the hoof wall in the side area is so damaged that the farrier can hardly drive in securely holding nails anymore, it is time to consider a barefoot period.
Often, there is simply no other choice left. While missing wall horn can now be replaced with artificial horn—a bonded synthetic material with horn-like properties into which nails can also be driven—this is quite costly and, of course, nowhere near as good and durable as naturally grown horn. Rotting processes can also easily develop under the adhesive.
The initial period after the transition: What barefoot horses need now
Common problems: Stiff gait & wall cracks
The risk that the transition leads to a stiff gait due to sensitivity and excessive wear is quite high at first. Here, the remaining horn substance must be managed carefully, and the surfaces ridden on must be chosen with care.
Particularly during the period when walls weakened by nailing are still growing down, wall cracks are not uncommon. Removing dangling pieces of hoof wall prevents further tearing and major hoof wall damage.
Learning 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. An initially stiff gait has several causes: excessive wear, too slow hoof growth, or the horse's uncertainty. After all, the shoe has previously almost prevented the hoof's tactile sensitivity – this must now be relearned.
For example, when a horse walks on an inclined plane or steps on an uneven surface, and the height of the hoof adapts to the sloping ground. This movement was previously completely compensated for by the shoe and then absorbed under load by the joints above. This may initially feel unusual for the horse and should not be equated with foot-soreness.
During this initial period, faulty conformations must naturally receive special attention and correction by a hoof care professional. By going barefoot, growth impulses are now transmitted from the ground to the sole, wall, frog, and coronary dermis, which ensure a stable and increasingly thicker horn. The time it takes for the stronger horn to become available varies in length for each horse.
Particularly in this phase, the Keralit Hoof Hardener provides particularly valuable service by stabilizing the existing and newly regrowing horn and protecting it from further damage. The White Line and the hoof sole also become significantly more stable and less sensitive to pressure, making the transition much easier for the horse.
Back to shoes - When does a horse need hoof protection again?
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Generally in cases of excessive wear of the wall and sole, meaning when wear and growth are not in balance even over a longer period.
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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 cracks, an increase in temperature may also appear on the hooves, as the sole horn may not be able to adequately protect the sole dermis from external influences, such as pressure from small stones.
Extremely important: Hoof shape and sole concavity
With a more concave sole, not every stone causes immediate pressure
All of these symptoms can appear in horses with varying degrees of severity and duration. The hoof shape and horn quality at the time the shoes are removed naturally play a significant role here.
In the case of hoof diseases such as canker, hollow walls, or sand cracks, you should discuss the situation in detail with your farrier and veterinarian to determine whether letting the horse go barefoot makes sense. Particularly in laminitic horses, going barefoot is often questionable due to the rotated and/or sunken pedal bone. A sinking of the pedal bone reduces the sole concavity and thus also the thickness of the sole, which can consequently lead to pain. However, there are also laminitic horses with chronic or healed laminitis that move better barefoot than with various types of shoes.
Also, breed-typical unfavorable conditions, such as extremely flat hooves with thin walls or a thin sole, often combined with poor horn quality, make a transition difficult or impossible (often the case with thoroughbreds).
From an anatomical standpoint, the transition is considerably more difficult for strong, heavy horses with relatively wide, flat hooves than for lighter horses with a narrower hoof shape, steeper hoof walls, and thus a well-developed sole concavity.
Of course, the soil conditions are also a decisive factor in the decision to convert. soil conditions on site.
Photo 9: Extremely worn hoof with very little sole concavity. The horse is foot-sore and moves almost exclusively on the sole and frog
Video tip: You can find an informative video on the topic of barefoot, sole concavity, and sensitivity here.
Are you planning to transition your horse to barefoot?
In Part 2, you will learn how to approach the transition to barefoot in practice: choosing the right time, preparing the hooves, mastering the first few weeks, and solving common problems.