Horse 'N' Around Mulgoa
Transition Your Horse To Barefoot With
Scoot Boots
A Step by Step Guide by Scoot Boot
Is your horse frequently losing a shoe? Struggling with thrush, hoof abscesses or navicular syndrome?
Whether you are competing at top level or looking to recover your horse from ‘terrible feet’, going barefoot has many benefits for both you and your horse. Here is how you transition your horse from shod to barefoot.
5 Steps for Transitioning Your Horse to Barefoot
1. Start with some Research You will need to find a qualified barefoot farrier or trimmer who can advise you and commit to trimming your horse regularly every four to six weeks. Ask around in your equine community or try some of the many barefoot communities on social media to find a trimmer in your area who is both qualified and willing to support you and your horse through the transition. Our stockist locator may be helpful to find contacts in your area.
2. Insist on a Healthy Diet When you have your first visit from your barefoot farrier or trimmer to remove the shoes, she will do a minimal trim on your horse. This should be followed up after two-three weeks depending on the condition of your horse’s hooves. If your horse is suffering from a painful hoof condition, you should have hoof boots ready at this point to offer your horse immediate relief and support.
3. Keep Your Farrier Close By When you have your first visit from your barefoot farrier or trimmer to remove the shoes, she will do a minimal trim on your horse. This should be followed up after two-three weeks depending on the condition of your horse’s hooves. If your horse is suffering from a painful hoof condition, you should have hoof boots ready at this point to offer your horse immediate relief and support. The most important part of a successful transition is to ensure your trimmer does not rasp the toe callous. This is the area between the tip of the frog and end of the toe. Rasping this area instantly makes your horse foot sore and should always be left alone on a barefooted horse. Ensure the bars are trimmed so they are never layed over or weight bearing. If the bars are not trimmed they cause caudal heel pain as a result of inflammation of the sole corium.
4. Begin Hoof Conditioning Excercises As soon as you feel your horse is comfortable enough, you should start conditioning his new bare feet. Walk him at least once a day for ten minutes on a hard surface such as pavers or asphalt. Once he’s confidently walking here, you can start on other surfaces such as pea gravel. You can begin riding him again at any time once he doesn’t show any signs of lameness or discomfort when moving.
5. Continuous Hood Exposure Over Variety of Terrains Keep in mind that hooves adapt to the surface they live in. If your horse only has soft ground in his paddock and is ridden on soft surfaces, he’s likely to always be tiptoeing over rocky ground without hoof boots. Providing your horse with a variety of surfaces in his everyday life will help keep his hooves conditioned and healthily stimulated.
