Understanding barefoot methodology: advantages and limitations

Introduction

The equine foot with healthy structures is superior in its natural or barefoot state as opposed to being shod with regards to accepting the weight of the horse, shock absorption and dissipating the energy of impact ^1,2,3.Furthermore, the structures of the foot have an inherent ability to change shape, strengthen and improve over time through the process of adaptation^1,3. With the decline in working horses and the rise in popularity of equestrian sports performed on deformable synthetic surfaces, shoeing should no longer be regarded as a necessity. Indeed, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Swedish team won the gold medal in show jumping. The fact that sport horses can perform at the highest levels without shoes challenges traditional practice that regards a shod foot as the normal state.

The author does not infer that traditional farriery using horseshoes should be abandoned but that barefoot methodology presents another viable option in equine foot care. Horseshoes provide protection when wear on the solar surface of the foot exceeds growth at the coronet, they maintain or enhance functionality by providing traction and lastly, therapeutic shoes are used to improve compromised structures of the foot and treat disease/lameness. However, there are some negative consequences of a horse being shod. The shoe replaces the single interface between the hoof capsule and the ground with two interfaces^7,8 The abrupt transitions from hoof wall to shoe and shoe to ground, together with the material properties of the shoe alter concussion and dampening by the foot and lower limb, ultimately increasing impact intensity on the hoof ^8.9,10. Furthermore, applying a standard horseshoe to the horse’s foot increases the force exerted on the navicular bone by the deep digital flexor tendon by up to 14%^8,12.

There is rivalry between traditional farriers and barefoot trimmers. Certainly, traditional farriery using horseshoes can be performed in a physiological manner with minimal damage to the horse’s foot ^4,5,6 but a successful outcome in transitioning a horse to barefoot methodology requires a different approach. This paper will distance itself from the conventional trim and outline a simple and easy method of ‘shaping’ the foot for a barefoot lifestyle based on basic farriery principles^5,6.

Indications for Barefoot

In equine practice, a permanent or temporary transition to barefoot should be considered for horses that:

• Have good quality hooves and are not required to perform a large amount of exercise on abrasive surfaces. These horses can transition from shod to barefoot and be maintained permanently in the barefoot state.
• Will be out of work for a period, i.E., While being rehabilitated from an injury.
• Have poor limb conformation leading to hoof capsule deformation.
• Have chronic foot lameness associated with farriery.
• Have chronic foot lameness with an unexplained cause.
• Have a low heel ‘bull nose’ conformation in the hind feet.
• Have abnormal gait associated with forging, interfering, and overreaching.
• Are rehabilitating hoof tissues such as
  • Hoof capsule distortions involving compromised heel structures in the palmar/plantar foot.
  • Sheared heels.
  • Frogs that are either recessed or prolapsed relative to the ground surface of the foot.

Benefits of Barefoot

Maintaining horses in a barefoot condition should not be regarded as a fad that is rooted in minimalist ideas of equine management nor should it be regarded as a cure-all. There are, however, many aspects of going barefoot that pose a feasible and practical option to traditional farriery with practical and functional benefits to the horse and owner.

• In comparison with being shod, the barefoot hoof shows a superior ability to absorb shock, dissipate energy and accept the weight of the horse^1,2,3.
• The structures of the foot have an inherent ability to change shape, strengthen and improve over time through the process of adaptation when not confined by a rigid shoe^1,3.
• A shoe elevates the hoof off the ground and loads it peripherally which places the bulk of the load on the hoof wall whereas a barefoot horse loads the entire foot, and this affects the wear pattern due to friction between the hoof and the ground.
• Allows natural movement and physiological function of the foot including greater heel expansion and vertical movement of the heels in the unshod hoof^10,11.
• Hoof growth and wear often allow the barefoot horse to maintain the shape of its feet by friction and wear between the entire solar surface of the foot and the ground.
• When a horse is shod, friction/wear is localized between the heel of the hoof capsule and the shoe, which induces greater wear at the heel than the toe and changes the conformation of the foot between shoeing cycles ^8,11.

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