Contrary to common belief, ALL HORSES can be transitioned to barefoot, but many owners aren't resilient enough to go through the process of education and practice.
Many horse owners and riders believe that horses must be shod to be ridden, especially on roads or rough terrain. While some may accept barefoot horses on soft ground, the idea of going barefoot beyond that often meets resistance.
At the heart of our philosophy is this: ongoing, open curiosity is your greatest asset as a horse owner. Through our own journey, we’ve discovered that horseshoes do not support the long-term health, soundness, or longevity of any horse — period. And we’re not alone. This path has been walked by many before us, and thanks to their knowledge, we have an opportunity to do better for our horses.
That’s why we created our ‘TOUCH, LEARN, KNOW’ clinics — to empower owners to confidently assess their horse’s feet. Even if you don’t choose to trim yourself, you’ll be better equipped to work alongside a qualified barefoot trimmer and make informed decisions.
But let us be clear: choosing the barefoot path isn’t the easy option. It takes time, commitment, and a willingness to learn. That’s why we encourage people not to go barefoot unless they’re fully committed. But if you do commit, the rewards are profound — a horse that is sure-footed, comfortable, and far less likely to suffer from concussion injuries, laminitis, navicular issues, or arthritis.
Barefoot is not just a trend — it’s a return to what’s natural, functional, and sustainable. And it starts with your curiosity.
WHY BAREFOOT?
Courtesy of Miranda E. Roy Photography
The Benefits of Barefoot
Groundbreaking research by Dr. Robert Bowker, VMD, PhD, has shown that a barefoot horse on yielding terrain experiences twice the circulation in the foot compared to a horse wearing metal shoes. That’s not just a statistic — it’s a powerful indicator of health, healing, and longevity.
The back part of the hoof is nature’s shock absorber — designed to flex, twist, and adapt to uneven terrain. This natural movement helps reduce stress on joints, ligaments, and tendons, playing a vital role in injury prevention. Metal shoes, however, inhibit most of this flexion and twisting, limiting the hoof’s ability to perform as it was designed.
When we add the weight of a rider, the need for energy dissipation and shock absorption increases dramatically. This is precisely why moving away from rigid steel toward more natural, adaptive solutions makes sense. Whether working your horse barefoot or using padded hoof boots, you’re allowing the foot to absorb impact through a firm-but-yielding interface — one that protects while still permitting healthy function.
And here's the key: with the whole foot working as a unified structure — not just bearing weight on the hoof walls — your horse gains better support, better circulation, and better long-term soundness.
It’s not just about taking the shoes off. It’s about restoring the foot to what it was meant to be — a strong, living structure capable of thriving under the demands of work, movement, and life.
“Bed your horse on the terrain you ride.”
— Dr. Bowker
This is a great listen if you are on the fence about transitioning your horse to barefoot.
Key Points About Barefoot Riding and Terrain:
Matching Terrain: The hoof needs to be conditioned to the type of terrain the horse will be ridden on. Soft pasture living generally supports good performance on soft footing like arenas or gentle trails, but tougher surfaces like gravel and rocky trails require more robust hoof conditioning.
Living Environment Impact: Horses living in consistently soft or wet conditions often grow softer hooves that aren’t ready for rough terrain without protection.
Climate Influence: Dryer climates tend to promote tougher hoof walls and soles, which is beneficial, but not the only factor. Wet environments make maintaining tough, durable hooves more challenging unless footing is managed well.
Hoof Boots: The Best of Both Worlds
Protection Without Compromise: Boots protect the hoof on challenging terrain without compromising the health benefits of barefoot living.
Better Than Shoes: With modern padded insoles and boot designs, hoof boots can often provide superior comfort and healing support compared to metal shoes.
Healing and Maintenance: Boots allow for better circulation and easier hoof access, which promotes faster recovery from injuries or lameness.
If you’re thinking about transitioning a horse to barefoot or using boots regularly, the key is to observe your horse’s specific living conditions and riding demands closely. How much time are they on rough terrain versus soft pasture? What’s the local climate like? Answering these helps decide if boots are a daily necessity or occasional protection.
For the barefoot horse, our farm provides a varying terrain of sand, granite, clay, forest, and fields to adapt to proprioceptive changes in terrain.
Photo courtesy Dr. Tomas Teskey
Use Builds Toughness: The more a horse moves barefoot on varied terrain, the more their hooves toughen and adapt—reducing the need for boots over time. This is like a “conditioning effect” on the hoof.
Movement Variety: Encouraging varied movement patterns (different terrains, footing, and work types) can help stimulate hoof health better than repetitive movement on uniform surfaces.
Individual Factors Matter: Genetics, diet, workload, overall health, past injuries, and even the quality of the barefoot trim can all influence whether boots are needed. Not every horse will respond the same way to similar conditions.
Corrective Trimming + Therapeutic Boots + Movement = Healing: The synergy here is crucial. Correct trimming (especially by someone competent in barefoot/natural hoof care) combined with therapeutic pads and boots allows movement without pain or further damage, supporting natural healing.
Navicular Syndrome: Your point on navicular horses is especially insightful. Since navicular involves poor internal foot structure development, the key to improvement is encouraging natural, constant mechanical stimulation—pressure and release on the frog and hoof flexion—to promote healthy growth and remodeling of those internal structures.
Patience & Monitoring: Barefoot transitions, especially for navicular or other chronic hoof issues, take time. Close monitoring of the horse’s comfort and hoof changes is vital.
“If we only focus on the hoof - barefoot will not work.”
Pressure Relief on the Laminae:
In laminitis, the connection between the hoof wall and the coffin bone is weakened or damaged, causing pain and inflammation. By using therapeutic pads and hoof boots, we can reduce the load on the hoof wall and distribute weight more evenly, protecting sensitive structures and preventing further damage.
Growing a New, Well-Connected Hoof Wall:
When walls are flared or separated from the coffin bone, mechanical support and protection are critical. Pads provide cushion and reduce concussion, while boots allow movement, which stimulates circulation and promotes healthier hoof growth. This combination helps the hoof grow in correctly attached and stronger over time.Movement and Circulation:
Comfortable, pain-free movement increases blood flow, which is essential for healing. The ability to move without discomfort prevents further complications like stiffness or poor hoof capsule development.Natural Horse Care Philosophy:
The rise of “natural horse care” reflects a shift towards understanding the horse’s whole environment, lifestyle, nutrition, and health as integral to hoof and overall well-being. It’s not just about trimming barefoot, but creating conditions (turnout, diet, minimal stress, natural movement) that support the horse’s innate ability to maintain healthy hooves and body.
Barefoot isn’t just about pulling the shoes. It’s also about providing a foundation for healthy, strong hooves. It can be a long path with ups and downs but we encourage you, for the love of the horse, don’t give up! The benefits of barefoot are worth it!
Proper Trimming
Barefoot trimming is a technique where the horse's feet are trimmed to replicate the wear that a horse’s hoof would sustain should it be undomesticated. Horses in captivity don't wear down their hooves in the normal manner due to the fact that in most instances they are not given the time or environment in which to produce wear on their hooves. Normally the growth exceeds the wear and the hoof becomes too long and hoof deformities occur.
The optimal form and length is different for every horse the same way fingernails are different on every human. This means there is no one way to trim a horse and in fact all four of the horses feet may be of different lengths and shapes. The goal for barefoot trimming is to let the hoof grow in such a way that indicates the normal wear pattern for the horse and keep the hoof at a length that best suits them. Since many horses lives are cut short by feet and limb deformities there are many benefits associated with barefoot trimming.
The horse receives better circulation to the hoof without shoes as the sole/frog receives proper concussion sending the blood back up the leg. Shod horses can be seen (through thermal imaging) to have reduced circulation to the hoof.
Skuffles in the herd can be quite dangerous with shod horses, but this is
less so with barefoot horses.Horses have better traction without shoes.
It's cheaper to have a barefoot horse than a shod one.
Conditions such as navicular disease may be curable by going barefoot and
can be avoided altogether if the horse is raised barefoot.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Hiltrud Strasser Visit her Blog
This thermograph image shows a horse who has three bare feet and one with a shoe. It is quite clear from this image that the circulation has been impaired by the shoe (the large blue area is cool). What do you suppose will happen after many years of cutting off circulation to the hoof? Arthritis (inflammation), concussion and tendon/joint injuries… you may already be experiencing these with your horse. The damage to the horse’s body is one thing, and then there is the cost (veterinarian visits, prescriptions, joint injections, etc.).
And what about the emotional damage this it’s inflicting? We ask our horses to put their trust in us and perform or move in intricate ways, while we are also inadvertently causing them pain and potentially shortening their functional lives. It makes no sense when we look at the big picture.
It has been shown that the internal structures of the horses hoof start to deteriorate if the horse is shod and they are built to support weight and hit the ground. If the horse's weight is being suspended off the ground by shoes the digital cushion begins to lose structure and become weak. Luckily these structures are able to regenerate and grow tough again but only through removal of shoes. One of the common mistakes is that the horse owner will remove the shoes and the horse may appear lame due to the softening of the digital cushion so the owner will put shoes back on. This in fact worsens the problem as the structures continue to weaken. The only way to strengthen the horse’s feet is to remove the shoes and let the horse recuperate naturally.
A big thank you to Dr. Tomas Teskey, DVM for letting us use this video. Have you seen his amazing book Insight to Equus? This book is a must have for horse owners and also makes an amazing gift!
"This video is looking down on the coffin joint to one side, where the digital vessels and nerves live. Watch how the digital artery opens and closes with the up and down movement of the navicular bone. With weight bearing, the artery is closed, and during hoof flight it is open. This is one step in the amazing circulatory system of the hoof." Tomas Teskey Veterinary Insights.
There are a growing number of qualified barefoot trimmers everywhere. There are some associations that have lists of trimmers, but also many other good trimmers that don’t have formal qualifications but have read, studied and learnt how to execute a good functioning trim. There are also owners like us who have learned to trim their own horses and now trim for others. The best advice is to research, find a local trimmer and ask to see references or chat to owners who have their horses trimmed by them. We have our own list of approved trimmers here…
Expect the hooves to be trimmed a maximum of every 6 weeks. You want to trim before the hoof becomes flared or overgrown. A good trimmer will also advise you about exercise, care and diet. I could talk about the trim for hours, but there is much information to talk about here. It is basically about balance, having an even amount of hoof wall around the sole, equal height and level heels, straight hoof walls, wide large frogs, bevelled hoof wall and healthy strong sole. But it’s not quite that simple! Find a clinic near you...
We've all heard the saying "no hoof, no horse" right? Well "no gut, no hoof" also applies!
Exercise
Photo by AANHCP CP Alena Vostatkova from her Paddock Paradise in the Czech Republic. Click for the full post.
Movement and Hoof Health: Why Your Horse Needs to Keep Moving
Movement is essential—not just for growing strong, healthy hooves, but for your horse’s overall health and vitality. Horses evolved to travel around 20 miles a day, and their bodies are built to thrive on that kind of daily motion. Every system in the horse benefits from consistent movement.
One of the most visible ways we see this benefit is in the hooves. The more a horse moves, the more their hooves grow to match the natural wear. This dynamic growth is why hooves don’t simply "wear out," as some fear. In fact, when transitioning from shod to barefoot, increasing movement is key. Ideally, horses should have 24-hour turnout with access to varied terrain—and even better, the company of a herd in a pasture or a Paddock Paradise-style environment. These setups naturally encourage more frequent, purposeful movement.
If a horse lives only on soft footing, it’s unrealistic to expect them to handle rocky trails or uneven terrain comfortably during rides. The solution is twofold: first, incorporate varied terrain at home—materials like pea gravel can be excellent for hoof conditioning. Second, gradually introduce your horse to rougher terrain under saddle, building up hoof strength and resilience over time.
Hoof boots with pads can be incredibly helpful during this transition, offering protection and comfort as the hooves adjust and strengthen. With consistency and proper support, your horse can develop tough, functional bare hooves capable of handling diverse environments.
Diet
Feeding for the Barefoot Horse: Nutrition That Supports Strong, Healthy Hooves
A proper diet is essential for any horse, but especially for barefoot horses. Fortunately, the ideal diet for supporting healthy, barefoot hooves also happens to be well-suited for most horses—particularly “easy keepers” and those prone to metabolic conditions like laminitis.
The foundation of a barefoot-friendly diet is high fiber, low sugar, and low starch, balanced with the appropriate levels of vitamins and essential minerals. Horses did not evolve to eat rich, lush pastures or high-starch commercial feeds. Instead, they adapted to graze on sparse, dry grasses—naturally low in sugars and starches.
While most horse owners understand that a sudden overload of sugar and starch can lead to laminitis, fewer realize that even small, consistent amounts of these ingredients can contribute to hoof sensitivity over time. To minimize this risk, the best base diet is low-sugar grass hay—ideally with a Non-Structural Carbohydrate (NSC) level of 12% or less.
In an ideal setting, horses would have free access to scrubby, poor-quality grazing land filled with a variety of grasses, herbs, and plants. This diverse, low-calorie forage would allow them to self-regulate nutrient intake naturally. However, most domestic horses are kept on richer pastures, which may need to be restricted to prevent metabolic issues. In these cases, good-quality hay becomes a crucial alternative, especially during the winter or when pasture is limited.
Depending on your horse’s workload and access to grass, additional feeding may be necessary. But the focus should always remain on supporting metabolic balance, promoting digestive health, and minimizing the sugar and starch load—all of which contribute directly to healthier, stronger barefoot hooves.
To build and maintain healthy hooves, your horse needs more than just the right amount of fiber and low sugar—you also need to get the vitamin and mineral balance right. A well-rounded intake of both major and trace minerals supports not only hoof growth but also overall health, immunity, and metabolic function.
Two of the most critical minerals for hoof health are zinc and copper—and unfortunately, they’re commonly deficient in many equine diets. At the same time, many horses are exposed to excess iron, whether through forage, water, or commercial feeds. Too much iron can interfere with the absorption of zinc and copper, worsening those deficiencies even if you're supplementing them.
Metabolic Conditions and Feeding Considerations
It’s important to recognize that some horses have underlying metabolic conditions—such as Insulin Resistance (IR) or Cushing’s disease (PPID)—that directly impact their dietary needs and hoof health. These horses require carefully balanced nutrition, often with specialized supplements, along with a consistent exercise program to help regulate insulin levels and maintain soundness.
Managing these conditions means going beyond a generic feeding program. It involves monitoring sugar and starch intake very closely, ensuring mineral balance, and working with your vet or equine nutritionist to adjust as needed.
Support Through Natural Feeding Patterns
Regardless of health status, free-choice, trickle feeding—especially through slow feeder hay nets or bags—offers tremendous benefits. This method mimics the horse’s natural grazing behavior, keeping the digestive system functioning smoothly, reducing stress, and promoting healthy weight management.
Trickle feeding not only supports gut health but also plays a vital role in maintaining hoof integrity, energy levels, and overall well-being. Whether your horse is barefoot, metabolic, or simply thriving, how they eat is just as important as what they eat.
Let me know if you'd like to expand this into a complete guide on feeding barefoot or metabolic horses!
A well thought out paddock paradise, or at least many bags placed throughout a property, can provide that much needed movement (for gut mobility and a functional hoof) and happy gut bacteria (micro-biome) essential for optimum digestive health.
Balanced Dentistry
What Is Neuromuscular Horse Dentistry?
(Also known as Natural Balance Dentistry™)
Neuromuscular horse dentistry is a specialized approach that focuses on restoring proper biomechanical motion in the jaw. By bringing balance and comfort to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), this method can influence the horse’s physical health, emotional state, and even psychological well-being. From increasing muscle mass and improving performance to optimizing digestion and comfort—it all starts with the mouth.
Natural Balance Dentistry™ begins with carefully realigning the incisors to provide stability and guidance to the TMJ. From there, the molars are adjusted to create an anatomically correct inclination of the chewing surfaces. These precise adjustments allow the horse to move its jaw naturally and completely, without restriction.
Why is this important? Because balanced jaw motion supports balanced body movement. When the teeth are correctly aligned, the TMJ functions properly. This not only improves chewing efficiency (and thus dietary absorption) but also enhances overall posture, muscle development, and performance. In essence, the mouth becomes a gateway to restoring full-body function through a neuromuscular and proprioceptive connection.
