Maintaining a Natural Horse: Essential Understanding for choosing and keeping a barefoot riding horse

The idea of natural, barefoot riding is the subject of ever-increasing discussion, but the promises made by many who promote it are often not realized by the horse owner. Our perspective is that barefoot riding is not only preferable but completely possible if certain changes are made in how one rides, how the horse is kept, and how the horse is viewed. This manual explains, from a realistic standpoint, how to make those changes so that you can keep your horse barefoot, but yet still rideable, and avoid the lameness problems caused by shoeing.

Those who think of their horse as their friend and companion rather than as an object naturally want to maintain their horse so that it can be as healthy and happy as possible, and there is no better way to do that than by maintaining the horse in a natural manner. Rather than imprisoning the horse in a stall or paddock, we learn to give the horse a natural environment that satisfies its instincts to wander and nibble. Rather than poisoning our horse with medications, processed feeds, and supplements, we learn to give our horse the best we can in the way of natural. Rather than hindering the feet and binding them in shoes, we learn to allow the feet to develop their own form suited to the particular environment the horse lives in. We simply choose to stop hindering our horse with the man-made artificial and learn how to keep a horse in harmony with what it means to be a horse. We learn to respect Nature and the horse as a fellow creature of Nature...one whose well being we are responsible for. We learn how to develop a partnership with our horse.

Grounded by an analysis of the feet of the wild horses of Shackleford Island, North Carolina, as well as extensive education and experience in all types of hoof care, the limitations of the various barefoot and shoeing movements are discussed, conventional wisdom regarding horse nutrition, horse health, and horse keeping is examined, and a complete program is presented for those who wish to ride barefoot or for those who may continue to use shoes but wish to simplify and keep their horses in a more natural way.

The importance of respecting natural processes is explained, and the dangers of trying to circumvent or outwit those natural processes are emphasized. Explanation of trimming for natural hoof function which expands on the concepts presented in the "Understanding the Hoof--From the Horse's Perspective" video -- not from a "how to" perspective, but from a common sense perspective of "why" ... and what the effect of trimming actually is. Our perspective is that it's not only the shoes themselves that cause lameness problems down the road, but just as important, the way the horse is trimmed. Even on a barefoot horse who has never worn shoes, a trimming method which interferes with hoof function and hoof adaptation to the environment can have detrimental effects similar to shoeing. We explain why we don't subscribe to "barefoot models" and explain why hoof maintenance must be flexible and adapted to the environment the horse lives in and is used on. Includes extensive discussion about nutrition, feeds, and supplements. The horse is what it eats, so the importance of a varied, natural diet is explained in detail. Also includes discussion about digestion in horses and nutritional considerations that go beyond the nutritional analysis on feed and supplement packaging. This section also includes analysis of success stories for supplements and the importance of respecting the limitations of human knowledge. Explains the importance of choosing a horse based on what it will be used for. Tells what to look for and what to avoid. Offers realistic suggestions for making the living environment of the horse more natural and how you can make the most of the space you have. Includes information on the importance of exercise and keeping your horse emotionally well and how our attitude toward and treatment of our horse affects its overall condition and performance. The conclusion talks about the image aspect of horse keeping and horsemanship and how the image of whatever style of riding we choose affects the choices we make concerning horse care.

Written in an easy to follow, conversational style and packed with real-life examples from years of experience with horses. No hype and no empty promises…just a realistic assessment of barefoot riding and natural horse keeping with a different perspective than the conventional barefoot models.

For the independent and questioning horse owner who is not afraid to depart from the crowd…on both sides.