Wild Horses Don't Wear Shoes
why should yours?

But why barefoot? Why not shoe, when so many horses seem to be just fine in their shoes?

Imagine yourself in really tight, stiff shoes - for months on end. You won't notice the rocks under your feet as you walk around outside, but after a while your feet start to go a bit numb. Your circulation isn't so good. You can't clip your toenails, and they get too long. The muscles in your foot atrophy from lack of exercise and your skin becomes sensitive. When you finally take off the shoes, your feet ache, your skin is thin, and it really hurts to walk on anything other than carpet.

Now pretend that you're going barefoot for several months. The first couple weeks your feet are tender when you walk on gravel to pick up the mail. After a while you don't notice it though, as your soles get callused. Soon you're kicking a soccer ball barefoot without flinching, because your skin has toughened. Your arches flex, absorbing shock when you jump. Your feet are muscular and strong.

Granted this is a bit simplified, but it makes the point clear: shod horses can't take their shoes off. And long-term shoeing causes problems.

The horse's hoof needs to expand and contract during movement to stimulate circulation. The horse's hoof helps pump its own blood; the heart does not complete the job alone. The expansion of the hoof upon impact helps pull blood into the hoof; the hoof's contraction when it is lifted off the ground squeezes the blood back out, sending it back to the heart. Steel doesn't flex, and neither does the hoof nailed to it. Circulation in the hoof is thus reduced, and decreased blood flow can trigger a host of physiological issues, e.g., unhealthy lamina, poor horn quality, joint and ligament damage in the hoof, and diminished athletic performance.

This expansion and contraction cycle is also vital to the hoof's ability to dissipate shock. During impact, the hoof's expansion absorbs most of the concussion; when the hoof cannot expand, the joints must absorb the shock. It is estimated that shoes reduce the hoof's shock-absorbing capacity by 75%. That's a lot of extra wear-and-tear on the joints. Besides, just how shock absorbing is iron, anyway? I wouldn't like to run in a pair of iron shoes!

Generally, the impact of reduced circulation to the hoof and decreased shock-absorption is seen over time, not the day after shoeing. When the problems start to manifest several years later, few think to question the iron that has been down there all the time. Those shoes seem rather benign. But for those interested in the long-term health and well being of their equine partners, this warrants serious consideration. This is but a brief description of the deleterious effects of shoes; I strongly recommend reading Jaime Jackson's Horse Owner's Guide to Natural Hoof Care for a thorough understanding of this "hoof mechanism." Jaime says it all.

I hope my simplified analogy also helps explain why some - if not most - horses are sore immediately after de-shoeing. We would be, too, if we had worn shoes for months and then were asked to go barefoot! It is not that the horse cannot cope without shoes; many have simply lost barefoot conditioning. Some horses will toughen up quickly, and some will take a little more time. Some unfortunate horses will take longer because the numbing effect of the shoes has covered up a pathology that the horse can feel intensely without the shoes. Quality trimming, lots of movement, and natural horse keeping practices will help the horse heal.
Thankfully, there are good hoof boots available to ease any sore transition periods, defending the hoof against tenderness while allowing it to function naturally.