Book recommendations for barefoot

[Mary Poppins]

I am looking to buy my first pony this year and want to investigate barefoot in more detail. My loan pony does not wear shoes on his back feet and I don't really understand why he is shod on his front feet (but I don't have any say in this). This area is totally new to me and I would like to buy a good book which explains the rationale behind going barefoot and why this is good for the horse. Can anyone recommend anything?

I don't know of any horse on my yard who is totally barefoot and when I have raised it no-one seems very keen on the idea. Some people think that I would want to consider barefoot purely because it is cheaper but I am sure there are other benefits.

[KarinUS]

The more I read, the more I get confused! LOL. Ours have been barefoot for 2 years. We have a TB, a Qh and a draft cross.
Anyway. Trim styles vary considerably. We've recently investigated KC LaPierre's hoof podiatry a bit more and gotten his book and video. He is not a barefoot fanatic- as he wants you to know- but some of his clients have gone on to win major achievements barefoot - like steeplechaser Saucy Night.

A totally different trim is offered by Pete Ramey. It's very simplistic and probably the one horse owners can learn very easily. He's got a book out as well.

LaPierre has a message board, you can check out before you buy the book (you can also buy his book there at a discount). www.theperfecthoof.com

[H & Bailey]

I would go for the Pete Ramey book.I managed to get it out of my local library by getting the isbn number,its very interesting to read and this is how my ponies are now trimmed .I would buy it as its a good reference to have.

[Shadowlark]

I use Pete Ramey, he also has a video available - you can get it off ebay or off Clinton ANdersons site.

http://www.hoofrehab.com/hoof%20articles%20by%20Rete%20Ramey.htm

Several articles by him on his site www.hoofrehab.com

[MelanieD]

Pete Ramey's book is good, and there are updates and other info at www.hoofrehab.com. KC LaPierre's book is good but a bit more complicated and not quite as easy to read, www.equinepodiatry.net, www.aepauk.org and perfect hoof club are all about that style of trimming. There's also a good barefoot forum at www.enlightenedequitation.com.

[Bay Mare]

MP, you can borrow my KC DVDs if you want. They're a bit easier to understand than the book :)

The best places to go are the barefoot forums on Enlightened Equitation and the AEPAUK website (there's also a forum which is fairly new but has some good stuff on it).

Saff is barefoot as are several other horses at our yard :) Shod horses are getting to be in the minority at our place :D

[katefarmer]

My loan pony does not wear shoes on his back feet and I don't really understand why he is shod on his front feet (but I don't have any say in this).

Horses naturally carry beween 55% and 60% of their weight on their forehand - so that means the fore feet incur correspondingly more wear and tear than the hind feet. If the horse is in all round work (including any sort of jumping) this inceases further - as the horse lands from a jump, the whole weight of horse plus rider, plus the moment of the landing are concentrated on the front feet - and the physics is quite alarming! If I remember rightly from a hoof care seminar I attended a few weeks ago, landing from a fence of around 3 feet, around 3 times the weight of horse plus rider impacts on the front feet. Therefore, there are many cases in which horses need shoes at the front, but not necessarily behind.

Whether barefoot is a viable or beneficial option for your horse will depends a lot on the individual horse as well as on the type and amount of riding you want to do. It's certainly a good idea to research the arguments on all sides, and if you decide that you definitely want your pony to go barefoot, I'd be inclined to make that one of the search criteria when you're looking. If this is your first pony there will be plenty of challenges anyway, without dealing with the adjustment period (which can by anything from weeks to several months, or even years) in changing from shod to barefoot. You could save yourself a lot of hassle and frustration by looking for a pony that is already barefoot and doing the type and quantity of work you will be doing!