07/02/2023
People have been describing the movement advocating for alternatives to metal shoes as "the barefoot fad" in a number of online spheres, which is an interesting misnomer we'd like to discuss
While the ideal goal of the movement is, indeed, to have as many horses walking on their natural feet, a majority of proponents advocate for alternative hoof protection to replace, not simply discard, metal shoes. Examples including but not limited to hoof boots, casting, and composites.
It's easy to call what seems like a new movement skyrocketing in popularity a "fad"; however, the beliefs behind barefoot trimming are based on the scientific understanding of how horses use their hooves, and the hoof mechanisms.
This is how every step begins with the digital cushion in the back, rolls over the frog to pump blood, expands in the quarters to absorb shock, then grips with the toe to push off. Trimmers use that knowledge to shape every hoof closer to ideal function.
Many books written on farriery for centuries describe resting horses' feet from metal shoes due to the damage they do, and, prior to the modern open-heel shoe, many societies used something much more akin to modern hoof boots, the hipposandal being one such example. The newest part of these ideas is the scientific backing we now have.
What we'd like to ask now is how can how horses are born, barefoot, be a “fad”?
