Barefoot Grazing

An Introduction to Suitable Solutions

Grazing Track for Barefoot Horses

Barefoot Grazing - An Introduction

Here are ideas and solutions to help you maintain barefoot hooves and keep your barefoot horse(s) sound.

Ideas which you can do:-

irrespective of where you live.
irrespective of the size of your fields or paddocks.

Ideas which will help you:-

With their daily living
And will maintain their hooves in optimun health

Ideas which once set up will help your horses independent of you the owner.

The Ideal Grazing Model

Jaime Jackson (Director of the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners) says:-

"He uses the wild horse as his model and wild horses live outside in the company of other horses all year long, in all climates, with no rugs and are continuously on the move."

This is by far the healthiest way for our horses to live and the model, for us to attempt to copy, if we wish to try and keep horses in optimum health.

A goal which must be worthy of working towards.

Challenges of Maintaining Barefoot Hooves

The question is then:-

"How do we best adapt this barefoot grazing model to our domestic situations and so ennabling us to keep our horses as close to this model as possible?"

This was the question we struggled with and tried to find practical solutions towards helping us keep and:-

improve our barefoot horses hooves
and then maintain their improved hoof structure

Even if you remove their shoes, transition them, keep them turned out, work out how you are going to manage your paddocks, as well as work, train and ride them, so they are safe and fit to ride/ compete/hunt/show jump etc. you are still left with the challenge of how to:-

"strengthen and maintain their barefoot hooves."

as they need to be continually on the move, grazing and walking over different surfaces, in order for their hooves and physical bodies to function to the best of their abilities.

By this I mean for their hooves to stay strong and hard, for want of a better word, "roadworthy," so that they can be ridden over different surfaces, rocky/stoney paths and they remain sound.

Traditional Grazing

With horses that are just turned out to graze in a field, there is no reason for them to move. They are surrounded by 'food' (grass), so continuous movement which is so important for their health and hooves does not occur. Although you may say, "my horses move," the mileage they cover in a field compared to their wild horse cousins, has no comparison.

So how to provide suitable barefoot grazing is a challenge. Movement is the key. But how does one provide this amount of movement on a daily basis practically?

Barefoot Horses on our Paddock Paradise

The Horses Condition/Weight

Apart from their hooves there is also the monitoring of their weight. In the summer months it is important that they don't get too fat whilst grazing on lush green pastures as this can create havoc with the structure of the hooves as well as their weight.

When they move, like humans they maintain their blood sugar and insulin levels and their hunger is less.

So how do we keep them outside without them standing all day grazing on rich grass?