Do you dare to bare?

How lovely it was to see Pippa Hutton’s ride Belmondo in Horse & Hound magazine recently - this is an elite dressage horse that is managed barefoot. The gelding, co-owned by Talland’s renowned dressage guru (and Pippa’s mother) Pammy Hutton, allowed Pippa to finish as the best placed Brit in the recent Under 25s team test at the European Championships. “He’s my knight in shining armour and probably the first Grand Prix [dressage] Grand Prix horse,” Pippa told H&H.

Although that accolade probably lies with American Shannon Peters’ ride, ‘Flor de Selva’, Belmondo is certainly the highest profile British barefoot horse we can think of currently in the mainstream riding disciplines, and it makes us very happy to see such an influential dressage family embracing barefoot.

At The Saddlery Shop we are advocates of barefoot horsecare, yet we do realise that it isn’t for everyone - the question of whether all horses can go bare is a hotly-contested subject amongst hoof care professionals, and one answer that we frequently hear is that: “every horse can go barefoot, but not every owner can!” The reasons for this argument are that shoes are a convenience for the owner that allow the hooves to be maintained in such a way that little needs to be done by the owner to keep the horse sound enough to work on most surfaces.

Barefoot management however requires that hooves are kept in prime condition, and some horses will be harder to maintain in a barefoot regime that others, depending on their background. Transitioning horses with less than ideal hooves may be a job that requires time, patience and a little investment, at least in the beginning, and in all cases, the management of a barefoot horse may not suit the owner’s requirements for practices that are predominantly chosen for convenience (such as stabling).

With the advent of modern hoof boots to prevent wear, the need to shoe is even further in question. Check out our wide range! The Saddlery Shop stocks hoof boots from all of the main brands, such as Easycare, Cavallo, Equine Fusion, Renegades and Floating Hoof Boots. If you are unsure what model of hoof boot will suit your horse or pony, ask your hoofcare practitioner for advice, or chat to a retailer. Hoof boot hire is available at www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk. The book, The Barefoot Horse - an Introductory Guide to Barefoot & Booting, is also available here.

We love sharing our expertise - to see a range of horsey articles, videos and reviews concerning lots of other equestrian and countryside matters, visit http:www.horseandcountryside.com