Carriage Driving and Minimising Concussion through Barefoot Hoof Care.

As retailers of a range of barefoot products including hoof boots, we often get asked - can driving horses work without shoes? Here’s our response: All working horses can experience the effects of concussive forces that are driven into the limbs and feet from the ground. The heavier the horse, the greater the vertical hoof force distribution; one reason why ponies are notoriously popular driving animals! Barefoot advocates believe the healthy, bare equine foot horse experiences dramatically less concussion on hard ground than the shod horse, and has improved hoof mechanism; e.g. the hoof naturally contracts and expands with more functionality. But can driving horses work without shoes, and avoid concussive injury? The answer, according to many hoofcare experts, is yes. Concussion frequently linked to foot shape Concussion is frequently linked to the horse’s foot shape. According to CEO of hoof boot company Easy Care, Garrett Ford, hereditary defects and poor trimming or shoeing can create a foot shape with a low heel, which puts strain on the deep flexor tendon and navicular bone. If blood supply and nourishment do not reach the bones of the foot, there could be serious implications. Ford believes that iron shoes increase concussion. “They hold the frog off the ground, thus reducing blood circulation through the hoof. Shoeing can cause contracted heels, corns, contribute to navicular disease, sidebones, ringbones, and so on,” he states. Barefoot horses enjoy dramatically reduced concussion American natural hoof care specialist and driving trainer, Heike Bean, says a barefoot horse with healthy hooves enjoys dramatically reduced concussion on hard ground. “They are also more sure-footed, usually move more freely, and have better traction on most surfaces,” Bean states. What type of boot would suit my horse? The acclimatisation process from having shoes to going barefoot takes time to achieve. A successful barefoot programme involves the correct diet to aid the horse holistically, the right type of exercise to strengthen and stimulate the hooves and internal structures of the limbs, and of course a suitable trim, to ensure the feet stay balanced. There are various types of hoof boots that suit driving horses, depending on the foot’s shape, and the resulting fit of the boot; visit www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk to see our range of hoof boots - many driving customers like the Easyboot Epic and Easyboot Bare. Can I boot just the fronts or hinds of my horse? It is perfectly acceptable to boot just a pair of feet (but never one hoof of a pair, or one front foot and one back). It is common in approximately 75% of cases that only the front (weight bearing) hooves need protection, although with driving horses, it is often the reverse, as the hinds may need more protection.