Okay I just spent a lot of time in a group dedicated to the natural foot thing. They got some solid ideas about building up the hoof to its "natural depth" and then going without shoes..

I have never really thought of why we really shoe em? but understand that the longer they stand around the softer there hoof gets and its areas... guess it is kind of the less work around here I do, I get soft in certian areas...

Has anybody here swapped their horse back to no shoes? Wouldn't that be nice to put your horse back to natural and save the extra bucks to only a trim?

(Oh don't worry about the grammer or spellin' - I get enough of that from my wife)

Yes, I have thought about going natural, but my geldings feet are just not strong enough for it. They are the typical TB feet! We use shoes mostly for performance purposes. Can't run a racehorse, barrel racer, or cutter barefoot no can we! It would defently save you money if you can go natural. Let us know how it goes!

In another thread a member wrote about a product called Mare Magic and said it makes for hard feet, but is pricey will have to check out how long it takes to start producing those results.
Cost is always a factor but if in the long run it helps with other leg issues then It would be a consideration. Kind of falls under how we would take care of ourselves.

Yeah will wait to see what comes of your switch CD.

I posted about Mare Magic and it does NOTHING for the hooves. It is a breeding/calming agent only.

About the natural Hooves though, I keep all my horses unshod unless I am racing, then I use clip shoes. My colts, mares and non racing stock go without shoes and there feet are far better because of it. The longer you keep them unshod and trimmed properly and regularly the feet will get stronger. Unless you have a specific hoof problem that requires shoes.

At the barn I work at, we have about 3/4 of the horses shod, and most of them we pull thier shoes in the winter. The horses all show on the Hunter/ Jumper circut, and so during show season, the horses that go to shows with hard ground, or grass footing, are shod front and back, so that they can wear studs in the back for traction. However there are a few horses that show on all types of footing that always barefoot and they do great. You have to watch them if they are showing on sand alot as it can wear down the hoof wall fairly quickly, but other than that they have the healthiest feet in the barn. There are also 3 or 4 horses that have to wear shoes year round, due to various feet issues. So it all really depends on the horse, and what they are doing.

I saw your post on that other site Cowboy, and thanks for the invite over here.
Personally I run my appy gelding barefoot all the time. There has been alot of research into what is best for a horses hoof in the last 30 years or so, and there have been some awesome conclusions reached. There are several groups involved now in trying to get as much information out there as possible for horse owners, farriers, and Veterinarians. There isn't alot of teaching done in either of these fields regarding the inner structures of the hoof as a general rule, and this needs to change.
I could ramble on about it, but that would take forever. I could post some links if you guys want to check it out for yourselves.
I started down this road only recently, so I do not know everything. There are several different methods in use, and I do not know enough about any to say that one is better than another. But it has changed the way I look at my horses hooves, and his well-being. There is more to it than just a pedicure.

If the enviroment permits it would seem to be a no brainer. They weren't born with Iron Shoes! But then Again either were we!
I would like to give one of my horses a shot with it. But it takes alot of time from what I understand..

Educate Riverfly, that what forums are about.. I like to read them and don't really like bouncing around from site to site. But if they are good links I would like a couple to do some research.

Cut and paste a couple so we can read them those of us who don't have alot of time to spend on the net..

That will be far easier than trying to explain it myself now wouldn't it.LOL!
Just to clarify a little, my gelding also spends all his time outdoors on acres of pasture with 27 other horses, so they move around a lot. He doesn't get any special rations, other than the mineral block, and the occasional treat. This lifestyle suits him well, and he is much healthier than when I had him in the barn every night. Not to mention happier. This all contributes to his awesome feet. I used to be just as guilty as everyone else for killing them with kindness, and thought he was certainly odd for not wanting to eat those alfalfa pellets. Now of course I realise that he didn't need them, and was just fine without.
Have any of you noticed that I can really ramble on, and on, ......
Anyhow, here are some links that I have found useful, Just remember everyone to read with an open mind, I have seen these discussions get ugly. This is what I do, and what alot of others I know are doing. Deal with your horse however you wish. In my case he is doing better this way. Thats all I know.
http://www.equinextion.com
http://www.horseperspective.com/balance.html
http://www.thehorseshoof.com
http://www.equinepodiatry.net
http://www.aanhcp.org
http://www.barefoottrim.com
http://www.gossiping.net/phpBB2/?mforum=barefoottrim

The decision to go au natural is based on several factors:
The quality of your horse's feet.
The amount of work your horse is doing.
The footing on which your horse lives and works.
The existence or absence of any hoof problems or lameness that might be affected by going barefoot.
A truly good footed horse will never miss a beat, you won't be able to tell the difference.
But most horse don't fall in that category; they will go through an adjustment period. They may appear fine for a few days and then get a bit sore. After several weeks to a couple of months the soreness gradually goes away. This is the toughening up process.

but, you should be far more interested in the well being of your horse's feet than lining your pockets.

We have a mare that is a good canidate for the natural hoof campaign. She doesn't get ridden much and has some foot issues that might be caused by the shoes. So we will see I am very close at giving this a try but just can't sell my self on it. It seems to take alot of work.

But it has to be better especially since all the circumstances seem to be in place.