Going shoeless... more thoughts on nutrition

Ever since having Rainbow in my life, I have been thinking about the shoes vs. barefoot debate.  Majority of the horse world still believes that shoes on horses are the norm and a shoeless horse is somehow an oddity or even that not having shoes means the horse is somehow not right or can't be in full work. Some native breeds and ponies are kept shoeless, but the idea that a 'normal' working horse can function without shoes is quite alien to many. It has also become quite obvious to me personally how people find it odd, as many of those, to whom I've mentioned going shoeless, often look a little bit puzzled and query reasons for it.

Without going into a long spiel about shoeless horses or about how the act of shoeing a horse is quite an invasive procedure – nails are hammered into a hoof. It's one of those things that hasn't seemed to change over the centuries, despite all the advances in technology and science. We still think that attaching something metallic – with nails – onto a living thing (I mean the hoof, but horse, too I guess) is still the best method. 

Even though many horses are 'used to' being shod, including Rainbow, I have seen her sort of wince when the farrier has begun tapping the nails in. I've seen her stretch the leg that is being shod in discomfort. I didn't like it.

Everyone can make up their own mind about shod vs. shoeless. I am sure things won't be dramatically changing for a long while, as shoeing is the convenient option. The quick fix. By shoeing your horse you basically ensure your horse is able to tackle most terrain without a second thought. By shoeing them you can also feed them 'most things' without feeling the consequences... And that's what brings me to the core of going shoeless and staying there: The Correct Diet. 

I have been reading a lot about horse nutrition over the past few days. Mainly with the view to promote good hoof health for Rainbow and to help her with the transition from shoes to shoeless, but good diet is obviously an all encompassing thing. I also had equine podiatrist come and see her last weekend to assess her hooves. The good news is that Rainbow has good feet. Her digital cushion is in great shape; it's full and firm. The podiatrist said that he's not really interested in the look/quality of the lower bit of the hoof itself as it's only 10% of the hoof's function. The key is healthy 'internal' structures on which to build on.  So diet is the key: what you put in, comes out... In other words: you are what you eat. This applies to horses as well as humans. 

Rainbow demonstrating here the importance of hay.

Horses should have 80-90% of their intake as forage (hay/haylage [higher in sugar than hay] /grass [spring and summer grass are very high in sugar]). The rest is working out the vitamins and minerals needed that are lacking in the forage (each area/region is different) as well as keeping the diet as low as possible on sugars and starches. High sugar content in feed causes 'footiness', which means that a barefoot horse gets tender feet and can't e.g. walk on gravelly ground. This is then often interpreted as lameness or, at least, as not being able to function without shoes, so shoeing is recommended. Whereas by changing the horses diet, this could be fixed. So barefoot horse will show you very quickly what it can and can't do (shoes hide many sins!) if the diet is not quite right. So it takes a little bit of dedication from the owner to be sensitive to the 'changes' and proactivity to improve on things. 

Many manufactured horse feeds and chaffs are high in sugar. Also some manufacturers don't clearly print the ingredients list on their products, only stating 'slogans' on the front (which by the way aren't legally binding to be 'factual', they're just marketing talk) so every horse owner should take some interest in the ingredients list (demand to see a list in the first place!) and educate themselves a little about what is in a typical horse's nutritional wheel. Then it is easier to start thinking about your horse and his needs. Each horse in an individual, of course, but for most the same basic rules apply.

I won't start on my dislike of the horse feed industry and commercialism. Horse owners are easy targets: we need this and that to have a happy healthy horse! What a load of... Again they are playing on the 'quick fix': feed this and you will solve all these things. So when learning about horse nutrition, try and seek out impartial information or books on the subject. Do not read product presentations by feed manufacturers. Get your facts right first and then read about products with an educated* mind. (*I want to say sceptical, but I won't.) One good book on the subject is this one, which has a whole chapter on nutrition as well and is clearly written: Feet First: Barefoot Performance and Hoof Rehabilitation

But feeding a horse should never be complicated. Going shoeless doesn't mean you need a degree in horse nutrition in order to be able to do it. Just a little common sense and willingness to learn. Also there are good products out there to help that do provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals to promote healthy hoof and horse health – as the saying goes: No Hoof, No Horse! And despite my obvious skew towards barefoot, healthy hooves are equally important for a shod horse as well.


I have been swatting on a lot of stuff of late and I am starting to get some sense in which direction to go. I have been lucky enough to have someone in the family who actually has had horses most of her life, hers are shoeless and bitless(!), and who has advised me as well as shown me how she does it.

First dinner of unmolassed sugar beet went down well.

I have now cut extra sugar from R's diet, so no molassed chaff anymore. I am still giving some pony nuts for familiarity for a while, but I now mix them with unmolassed sugar beet (Speedi-Beet). It's a misnomer: sugar beet actually is naturally low in sugar and starch. It is often fed to laminitics. I mix in a multi-vitamin and mineral into the sugar beet: Benevit Advance, which was recommended to me by the podiatrist. It ensures Rainbow gets everything in terms of vitamins and minerals. 

Benevit Advance nutritional table

And finally, another couple of scoops of Linseed, Seaweed, Yeast, Magnesium and Rosehip mix: Barefoot Formula. Because in an ideal world horses would feed on wild flower meadows, eat shrubs and bushes, as well as herbs and whatever comes in their way. Our modern day fields are more than often monocultures, lacking the variety of plants and, thus, the necessary nutrients.

These tubs are not the cheapest and I have been given advice on alternative, cheaper way of doing things by the family member, but these help me to get started. (I will surely post more on feeding at a later date.)

www.feedmark.com

For now, we are letting Rainbow's hooves grow a bit more, so the podiatrist will have something to work with when we remove her shoes in July. I am making the feeding transition now so she will have a good start to being shoeless. I will let you know when the shoes have come off!

For those interested in reading more about barefoot performance, this blog and its writers are a brilliant testament to how rehabilitated horses, with often severe foot problems, can perform and work shoeless and often better than with shoes. Inspirational. The blog is also full of information on everything barefoot: Rockley Farm