>>>> I know that going barefoot is a huge commitment and not everyone has the ability to do it...
Why is it a huge commitment? If the horses are suitable for barefoot, they can do it. If it's THAT hard to transition to, maybe it's not being done correctly, or maybe the circumstances aren't right for that horse to go without shoes. I know plenty of people whose horses mostly go barefoot, but who put shoes on them for trail riding/show season, or for some other specific, finite reason. I know people who pull their horse's shoes for the winter and put the shoes back when they need them. That's basically the attitude we had when we pulled our horse's shoes 17-18 years ago - we knew we weren't going to be riding hard for a while, so we pulled them, bought EZ boots, and found we never needed them again. It was easy. I never really heard this attitude about barefoot being a "huge commitment" until the nouveau Barefoot Nazis hit the scene about 8-10 years ago. Up until then, barefoot was an easy choice for some of us, one that didn't have to be all or nothing. I DO believe barefoot is better, when it works, and I do believe that more horses could be barefoot than are. But when I hear people talk about how hard it is to transition to barefoot...well, let's just say that I suspect they are setting me to so they can sell me something. Sheesh, why did it suddenly become difficult when a few people started selling books and clinics on the subject? Barefoot CAN be easy, and it should be. Karen Karen Thomas Wingate, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.8/1153 - Release Date: 11/26/2007 9:08 PM
