>>> http://listen-to-your-horse.blogspot.com/2008/06/shoes-or-not.html >
My horses have been barefoot for a long time - so long that I don't know exactly when - 17-18 years, maybe? Whatever, my horses went barefoot many years before barefoot guru Pete Ramey even took up farriery, so it wasn't like an epiphany when I decided to stop shoeing my horses - I didn't do it because it was trendy. I did it with the full support of my farrier, even his recommendation, because we thought it best for our horses. I did it over a period of months, one horse at a time. Anyway, even though I have a long record of horses being successfully barefoot, I get irritated when I see videos that call conventional shoeing "a crippling tradition." There are horses who benefit from shoes, even if it's only for a short period. It doesn't have to be an either/or decision, nor should it be. Karen Thomas, NC
