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Home > Articles > Barefoot Event Horses
Barefoot Event Horses
They don't just do it, they do it better!
by Kendall DeRoo
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Royal Code and Tyler DeRoo negotiating the Preliminary water complex897opj
-- barefoot -- at Otter Creek Horse Trials in Wheeler, WI, September 14-15, 2002.
(Maximum Prelim dimensions are 6' 11" spread at the base, 4' '7"
spread at highest point and 3' 7" high. Photo by XpressFoto.com)
Introduction:
Many people think that barefoot may be OK for rehabbing a lame horse, but they still feel that once you get enough recovery to start working the horse again, especially in demanding show disciplines...that of course, you will have to shoe again! Kendall Victorine DeRoo, and her son, Tyler, of Bristol, Wisconsin, have discovered that they can compete in their combined training events better barefoot, however. Their huge collection of old horseshoes is gathering rust in the barn now.
While most of their competitors are fussing with screwing in studs into their horses' shoes for more traction, the DeRoos' horses are enjoying more surefootedness than when they were shod. And the DeRoos no longer worry about shoes coming off in competition, and the damage that goes with it.
Kendall tells her story:
My particular disciplines are dressage, eventing and foxhunting. I have experimented with a
Strasser-style trim on 7 horses, primarily Thoroughbreds. My experience relates primarily to horses
which were not experiencing serious or chronic lamenesses, but were sound horses with the occasional
soft tissue injury, stone bruise, etc. These are things considered common to horses in work, but which
I now regard as largely unnecessary.¹
My horses have been in this trim less than a year, but I had always believed in the natural
lifestyle that Strasser recommends. Like most people, I accepted the commonly-held beliefs that stabling,
bandaging, blanketing, clipping, and -- of course -- shoeing, were "what you did" for horses who were actively
training and competing. But I also believed that horses needed lots of freedom of movement with other horses,
could withstand weather extremes, and that movement seemed to fix just about anything that ailed them. I
usually pulled the shoes for winter and, when I couldn't afford to put 4 shoes on, I discovered that the
horses did quite nicely being barefoot behind. So it wasn't hard for me to go the rest of the way, pull the
front shoes, and begin the Strasser-style trim. (I am using the term, "Strasser-style" trim because I
feel that my horses have not yet achieved a true "Strasser" trim.)
Most of my horses have been Thoroughbreds off the race track, and have presented me with various
physical, mental or emotional "issues." Royal Code (see photos), for example, is a very well-bred Thoroughbred
who bowed a tendon at Arlington Park as a 3 year old and was deemed useless. The horses have taught me that
time, patience and turnout solve problems. In the past year, they have taught me that a barefoot Strasser-style
trim solves problems faster and prevents others.
The following case studies describe two of our horses. One, Uncomplicated, progressed slowly,
while the second, Royal Code, had a relatively easy transition to barefoot.
Case 1: "Uncomplicated"
Uncomplicated, ridden by Kendall DeRoo, trotting on a blacktop road.
(Photo, Gretchen Fathauer)
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Six months before this picture was taken, this horse was diagnosed with thin soles, early ringbone, and possible sidebone--with a veterinary recommendation to inject the coffin joint and put on shoes and pads. Instead of that, he remained barefoot and was trimmed according to Strasser guidelines.
We were able to ride him on a daily basis throughout the transition, but we had to alter our agenda, which proved extremely frustrating at times. My son, Tyler, had planned to event him throughout the summer, but the horse had other plans.
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Once we began the transition, we stuck with it and ultimately let the horse tell us what he could or couldn't do on a daily basis. Some days, he felt lame in 2 or 3 feet; some days, he was lame on grass but sound on pavement; some days he would drop out of the canter without warning; some days, he started out "off," but worked out of it. And some days, he was sound. We gave up trying to stay on a training or conditioning program, but continued to ride every day for at least 30 minutes, in spite of lameness. Interestingly, the lameness never got worse with work, but often improved, which reinforced the Strasser concept that daily exercise and hoof mechanism was critical to transition and recovery.
Surprisingly, sand turned out to be the worst footing to work on during the transition to barefoot. Sand does not provide enough resistance to promote hoof mechanism and it rolls so much that it creates uneven pressure on sensitive (changing) parts of the hoof. Conversely, we discovered that walk and trot work on road pavement, introduced gradually, was an excellent way to improve hoof mechanism. I emphasize that everything we did was introduced gradually, done in moderation and carefully monitored for results.
There were also periods of 2-3 weeks when his trot work was sound, but his canter felt like the wheels had fallen off. So, we didn't canter, but worked in trot, instead. I realized that this was the horse's feet telling me that there were changes going on, either something was "brewing" (an abscess developing) or something had just changed in response to trim work I had recently done. Then, one day, I asked for the canter, got a clean depart and a soft, balanced 3-beat canter.
Uncomplicated's front feet after a long trot on blacktop...so much for
Thoroughbreds allegedly having flat feet!
(Photos, Gretchen Fathauer)
As of November, 2002, Uncomplicated is in regular work, and in fact, just foxhunted barefoot. Hunting was an excellent test of his bare feet--galloping through mud, fallen leaves, snow, ice on streams, gravel, corn stubble, macadam, frozen ground, crusty ploughed ground, slippery grass--and he was wonderful.
He has a different, better balance in the bridle, and he "corners" much better on sharp turns in deep woods. He used to bank those turns, to the point where you felt you had to weight the outside stirrup and keep your weight well back to avoid a slip/fall. Now, he bends! Fantastic!
Case 2: "Royal Code"
Royal clearly has no doubt that his bare feet will be
perfectly comfortable on take-off and landing, regardless of terrain.
(Photo by XpressFoto.com)
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Royal Code is a 10 year old Thoroughbred gelding whose shoes were pulled in February, 2002. He was started in the Strasser-style trim in May, at roughly the same time that my son began eventing him. They completed 2 Novice events, then 4 Training Level events, where they finished 7th, 6th, 4th and lst, all with clean cross-country trips. In September, they moved up to Preliminary Level and completed 2 more events. In their first Preliminary event at Kentucky Classic, they finished 14th out of 28 starters, while 10 horses were eliminated on cross-country.
Royal's transition to barefoot was relatively easy, and despite doing conservative trims because he was competing, his feet continued to change. Competition became an excellent way to measure the benefits of a horse going barefoot.
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The intense environment of competition highlighted all the improvements I saw in the horse at home:
- he galloped and jumped in all kinds of footing
- he maintained excellent traction
- he improved in posture and carriage, which improved his dressage ability and presentation
- he built muscle in "difficult" places (over the topline, loins and point of the hip) and individual muscles blended throughout his body
- his recovery was exceptional
- he developed a shinier coat and richer color
- despite traveling and competing through the heat of summer, he never dehydrated, lost weight or lost substance
Everything about these photos reflects a horse who is enjoying his job. Royal's expression
shows confidence and enthusiasm, while his balance and carriage on a soft rein
allow him to make athletic efforts with ease. (Photos -above & below- by XpressFoto.com)
I'm convinced that the reason for these improvements is found "where the rubber meets the road". Royal's feet, in the Strasser-style trim, are performing their intended role as auxiliary pumps to the heart². This allows his circulatory system to function at optimum capacity and results in a system which carries more oxygen throughout the horse's whole body. This "oxygenation" of the horse's entire body is, I think, the same thing that dressage riders recognize when they comment that a dressage horse, properly warmed up and relaxed, seems to "grow" in stature and carriage during the course of a good training session.
Above: Royal Code's Fore Feet
Below: Royal Code's Hind Feet
(Photos -above & below- by Gretchen Fathauer)
Although Thoroughbreds are reputed to have thin walls
and flat soles, both of these ex-racehorses have developed thick walls
and good concavity.
Traction: "Look, Ma, no studs!"
Since our horses have been in the Strasser-style trim, their traction has been exceptional. Stumbling, while never a major problem for any of them, has virtually disappeared. And while I believe that all horses--barefoot or shod with flat shoes, borium, caulks or studs--can slip in wet or muddy conditions, I think barefoot horses slip "differently." (I'm referring here to slipping of the hindquarters.) A barefoot horse has more control because he can feel what's happening: a bare foot slips only until it comes under the horse's center of balance, so that the horse maintains control of the slip. A smooth shoe, once it slips, continues to slide beyond the natural grab a bare foot would exert from suction and skid-brake effects. Caulks, studs or borium can certainly stop a slide, but it is the metal doing it, not the horse's foot, so the shoe is in control of the horse. I think this causes unseen torquing, twisting and stretching -- "minor" damage which gradually accumulates to become chronic stocking up, windpuffs, joint problems, etc.³
I also question the value of studs for jumping because I suspect they affect the horse's proprioception relative to measuring the effort needed to clear a jump. I began to wonder about it at an event where stadium jumping was held in a grass field after a day of heavy rain. Horse after horse had 3 or 4 rails down on a straightforward training level course. These were horses who obviously knew how to jump and were ridden by competent riders--nothing frantic or scary about their rounds, just a lot of rails down. And stadium was held before cross-country, so that was not a factor. Royal, jumping barefoot, was one of only two horses out of 20 to jump clean.
I think studs may do their job too well; they hold the horse's foot on the ground a fraction longer than the horse expects, and alter his effort (thrust/ balance/trajectory) just enough to drop a rail. Not to mention the major hassle of fussing with the studs, screwing them in, unscrewing them, losing them, and who even knows how big or small a stud to use? Bare feet, on the other hand, will never give a horse too much traction.4
Another benefit of bare feet is the ability to custom tailor the feet to competition conditions. If, for example, there are slippery conditions, you can adjust the trim to gain optimum traction.5
As to why Royal Code is wearing bell boots in these photos: the first time Royal went Prelim, he grabbed himself on the right front and got an overreach. Fortunately, it was low enough that it was more of an abrasion than a true cut, but the bell boots were a precaution against further damage. I specifically asked Martha Olivo about it in October. She looked at his feet and said that his hind toes were still too long and we would have to continue to adjust the trim as his balance changed. She recommended that we continue to use the bell boots until we were sure there would be no problem. So it's really another transition thing. Frankly, I can't wait to get rid of them. I hate bell boots.
My horses are only partially through their transition to barefoot and I am feeling my way through the process, learning by doing. As long as I continue to see improvements, I see no reason to put shoes back on. Barefoot is working for my horses in my disciplines, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is thinking "beyond the horseshoe" and wants to give it a try.
Tyler is trying out for a spot on the Area IV team, which is to compete at the North American Young Riders Championships in Quebec in August, 2003.
If anyone wants encouragement, you can email me.
Good luck, and happy riding! --Kendall Victorine DeRoo
Update: June 2003, Recent Win!
Royal Code and my son Tyler WON their division of the Preliminary Level at the Fox River Valley Pony Club Horse Trials, Barrington, IL this past weekend (June 21-22, 2003), with a final score of 39.5 penalty points! FIRST PLACE!!! BAREFOOT!!! YAY!!!
After placing 4th in dressage, Royal jumped clean cross-country, galloping blithely over a course which caused (for other riders & horses) 4 falls, numerous refusals and tons of time penalties. Only one other horse in the division had no jump or time faults. Of 56 total starters at the Preliminary level, Royal had the third fastest time of the day, finishing 11 seconds under the time, and moving into first place. You can't tell me shoes, and particularly studs, don't slow a horse down.
Stadium jumping, the third phase of the event, was run in reverse order of placing, which meant Tyler jumped last and had plenty of time to work up a good case of nerves. They had one rail down, but so did the second place horse, so the standings didn't change and THEY WON! (Am I excited, or what?)
They are now qualified for the the DeBroke Championship in September, Area IV Preliminary Championships in October and are hoping to be selected for the Area IV Young Rider One Star team competing in Canada in August.
Much credit for Royal's success goes to Erika Czinki, his Hoof Groom. (Erika may be reached at 630-730-2088 or comgabrielle@AOL.com) I think Royal's story is proof that barefoot horses are happy horses, capable of major performance accomplishments, perhaps more than we even know.
Update: 11/13/2003
My son Tyler and Royal Code's event season ended on a high note a week ago when they completed their first
Intermediate level event at River Glen Horse Trials! Overall this year, they entered 8 Preliminary events, placing in
6 of those -- all with clean cross-country rounds -- including first place at Fox River Valley Horse Trials.
Biggest disappointment of the season was the Selection Trials for the North
American Young Riders Championships. Despite the fact that Tyler and Royal
presented the best competitive record and were the first choice of the selectors, they (the selectors)
would only place them on the team if we would
put shoes on the horse -- which we did not agree to do. It was an enormous
disappointment, but seeing the health, soundness, "bloom", recovery,
athleticism, vitality and general "robustness" of barefoot horses, I would
never go back to shoes.
Considering the training schedule, the competitions and the distances we
travel, Royal has been sound throughout it all, no leg injuries, not even any
stocking up -- proof to me that a barefoot horse is a sound, healthy, resilient
animal capable of remarkable athletic achievement.
There is unquestionably a lot of skepticism out there about barefoot
performance horses, most of it, I feel, coming from a sincere belief that shoes
"protect" the foot and "preserve" the horse's longevity. But I am watching and
listening to my horses, and they tell me a different story.
Tyler, Royal and I are all indebted to Royal's hoof groom, Erika Czinki,
without whom -- I am convinced -- we would not be doing this. Thank you, Erika!
Sources:
1. Strasser, Hiltrud. Shoeing: A Necessary Evil? Pp. 52, 64
Strasser, Hiltrud. The Hoofcare Specialist's Handbook, P. XI-15
2. Strasser, Hiltrud. Shoeing: A Necessary Evil? P. 52
Strasser, Hiltrud. The Hoofcare Specialist's Handbook, Pp.III-16, IV-39-43.
3. Strasser, Hiltrud. Shoeing: A Necessary Evil? Pp. 62-64.
4. Strasser, Hiltrud. Shoeing: A Necessary Evil? P. 63.
5. Strasser, Hiltrud. The Hoofcare Specialist's Handbook, Pp. V-13-17.
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