By Jen Clingly & Marg Richardson
Every horse can remain unshod. It is a common belief that the only option is to shoe our horses for protection or their feet will break away, wear down too fast or that the horse will become unsound...
The horse’s hoof is a marvel of the natural world. The study of the equine hoof has been more controversial than any other part of the horse’s anatomy. Horse shoeing has always been an unquestioned tradition. Humans have been nailing horse shoes onto horses’ hooves for over 1000 years.
The history of the horse shoe is unclear. But it appears they were invented sometime in the middle ages to protect compromised hooves when horses were kept in stables standing in their own waste. In this day and age most owners continue to keep their horses shod. After all, this has always been customary – can you remember back to a time otherwise?
However horse owners and trainers around the world are discovering there is a way to go without shoes and have their horse perform in any discipline with success and soundness...
