06/08/2026
Excellently written đ I have said for years itâs about what is best for your horse. To provide the most comfortable hoof care routine for your equine to do the job required. Barefoot vs shoes isnât Liverpool fc vs Manchester United. Sometimes egos need to be dropped because the horses welfare is paramount
When did hoof care become a religion?
âNatural.â
Itâs become one of the most overused words in modern horse care.
Somewhere along the way, ânaturalâ became synonymous with âbetterâ. But is it really that simple?
Unfortunately, hoof care has become increasingly polarised.
Instead of discussing what works best for the individual horse, we often see people firmly planted in one camp or the other. For some, every horse should be barefoot. For others, every horse should be shod.
Once we start believing there is only one answer for every horse, we stop looking at the horse standing in front of us.
Letâs be honest, very few horses (certainly in the UK) live anything approaching a natural life. They donât roam across vast tracts of unmanaged land or select their own forage from miles of varied terrain. Many spend time in stables, are fed hay and concentrates, travel in horseboxes, work on metalled roads, arenas and artificial surfaces, wear rugs, receive veterinary care and have almost every aspect of their lives carefully managed by us.
And that isnât a criticism. Most of us do those things because we believe they improve our horsesâ welfare, health and longevity.
To be fair, there has been a welcome rise in track systems and more natural management approaches in recent years, and for some horses they can work extremely well. But they simply arenât available to every owner. Many livery yards donât offer them, not everyone has access to sufficient land, and for some people they are not practical or manageable alongside work, family and everyday life.
The reality is that most horses still live in managed environments, and good owners do the very best they can within the circumstances available to them.
We have selectively bred horses for generations to excel at specific jobs. We ask them to carry us, jump fences, perform dressage, pull carts, race, hack on tarmac roads, and live in environments that are nothing like those their ancestors evolved in.
Once we have accepted all of that, it is difficult to argue that the only part of the horse that must remain ânaturalâ at all costs is its feet.
Of course, if a horse can comfortably live and work barefoot, thatâs fantastic. We would love every horse to be able to.
But comfort has to come before ideology. If a horse is persistently footsore, reluctant to move or living in discomfort simply because someone is determined to keep it barefoot, are we really putting the horse first?
Yesterday I passed two horses out hacking. One was barefoot and quite obviously very sore. The other was wearing hoof boots, yet could barely walk. That isnât a criticism of barefoot horses or hoof boots. Both can work extremely well in the right circumstances.
In fact, a good friend and respected colleague of mine, Mark Johnson, makes orthotic inserts that fit inside hoof boots for horses that need additional biomechanical support. Used alongside appropriate hoof care, they can be an excellent option for some horses (weâve asked Mark to give us more information and look forward to posting it here soon).
That is something more owners could consider in conjunction with their hoof-care provider, particularly where shoes are not the route they wish to take.
The important point is this: whatever approach you choose, it should result in a horse that moves comfortably. If it doesnât, then it is time to reassess the plan rather than clinging rigidly to an ideology.
No hoof-care method should become an article of faith. Shoes are not evil. Nails are not the work of the devil. Equally, shoes are not the answer to every problem (but then neither is going barefoot). They are simply one of many tools available to help keep a horse comfortable. Good practitioners know when to use them and, just as importantly, when not to.
Today Iâm shoeing a retired showjumper. His competitive career is behind him and he is now enjoying life as a much-loved pasture companion. Without front shoes, he is markedly lame. With them, he moves comfortably, grazes happily and enjoys his retirement.
Is he distressed because he has to wear a pair of front shoes?
No. The only inconvenience to him is leaving his field mates for a short while and standing quietly while I fit them. After that, he goes straight back to doing what horses enjoy most: moving comfortably, grazing and getting on with his life.
Is that less ânaturalâ? Perhaps. Is it kinder? Without question.
Good hoof care isnât about winning the shod-versus-barefoot debate. It is about understanding the horse standing in front of you.
- Sometimes that horse needs no shoes.
- Sometimes it needs hoof boots.
- Sometimes it needs orthotics inside those boots.
- Sometimes it needs therapeutic shoeing.
There is no prize for keeping a horse barefoot. There is no prize for keeping a horse shod either.
The only outcome that really matters is a horse that is comfortable, sound for the life it is asked to lead and able to move freely.
The best practitioners donât begin with an ideology. They begin with the horse. They also begin with reality.
Instead of asking, âWhat is the most natural option?â perhaps we should be asking, âWhat is the best option for this horse, in these circumstances?â
Because the horse doesnât care what is fashionable.
It doesnât care what is trending on social media.
It doesnât care whether people approve of the method you have chosen.
It only cares whether it is comfortable.
Perhaps it is time we stopped asking, âIs it natural?â and started asking, âIs it kind?â
- Clive
