Transitioning the Dressage Horse to Barefoot

This post shows the initial transition from shod to barefoot for Beretta, a then-four year old Australian Warmblood. He had been shod for a relatively short time (probably less than 3 months) and has excellent, healthy hooves so the process has been ideal and without any pain or discomfort for Beretta.

Beretta has quite upright front pasterns and shoeing had exacerbated this conformation issue, causing an almost 'clubbed' hoof on one side. Initially, when the shoes were removed, no trimming or other balancing or the hooves was done to allow them to 'release' and the hoof capsule to spread as it bears weight without the restriction of the shoe.

Shod Fronts

Shod Backs

Near front

The photos aren't great! But you get the gist of the upright front pasterns and high heels with toes that are a bit long, and the clubby backs with steep angles.

Off front

Off fore after shoe removed

Near fore after shoe removed

You can see, in the near fore photo above, the toe clip section and how far this has protruded into the white line area. The toe clip is the site of significant pressure as the shoe works against the hoof during movement and has been shown to quickly cause permanent changes to the structure of the hoof, including the tip of the pedal bone. But Beretta has a nice healthy frog and a fairly good shape to his hooves post-shoeing. His heels are a little contracted and high, but not too bad.

Near fore 4 weeks post transition

Near hind 4 weeks post transition

Near hind showing some concavity at 4 weeks

Off hind 4 weeks post transition

The photos above show Beretta's hooves at 4 weeks post removal of shoes. You can see how the hoof wall has grown and the hoof has 'flattened' a little as the hoof capsule adjusts to increased movement and working properly again. The heels have opened a little and the frog is already expanding and callousing. Everything looks great for this stage. This is, of course, pre-trimming.

8 weeks. Trimmed on the right, before trimming on the left

Trimmed and looking great about 8 weeks post-transition

Near fore 8 weeks post-transition

3 months post-transition

This set of photos shows the 'finished' barefoot hoof. Beretta transitioned quickly with a low sugar, high fibre diet, a lot of exercise on hard, dry ground, and frequent trims using correct technique. The results speak for themselves and show a much tighter, smaller hoof capsule, big fat frogs and heels starting to make contact with the ground. Beretta never suffered a sore day, and this is not that unusual with the right preparation and transition plan. He has now developed correct heel-first landing in all four limbs and this will only lengthen his performance life, lessening the chance of concussion-related injuries and lameness.

More photos in another blog of Beretta 9 months on. Stay tuned!