1001km Barefoot?
Well, 961 km to be exact. My lovely chestnut Arab mare, Guisburn Szaleem, completed her first 40 km ride with her past owner and breeder, Nick Brown, with shoes on. That was almost 3 years ago and for the past 2 seasons she has gone unshod at all her outings. During this time I have learnt a great deal and the path to successful working barefoot has not always been an easy one.
Competing barefoot in the sport of endurance is possible but you do need to be dedicated to keeping your horses in as natural a way as possible. This involves constant attention to detail, as much freedom to move as possible and regular close observation of the horse’s hooves.
Barefoot horses have much better ‘feeling’ in their feet and will often save themselves on rough terrain by shortening the stride. This can be a bit disconcerting at first and I used to worry about Szaleem becoming footsore. I worry less now and trust her to let me know if she is not happy about the surface we’re riding on. The answer is simple – we slow down. Hard surfaces like concrete or tarmac with loose stones on top are probably the worst. I must admit that I do choose my rides a bit more carefully than if she was shod. However, there are plenty of rides on good going over the season, so I can afford to miss some of the stonier tracks. The Cumbrian rides are particularly good for barefoot as are Dialstone and Sherwood to name just a few.
