Knowing how important hooves are to horses i.e. No Foot No Horse I am wondering how long it will take for horses in the UK to be allowed to go barefoot.Ingrid

Hi, Ingrid,

If you have seen as many horses as I have whose feet have been left unshod and neglected, developing sand cracks, grass cracks and overgrown feet, crippled for life, one would hope never.

WB

Please help me!!
My name is Kiri Jones; I am conducting a research project from Chester University on the subject of equine barefootedness.
As I am sure you are aware there is currently a huge amount of controversy surrounding the issue of equine barefootedness. With myth and propaganda attached to both sides of the argument. This study is going to look specifically at owner’s experiences of equine barefootedness, with the hope that the data produced will provide information for horse owners in the future. This study is not trying to conclude whether barefootedness is right or wrong. Currently there has been very little or no actual research carried out in this area.
The study is focusing on owners of fully barefoot horses and owners that have tried going barefoot with their horses returned to using traditional shoeing methods.

If you would like to help and you fit the criteria mentioned above. I would like too invite you too fill in my online questionnaire. To do this, just follow this link:

[www.surveymonkey.com]

If you have any questions or comments about the study or would like to receive a summery of the findings please do not hesitate to contact me

kirijones@tiscali.co.uk

Hi,

I think you would inspire more confidence with the veterinary and horse-owning fraternity/sorority ( and hence more assistance) if you were to use accepted terminology - and 'barefootedness' is not a received alternative to the correct term 'unshod'.
It is on a par with referring to a horse's fetlock as its 'ankle'!

W