Steve O’Grady, DVM, MRCVS, of Northern Virginia Equine in Marshall, and Dan Marks, VMD, of Santa Fe, N.M., led a table topic discussion at the 2006 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention in San Antonio, Texas, held Dec. 2-6, on the merits and disadvantages of leaving a horse barefoot or shod. O’Grady recognized that shoes change the structure of the hoof capsule to some degree, and he is an advocate of leaving shoes off if this works in an individual situation. However, the choice made to shoe or not depends on several variables.

When wear exceeds growth, the hoof needs protection. Not all horses can withstand being barefoot–this is dependent on breed, genetics, degree of exercise, and degree to which the feet have developed. Just because a horse is not limping is insufficient evidence that he is completely comfortable. You should also take into consideration the type of footing and the type and amount of work. For example, the requirements of hoof protection are vastly different between light trail riding on soft ground as compared to endurance competition on abrasive, uneven ground.

The horse’s need for traction on variable ground conditions also dictates the choice of barefoot versus shod; traction affects safety of both horse and rider. O’Grady said shoes themselves act as traction devices as well as providing more "cup" in the foot. Marks commented that some horses are more agile and stable than others, and with normal shoes or barefoot, they can gallop and turn on surfaces that would cause other horses without traction devices to slip or fall.

Both discussed that the presence of lameness or underlying disease dictates whether a horse can or cannot go barefoot. A horse with chronic laminitis likely needs shoes to improve mechanical forces on the coffin bone and sensitive laminae. Conformational abnormalities or foals with flexural or angular limb deformities might benefit from shoes that alter forces up the limb to effect change