Since there is so much interest going about horses being barefoot... I will post about that today! So get a pot of coffee close by... this is a long one!... REALLY... go ahead... I'll wait...
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There!
I've done quite a bit of research a few years ago about wheter to shoe horses or to leave them barefoot... I chose to leave my horses barefoot, because it suits the activities that I do with them, trails, amateur barrels and low level jumping... yes, you can have your horse compete barefoot.
I've started trimming about 2 years ago after 2 years of religous study (about 2 hours EVERY day), I kept reviewing material that I had seen before, to be certain not to miss one thing. I do a Barefoot Performance trim... this is not your regular pasture trim. You should not ride your horse barefoot if he only has a pasture trim, this can create cracks and other problems.
I did not go professional to trim because I have back problems and am in a lot of pain if I have to struggle with a horse that is not cooperating.
This is something that everyone can do. All you need is nippers, a rasp and a good pair of gloves and know where and how to start. I will give reference sites at the end so that you can read up if you want.
First, lets discuss the differences between shod and barefoot.
The horse shoe was invented in midieval times. During wars, the horses were left stabbled in unsanitary conditions, their hooves started litteraly falling appart, so a blacksmith invented a device that could nail onto a horse's hooves to prevent it from breaking and falling appart. The men needed their horses for war and couldn't afford to have a horse with no hooves. In those days, the horses HAD to be shod in order to work and be ridden, the mentality stuck to this day.
A barefoot hoof will absorb concussion and disperse it by expanding when it becomes weight bearing while a shod hoof will not expand, therefore only driving the concussion up the leg and rattling the bones and joints.
Here is a youtube video of barefoot horse trotting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si7QUK4OY0o&feature=relatedHere is a video of a shod horse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrlUaFFdv3Y&feature=relatedNow, you probably don't see much difference, but look again after you've read this... look closely! The barefoot hoof lands on its heels first, this is very desirable for maximum shock absorbtion, notice how the leg (or bones in the leg) do not rattle. The shod hoof lands on the toes, the difference is that when a horse lands on their heels first, the bone column in the leg is extended at it's maximum and therefore the leg is at it's straightest. This makes the bones and tendons tight in the leg causing less impact on the bones and joints. If the hoof lands toe first, the bone column is not extended to it's fullest, the toe touches the ground first and the heel then slams on the ground, causing the whole leg, bones and joints to rattle. (Try it yourself, walk with your heels landing first and notice how the bones are straight and the joints are tight... then walk landing toe first, notice how the bones in your leg aren't straight, not ready to hit the ground and see how your heel goes slamming in the ground? You have to walk as if you would walk normally, not super slow!). The heels slamming on the ground can cause soreness and bruising to your horse's heels and can cause tendon dammage since the tendons are loose when the toe hits the ground and quickly snap tight as the heels slam into the ground and the bone column snaps straight.
The strides of a horse landing heel first are much larger than the ones of a horse landing toe first... this gives your horse big movement, like a dressage horse. It is also smoother for the rider, making it even more desirable!
The barefoot hoof acts like a pump and pushes the blood up the leg with each stride. The hoof expands when it becomes weight bearing and contracts when no longer weight bearing, this helps blood flow in the leg and helps a horse identify where his feet are. On a shod hoof, the shoe prevents the hoof from expanding and contracting, holding it firmly in a contracted state (since the hoof is not weight bearing when the shoe is applyed), preventing blood flow in the legs. This causes the leg to be numb and probably tingly (as if you were lying on your arm for a long period of time). A shod horse might be more prone to trip over uneven ground.
The frog is a very important part of the hoof. To have a healthy frog, the hoof should be clean and dry. The frog is also passively weight baring. You have to look at it as a cushion for the foot, when the frog comes in contact with the ground, it helps the hoof expand, taking in much of the concussion of hard surfaces. It is important that the frog remains healthy, if it is infected and painful, the horse will not land on its heels. A barefoot hoof is also self cleaning, the expansion and contraction causes it to fling dirt out, therefore, keeping the frog dryer and healthier. I can absolutely confirm this statement, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true!
Hoof cracks are created by some kind of pressure on the hoof wall, sometimes, the hoof has "corners" which create a force in the toe of the hoof, ultimately creating a toe crack. The same applies to other hoof cracks... they are always created by some kind of leverage somewhere on the hoof. If the hoof is too long and looks navicular, this may create a leverage at the breakover point (the breakover beign too far back) and a toe crack will appear.
Ultimately, if you horse has cracks, it's because the hoof wall is too long somewhere or overall OR there is a physiological problem with the hoof itself or the health of the horse. Go about this lightly, doesn't mean that your horse is sick if he has bad hooves... it can be navicular (which can be solved or made better by barefooting), cushings or feed that is too rich can make the hoof soft and prone to founder or other problems.
If we analyse the picture below, This is Dandy's hoof 2 weeks after a trim (her hooves grow FAST!) and right after a 2 hour ride on pavement, stone dust, gravel, sand, mud... You can clearly see that the frog is wide and healthy and that it touches the ground, this is a front foot, so it is supposed to be as round as possible, if it were a back foot, it would be more of an oval shape, this gives more traction. Note also how thin the weight bearing surface of the wall is. This is not the natural thickness of the wall, I thin it down and roll A LOT to prevent sharp edges and cracks. A thinner wall also gives better breakover when the horse walks. If I was to trim that foot, there wouldn't be too much to do... first, I would lower the heels (for Dandy, I lower to about the lever of the sole), the white line (dirty line between the sole and wall) seems ok but I would rasp until there was no more dirt left there (without touching sole, I rasp at an angle for this) and so that I can see the white line (which is in fact yellowish!). I never trim sole AT ALL and the only time I might rasp in it would be if it was chalky and dead. You need to find the true sole when trimming as this is your guideline. I don't remove the bars, simply trim them just under the level of the wall or just above the sole (maybe 1 mm or so). I don't trim frog unless it is hanging off or holding dirt and moisture underneath.
The white line is also a good indicator... if it is wide and separated, that is an indication of flare, when there is flare, I simply relieve all pressure from the wall. This means that I rasp the walls lower than the sole... so the sole will become weight bearing. This will give the wall a chance to reconnect to the laminae (inside) and get stronger. By removing all weight baring wall, you remove the lever force that created the flare in the first place. This might take several trims to fix. Whenever this happens, I am more carefull when riding, avoiding gravel and rocky surfaces. Dandy has incredibly hard hooves from being barefoot, she can walk, trot and canter on gravel, but I would still be carefull not to make her sore.
Putting a little gravel in your pasture might not harm your horse's hooves either. In my pasture, there is gravel all around the water drinker. This forces them to walk on it, increasing the blood flow to their hooves, therefore creating harder and healthier hooves. If you are transitionning from shod to barefoot, do NOT make your horse walk on hard ground, this can create road founder. Your horse might be very sore after removing shoes, so keep him comfy on sand or grass (if he can eat it), if you ride, rubber boots for your horse is a good idea until his hooves are good and strong enough to go barefoot. In shod hooves, the coffin bone sits really low, near the sole and is poorly suspended in the hoof capsule. This is caused by the lack of strenght in the hoof and causes flat soles. The coffin bone then crushes the digital cushion (right above the frog) and causes soreness. After properly rehabilitating the hoof, the coffin bone is then supported higher in the hoof capsule creating a concave sole and much more resistance to hard ground, rocks, etc. The transition is not easy and can take months, which is why most people give up and go back to shoes. You have to be patient and understand that a good rock crushing foot will develop with time. Pea gravel is great as it stimulates the sole and blood circulation and is not overly harsh on the newly de-shod hooves because it is so round and smooth.
After the transition, you will be very happy that you've done it. Your horse will be happier, your rides will be smoother with long strides, you horse might trip less over small obstacles or uneven ground. You won't have to pay for shoes. There is one thing you need to watch for... you need to get a great barefoot trimmer. A farrier will not do the job as they are trained for pasture trims, which wont work if you compete or ride your horse a lot... this is what may cause you a lot of problems. Be informed about how a good hoof should look like and aim for that goal... if you think you can do it yourself, go ahead! I would suggest you only do 2 feet (like the 2 fronts) for the first few times, this will give you more time to balance and trim correctly... plan for a lot of time, remember, you will not be used to handling the tools, plus holding your horse's foot all at once... you need time to find the best way for you to do it. Get the most information you can and refer to it as much as possible.
It is hard work and you really need to be well informed. You will probably develop your own technique and philosophy about trimming but it is basically the same all around:
1. Low heels (to the level of live sole or a bit longer (2 mm), so you need to remove all chalky dead sole before starting, I usually do this with a hoof pick, scraping hard in the heel area)
2. Frog needs to contact the ground... you need a healthy frog.
3. Wall needs to be thin, level with the sole (if you are maintaining), lower than the sole if there is flare to remove and I usually might leave a bit of wall (2-3 mm) if the hoof wears quickly or if the horse tends to be sore and has no flare or other problems.
4. You need to roll the edge of the wall... don't be afraid to do this, it is very important, it helps create a flowing stride and an easier breakover for your horse. I usually roll (see: mustang roll) the edge of the wall until I see the white of the water line when the hoof is on the ground. In reality, the water line (white, thick line between the colored wall and the white line (laminae that connects the wall to the sole) should be the only part touching the ground... to have a better idea of the water line... it is the white that you see around the hoof here... 
5. NEVER trim sole or be invasive while trimming, remove what is there and wait for the hoof to reshape itself to further your trims and better the hoof... you will not achieve perfect round hooves in one trim, it is an investment in time.
I hope this has helped a bit to understand the barefoot method. Here are my most visited in that order:
http://www.barefoothorse.com/ This is a GREAT site... make sure you read step by step.
http://www.thehorseshoof.com/
http://www.barefoothorse.com.au/ This one as lots of rehab pics!
Although I sometimes think I would trim more or less... this is the basic of barefoot horses.
See what I mean when I say she was hiding in the bush... this is the best body shot I could get of her! Needless to say that I was a bit intimidated by those horns, not having handled cattle too much in my life, I was completely ignorant of what she could do or the signs she was giving. Thankfully, she is a great cow and wouldn't charge a human or anything else for that matter... well unless she was really threatened. She actually layed down while I was approaching her.
Here's Peg and Pearl. They have all put on a bit of weight and their winter pyjamas are on! They were joining me hoping I had treats somewhere on me... no luck, but they all got scratches... they look FAT! I'd rather have them a bit on the fat side for winter and they are doing fantastic!
Peg is always her sweet self. She likes to put her nose as close to your face as she can.... for a horse this big, this isn't your average nose!! I live when she does this, her face is just so kissable! By the way, I am not kneeling for this photo! Peg mesures about 16.2 hh, for me, this is HUGE... I am 5'8'' and was used to being around 14 to 15.3 hh horses... this is a big leap for me! I proved that I was still able to get on her back Sunday for a little stroll around.
He had long legs and would be a tall guy. I wasn't going to let him die before my eyes. I went and got my boyfriend and we lifted him to his legs. He was really unsteady and fell over many times, so we held him up to nurse. At that point, mom wasn't having any of it and wouldn't let us near enough to nurse, even on a lead she wouldn't tolerate him nursing. So I went and got a bottle, milked Pearl (she was fine with that!) and proceeded to feed the colt by bottle. I managed to get enough milk in his belly to keep him going for a little while. He could now stand for short periods of time. We were happy! 
But that was short lived.. he would be so close to being able to nurse and mom would move away and he would just fall down again. That night, I gave him a shot of vitamins... Broke my heart to have to give a shot to such a small little guy. I noticed a deformity in his back and back legs immediatly, but I thought that it would settle itself and that it was caused by him being so leggy in such a small space during his development and by being so weak on top of that! Pearl is hardly 14.3 hh... clearly this guy is to be much taller than that. I still think it was caused by him being in too narrow of a place to develop normally.
