I try to keep my client’s horses as barefoot as possible. I have quite a few horses that train and compete well barefoot, so it is certainly possible, but they need to be managed properly.

If the horse is being ridden more than 3 or 4 times a week for an hour or more at [...]

My first question back to you is, “What is the horse going to be doing?”.

If turn out in the slop is your answer, then I would pull the shoes. Thrown shoes suck the fun out of everything, no shoes on purpose is much better than no shoes by accident. In the north, the snow [...]

This is a really tricky question. There are so many variables.

The first thing I would do is introduce you to the American Farrier’s Association Certification Guidelines Booklet.

I have actually re-designed this site to more center this very question.

That said, the most important thing is [...]