Darolyn on “Barefootin’
“BAREFOOTIN” happens to be my most favorite
subject in the world...right up there with "Endurance
Riding". In fact, it seems my life now is “ridin’,
trimmin’, or talkin’ about one or the
other.
We maintain about 50 horses at Cypress Trails Equestrian
Center in Humble (near Houston), Texas. Our focus
and obsession is Endurance, but since not one of
us has figured out how to make a living at it, my
horses have to work for a living. Approximately
10 of those 50 are board horses & 1/2 of those
help there owners make a living (along with our
personal horses), by serving as riding horses for
the daily trail rides that we serve the public with.
Oh... did I mention that each and every one of these
horses is barefoot.
They all live outside with other horses and they
all manage to get their feet immersed in water every
day. Those are the three requirements for successful
barefooting. The correct physiological trim, living
naturally & feet immersed in water, (similar
to the wild horses going into ponds & streams
to drink.)
Now if you had told me prior to September 2000,
that I would even consider leaving a competing Endurance
mount barefoot, running a 50 miler, or ohmygosh,
a 100 miler, I would have told you that you were
absolutely insane!!!!
“How
it all Started”
On Sept. 19th 2000 a reigning National Champion
Endurance horse that I was riding a 100 miler on
"plunked out" at 80 miles. He was in excellent
shape, it was flat terrain, it was hot, but he was
used to it. I asked the vet (my request) to give
him fluids to make him feel better, which he did,
but the next day he started showing definite signs
of laminitis. What was going on?
Having witnessed, through my own horses, and horses
of friends, this insidious disease, and having watched
at least 8 of those so afflicted horses progressively
grow worse and be put down, I panicked! In retrospect
and knowing what I know now, my theory is that most
horses, and especially this one, develop a mild
case of laminitis every time they compete on hard
terrain in shoes. In this horse’s case he
had run 4-5 competitions in the previous 5 months,
shod and on hard terrain. Eventually, the laminae
simply could not take it anymore. This also explains
the rings that we see on our horse’s feet
at the appropriate time interval after a tough competition,
weather change, feed change or health change.
I rushed the horse to the best veterinarian hospital
in Texas, (IMO) and two weeks later, even though
all the medicinal heroics had been applied, (including
heart bar shoes), the horse was abscessing and worse.
Enter a web page (actually 4 of them); I read until
the wee hours of the morn, for four days straight.
Convinced I had found the answer, I had my new farrier
remove the heartbar shoes and do his best to do
a natural trim from the directions I had printed
off the Internet.
Two strokes of luck, (1) one of my boarders had
a copy of “Lifetime of Soundness” and
shared it with me, (2) a few days later, I located
a Houston couple that had been nursing a severely
foundered Friesian they had imported in early 1999.
They had actually gone to Canada and spent two weeks
with Sabine Kells, (the only "Certified Hoof
Specialist" in North America at the time),
to learn the trim.
Their horse had "sole penetration" and
everyone, including more than one veterinarian was
encouraging them to put the horse down. July 2002,
fast forward... this horse was at my barn, sound,
showing off for Dr. Strasser. The only signs of
previous founder being the telltale scars of the
bedsores on the prominent bony areas. His owners
were kind enough to assist and coach us in the initial
trim of my champion horse.
The laminitic horse came sound... he ran his 1st
race in January, four months after the attack. He
almost won his 2nd race, and did win his third,
“barefoot of course”. Oporto & Bronze
Star ran 80 out of 100 miles barefoot in February
2001 of that year. Several other farm horses ran
the 50 & 25-mile races. In April both of them
ran a 100 at the same sight (sans the rocky road)
& successfully completed. Granted, my heart
was in my throat those first few races. The veterinarians
were shaking their heads in disbelief. The horses
hadn't even been de-shod a whole year... but it
was working.
I still laugh at my early attempts to trim. I never
intended, at 50 years of age, and with a much too
busy a schedule already, to take on a new skill
of this magnitude. However, my husband had just
had rotary cuff surgery, and my main wrangler and
barn manager was away in Brazil for a month of Christmas
holiday. So when Ms. Martha Olivo came to my place
to do the clinic on December 19, 2000, I picked
up a hoof knife for the 1st time in my life.
She stayed in our area over Christmas Holidays,
and visited my place several times, so I had the
unique advantage of her ongoing presence that most
new trimmers don't. By December 29th, (with Martha’s
help) almost every horse on our place was de-shod.
One boarder’s horse, which had an incredibly
high club foot, was taken "way!!!!" down,
and ran a 50 mile race 10 days later, boy was I
nervous. Bronze Star, my mount, was only trimmed
the Thursday before running on Saturday and would
have won if his silly rider (me) hadn't missed a
trail marker early on. We still placed 2nd. I must
admit, the ground there was ideal, mainly pastures
& dirt roads, but still... could their feet
take it?
During the summer of 2001 a friend’s horse
developed severe laminitis, I was asked to help.
I felt extremely naïve. Luckily, Dr. Strasser
(with Sabine Kells) was conducting one of her rare
U.S. clinics in Florida. I went. Since then I’ve
sponsored or attended one other clinic with Dr.
Strasser, one with Todd Merrell and a couple with
Martha Olivo. Along with reading the “big
blue” book, and watching my own horses de-contract,
come sound and become healthier, my education in
“Natural Living for Horses” soared.
By the way, the incidence of colic in our heard
has reduced by 2/3rds. And best of all, the friendsÅf
horse recovered nicely in 60-90 days with no other
history of problems.“Changes in Older Horses”
Oporto and Chasar (17 yrs), (who holds the Arabian
Jockey Club record for the most starts by an Arabian
in flat tract racing), had lived most of their lives
in a stall. Oporto because he was a stallion until
recently & Chasar lived at the racetrack. He
came off the track and became an Endurance horse
at the age of 12 years, the age most horses are
considering retirement.
If either of theses horses lost a shoe and it was
not replaced immediately, their feet would crumble
and the farrier would have to use acrylic or like
matter to build their feet back to hold a shoe.
You can read Chasar's story about his trip (barefoot)
to the 2001 World Cup in Dubai, UAE, in the Horses
Hoof, and Oporto carried me to the Pan American
Championship in Vermont, September 2001.
Now... to let you know that I'm not foaming at the
mouth "barefootin' or nothing"... I chose
to shoe for the Pan American, September ‘01.
It was very rocky ground and due to a devastating
flood in June, (in which I lost Bronze Star); my
proposed effort to travel and train in rocks that
summer before was impossible. Non-the-less, I don't
think Oporto would have been the sound horse that
he was, if he had not been spending the majority
of his time "Barefoot".
He had a badly contracted foot, due to an early
age injury, which caused him to unweight that foot.
Every time we had any kind of a lameness issue,
(which was often); it was on the "high foot"
leg. Even though I knew he was an incredible athlete,
I hated to waste a lot of time and energy conditioning
due to the doubtful leg. By lowering that heel,
through the "barefoot trim" the foot started
decontracting and he became sounder than he had
ever been in his life.
I found myself competing a little less aggressively
on some occasions at first, as the motto of our
sport received an addendum ...."To Finish Barefoot,
is To Win". It was a great mental and physical
victory all rolled into one. If you would have told
me prior to year 2000 I would even attempt to ride
a 100 miler barefoot, I would have laughed in your
face.
Now please understand... this is a personal choice.
I truly feel I am doing the right thing for the
horse. I'm increasing his longevity and health,
in my opinion. I am trying different boots, and
hoof protection when rocky grounds require it. I
truly believe we are the cutting edge of a total
shift in the belief system of the horse’s
health. They will develop better and more useable
hoof protection than the steel shoe. The public
will demand it, and it will happen as all supply/demand
things do.
It’s pretty easy to see our successes and
failures, by just looking at my records in the American
Endurance Ride records. www.aerc.org All my horses,
plus some I have sold, start with DJB. If the rides
are not exceptionally rocky, they are going “Barefooted”.
Yes, you will find pulls on occasion, a few barefoot
related, but most were caused by other problems
or “rider error”.
Now, here I am, not quite three years later with
these results. We had 15 out of 16 Barefoot Farm
horses finish a hot challenging ride in July 2001.
The one pull was an old tendon injury. Eight of
the top ten were Barefoot, others besides my own.
Chasar won Foxfire 50 in September ‘02, and
Razz won & BC'd at Armadillo in October, both
“Barefoot”. Razz had a pretty bad case
of laminitis in the fall of 1996. I had determined
I would always ride him with full pads to protect
his very flat and tender feet. I felt that once
a horse had laminitis, he was at high risk for a
second attack. After 3 years of natural trimming,
his feet are now regaining some degree of concavity,
and he and the other two "bad footed"
horses have the thickest walled, and purtiest feet
"ya ever did see". Razz’s biggest
“barefoot” victory to date was finishing
all but 35 miles of the Ft. Howes 100 Mile Endurance
Ride “barefoot” while winning the _
Arab IAHA National Championship in 2002.
Now the most current update, I just finished winning
and receiving Best Condition both days on a merciless
hot Texas ride in August 2003. The first day 50,
(the hottest), I won over an hour over the 2nd place
horse. The winning horse, DJB Tiffany, was bought
out from under the noses of the killers at a local
sale barn in early 2002. Even another “barefooter”
deemed her feet a wreck, due to old scars and such,
and didn’t think she would ever hold up to
Endurance Riding. She’s awesome, even though
her career is young, (however she’s 13) she
has performed on gravel roads, and shown incredible
speed and stamina in competition.
I've competed in International rides since 1985.
I have over 26,000 miles of competition behind me,
several National Championships, FEI Medals, and
one Gold from the World Nature Games. My competition
horses each have their own custom fitted saddle,
they are fed a special custom blended feed, they
are wormed and inoculated on a regular schedule,
but they are not pampered or coddled.
They now make my living for me, and my wonderful
husband (of three years.) If their feet are bad,
they don't work, if they don't work they are useless
to me. I have not made this choice lightly. I have
read both of Dr. Strasser's books multiple times.
When I started in 2000, I had a limited anatomical
background. I had to learn from scratch. I'm still
learning and self-educating. I asked for the "Big
Book" for Christmas of 2001, got it, read it,
read it again, and now refer to it regularly. Now
when I look at a high heeled, contracted foot, I
cringe. I know what that foot is supposed to look
like.
What’s interesting, is the thing most people
say when they finally become familiar with the natural
trim, is. "It's so logical, I always hated
to put nails in my horse’s feet." And
yes folks, the horses hate the shoes. I’ve
seen their faces after a good “barefooted”
horse is shod. It’s very sad and uncomfortable.
I encourage all people, especially women, to learn
the trim to take control of their lives and not
be held at bay by farriers that don't show up, or
don't fix the problem. No one really knows their
own horse better than them. If owners will educate
themselves to know what to look for, (a balanced
foot isn't that hard to understand), they can fix
the little things on a daily or weekly basis, (which
can be done only if the foot is bare), then presto,
you have a happy, sound, and balanced animal. Which
is what we all want, right?
I reiterate other "barefoot proponents"
however, when I say, it is not for everyone, on
some occasions, I'm sad to say, its not for me,
due to my "soft, sandy living conditions",
and I'm forced to shoe for that occasional "rocky"
ride. However, there are two or three “hoof
protection boots” on the drawing board, which
I hope will soon eliminate the use of shoes forever.
If you are not willing to perform the "three
requirements", it normally won't work. But
look how it will simplify your life and increase
the quality and longevity of your horse. Please,
if you consider yourself an intelligent and caring
horse owner, read "Lifetime of Soundness"
and read some of the case histories on the web pages
before you are too quick to judge.
If you decide to do your own trimming, buy the best
knives you can buy, keep them sharper than sharp.
Get a rolling stool to sit on for trimming, REALLY!
A good foot stand, and t-fal rasp... oh.. Don’t
for get the gloves & the leather apron. What
an empowerment for a rider (especially a female)
to be able to judge your horse's feet, do whatever
balancing or therapy is needed, and to be totally
free of the farrier and his fees. No more interference,
forging, loosing shoes, waiting on farriers, etc.!!!
As touted by Dr. Strasser, Chris Pollitt, and Dr.
Bowker of Michigan state, the hoof plays a much
bigger role in the overall health of the horse than
most of us have every realized.
Here are my personal thoughts on the next ten years
of horse keeping.
TEN
YEAR PREDICTIONS For THE BAREFOOT MOVEMENT
(Written Summer of 2002)
Ten years from now, I predict a good many farriers
will not only be doing the "barefoot trim",
but tout that they always supported it.
Ten years from now, I predict most upscale vets
will have a "Natural Trimmer" on the payroll
to quickly assist navicular, club footed, laminitic
and foundered horses.
Ten years from now, I predict 95% of all "back
yard pleasure horses" will be kept barefoot.
Ten years from now, I predict cutters, reiners,
roping, barrel, and race horses will be allowed
the choice of performing barefooted, and as more
and more of them win money, and have longer performance
careers, the field will grow.
| Ten years from now, horse museums will house metal
atrocities called therapeutic shoes on their walls,
and people will look at them in disgust and amusement
that man could have been so ignorant of how the
foot actually works, that they would attempt to
cure those ills with shoes, knowing what nature
could heal much quicker and better left on its own.
Ten years from now, 10,000 trimmers will have saved
1,000,000 horses from retirement and/or death by
giving them healthy feet.
Shoeless, Not Clueless!!!
Darolyn Butler * 26,000 Endurance Miles
50 Barefoot Horses Working & Playing Everyday
Consultation & trimming available. See Stable
Rate Sheet for Rates.
Clinics are given from time to time at Darolyn’s
home stable, or she may be contacted for “On
the Road” Clinics.
Clinics
and Consultations |
Darolyn
is available separate or as a team for Clinics or
to give consultations on any of their specialties.
I am constantly bombarded with questions about Endurance,
training, feeding, and “barefoot trimming”.
Our phone rate for Consultation is $25 per 1/2 hour,
$40 per hour. If we are able to talk when you call,
we will gladly talk with you at that point. If not,
we will set up an appointment time for you to call
back when on or the other of us can totally devote
our time to answering your questions.
Darolyn, daughters, and a host of others that associate
with Cypress Trails Equestrian Center attend over
two-dozen endurance competitions a year in the United
States and abroad..
Natural
Trim Web Sites
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