BTB: Hunter under saddle: Shoeless?

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Hunter under saddle: Shoeless? Posted: 08 Apr 2011 05:19 PM PDT "Spend a few moments at the back gate of the US Equestrian Federation Hunter Trials or the big year-end hunter finals, and you won't be able to miss it--the rows of aluminum shoes flashing in the sunlight as farriers make a mad dash to pull them off the nation's top hunters" The Chronicle Connection March, 2011. [article in this issue] If you can believe the author Hope Glynn, it's routine for hunters to have their shoes pulled before their flat class (they're tacked on later). I don't hang out in hunter circles but this little tidbit of truth surprises me in so many ways.  Is there THAT big of a difference between lightweight aluminum and barefoot? Wouldn't pulling shoes from a horse that normally wears shoes make them gimpier, at least initially? Does it really make the difference between "top" and "mediocre" ribbons? This isn't about barefoot vs. shod To me it's a question of how a horse that's normally shod moves better right after shoes are pulled. I've witnessed the opposite many times. It's also hard  to imagine that a horse will move that much better barefoot vs. aluminum that has been drilled out. I posted my questions to COTH's hunter/jumper list. Most responders thought it was a fairly ho-hum practice. Shoe-pulling for flat classes seems to occur mostly at the largest events (finals, etc.). If it's done rarely it probably doesn't happen enough to truly damage the average horse hoof. Problem is, some people don't know what's best for their horse. A farrier that comes to our barn has worked at some big shows. He told me about the day he spent at the Capital Challenge pulling shoes for the flat class for $100/horse. He said a lot of hoof wall gets lost, and grooms duct tape the feet until just before the class. One horse whose shoes were pulled  was excused from the ring for gimpy-ness. Of a class of 35 horses, 29 had their shoes pulled  and tacked back on for $100. It's a couple hours work for three farriers working in an assembly line. Do the math, and you can imagine all the happy farriers. So there are other downsides too: Expense (but is this a group of people who we need to worry about?)  Sportsmanship -- it does not make the hunter world look like a very horse-friendly business, and frankly it seems a little silly. Will these people do anything for a ribbon? Fairness. Let's say it does make a difference in how a horse moves. What about the hypothetical horse that needs shoes and would be gimpy? What about the competitor that can't afford the farrier bills?  Hope Glynn proposes banning it. I suppose that's the horse-friendly thing to do -- but mostly I think we'd be saving these owners/riders from themselves. Also I would feel sorry for the farriers :-).

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