Now Is The Time To Transition

Transition is the phase after you have pulled your horse’s shoes and when he starts rebuilding and restoring his hooves. What you want to achieve is a level of comfort, soundess and usability that is expected of a horse.

The ideal time to transition a horse is when all of your aggressive riding is done. A time when all serious competitions, endurance riding, eventing, and/or the aggressive riding season is over.

You will want to investigate and find a reputable hoof care practitioner to remove the shoes and perform a barefoot trim. This is also the time when you will want to measure for sizing so you can purchase EasyCare protective horse boots.

How long will the transition take? That depends on many factors. The horse’s age, his health, how long he has been shod, how good your hoof care practitioner is and the dedication of the care-giver that are all important elements of transitioning.

Keep in mind that you can still ride your horse during transition, in fact, it’s actually good for your horse because it helps his feet develop. It often helps to transition your horse while he is wearing protective horse boots. Horses with healthy hooves can sometimes go back to work almost immediately.

As I mentioned before, movement has an incredible influence over transition time and eventual soundess. If your horse lives in a stall in the winter, you rarely ride and he is allowed to goof off, it will take a lot longer to transtion.

A horse that lives in a large paddock or is turned out on several acres where he can travel every day and  kick up his heels, has a greater propensity for quicker transition time and barefoot soundness.

The transition phase does not have to be scary. Ask questions and be gather knowledge about what to expect.

A barefoot horse that has natural hoof care is a natural, healthy horse.