It’s easy for misinformation to turn into “facts” on social media. Sometimes, my facts can be different from someone else’s facts. So is the case with hoof care and shoeing choices.

The barefoot vs. shod horse discussion is a crucible where these ideas continue to clash. Everyone who owns a horse becomes an expert after spending hours on the internet searching for the solutions they want to hear. 

The availability of improved hoof boots has given better options for horse owners who choose to avoid horseshoes. The debate also turns to whether horses are better off in composite shoes rather than metal. So it goes when blacksmith skills are removed from the hoof-care process.

All this fuel continues to build a bigger fire; the latest generation of horse owners does not know what’s best for their horses. Adding where they live, which breed and what they do with them further complicates the proper choices.

“Natural” is an overused buzzword that never fails to beguile the inexperienced. Other than a feral mustang living in its native terrain, never ridden, nothing else that most horse owners do with their horses is natural.

Most…