Running horses “barefoot” is gaining popularity among barrel racers, but is it the right choice for all horses?
BARREL HORSE NEWS | April 2010
By Annie Lambert
Professional Kelly Conrado began trim- ming all the horses at his facility in hudson, Colo., about five years ago. his daughter, ivy, was struggling to be competitive on a mare with serious soundness issues.
“We were at the point where we had the mare on isoxsuprine, doing special shoeing and they were talking about nerving her,” Conrado says. “they were doing this natural balance shoeing and pulling the toe back, and her foot looked unlevel to me. I pulled her shoes off, leveled her up with a rasp and I’ve been doing it ever since. That mare went from running a half-second off to winning Junior rodeos again.”