Feet First: Barefoot Performance and Hoof Rehabilitation

This was a good read. Lots of good info about the positives of keeping a horse barefoot. No negativity toward shoes, but clearly showing barefoot is generally healthier for the whole horse. Went into nutrition, which was nice, but none/most of the products they recommend are only available in the UK. Wish it outlined the nutritive values of their recommendations and the ingredients so a similar product could be found in the US. There are no instructions on how to barefoot trim, which was disappointing to me. I have Pete Ramey's book, Maureen Tierney's Hoof Guided Method book and have gleaned ideas from many different websites of barefoot trimmers,all useful with different animals as I feel there is no perfect trim or perfect hoof. Was hoping this book would provide some new or different info on barefoot trimming. Pete Ramey's book is by far the best step by step book I've seen if anyone is looking to do their own hoof trims.

I bought this book to help me improve my skills & knowledge in trimming. I was taught by my Vet & my farrier to trim my own horse, but am not professional. I wanted to get more info on the barefoot trim. (especially since there is so much controversy of opinion out there about barefoot trimming vs. shoeing) This book has a lot of great points on barefoot trimming & management. And it does not go overboard on the "evils" of shoeing. Shoeing is mentioned with pros & cons. They focus a lot on the proper management of staying barefoot -even with very athletic horses. They go deeper than just the trim itself- they mention diet, terrain, usage, and more.I think this book is a great addition to anyone's library about keeping your horse barefoot. I wouldn't say it's The One & Only book on barefoot horses, but it's definitely educational.

I bought this for my daughter who has not had shoes on her horse for years. She has found it amazingly helpful and in fact changed her hoof practitioner as a result because her horses hooves were not looking like they should. I have perused the book and to my mind, and in light of my daughters enthusiastic response to it, it appears to be a must have for those who do, or are considering, barefoot riding.

Well written book with loads of knowledge to be gained for any horse person. Good examples, pictures, and case studies.

Great book with a lot of information. The book is about maintaining hooves, not how to trim them. I love Rockley Farms blog as well.. truly inspirational in terms of helping horses move towards barefoot and then how to successfully help them stay there.

There are many important books on all the subjects this one book put together in one "story" - the authors own. This is the book I would like to get translated into many big and small languages, to reach most people. The only book so far, that connect English sportsriding with amarican knowledge of natural horsekeeping. I wish you could reach into the Danish riding society.I bought it becourse I had red it first from the public library.

Excellent book! If I only knew then what I am learning now! Enjoy!

This is a very comprehensive book on barefoot hoofcare. Well written and easy to understand- read it in less than two days! Like it so much I have kept it to go back and review on occasion.

This is for the horse owner who wants to educate themsleves. The writer re -habilitates horses and they are all barefoot.This book recommends seaweed supplement, but that advice has been superceeded. a balanced mineral mix is required, plus 6+ gms of magnesium per day.It is a great read, a lot to take in, don't rush, just keep coming back for more.Even if you believe horses "need" to be shod, it will still be essential reading.Good quality book and illustrations which are clear and well notated.check out the website and the HHO forum for discussion and for examples.If your horse has been written off, there may be hope.Essential for first and second year vet students, AND for their tutors!!!!!!

Really helpful as an introduction and should be required reading for every owner, vet and farrier. Some excellent hints tips and moving success stories. So many people think that it is impossible for horses in the UK to be barefoot, but we see here the proof that it can and does work.I hope there is a second edition, because like another reviewer, I think that there should be information for people with less than perfect conditions, and the use of hoof boots and that there are other "trim methods." However, overall an excellent book.

Love this book, absolutely inspiring and so helpful. A great read, very interesting and invaluable when helping your horse transition to barefoot.

The book has nice info for a beginner with keeping barefoot. Some "propaganda" is put into the images with the bad hooves pictured slightly dirty, and the correctly managed hooves pictured after being perfectly cleaned. Of course, good hooves are easier to clean, but also the lighting of the pictures favors the good hooves. These differences make it somewhat difficult for a beginner to see what is actually wrong with the bad hooves. Also, the feeding chapter should be read first, it is referred to several times in the beginning of the book but the chapter comes quite late in the book.Other than that, the information is nicely structured in the book, all of this info would be hard to search in the internet.

Feet first appears as an unassuming little hardback book arriving in the post like many others before it, I wasn't overly excited by it's arrival as I have bought other books that promote views and sentiments that don't fit with my own i.e. read this then you will be able to trim your horses feet..hmmm... no....I won't. I did my BHS training in the early 90's which has provided a good base for me to 'do things properly' however it has also led to me being fixed in how I feed my horse and the remedial shoeing she has recieved since being diagnosed with navicular some years ago. A recent attack of laminitis prompted me to reasearch hooves in general and led me to this book, it has answered all my questions and provided fresh information on diet and environment and most of all, delivered some hope that she will be sound again. What more? Yeah just buy the book you won't regret it.