Feet First: Barefoot Performance and Hoof Rehabilitation

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.

Excellent read, highly recommend.

Comprehensive review of shod versus barefoot. A really excellent book for those considering this transition. A couple of errors in biochemistry, e.g., calling proteoglycans cells, but this in no way detracts from it being a very useful handbook. You may need to consult other texts if you're interested in the various horse boot options, but the aithors give their reasons for not overly advocating their use.

Great support for those who wish to ride barefoot. I rode my horses barefoot on the continent where I lived for many years. Back in the UK I was ready to bow to the "need" for shoes. This book helped me to revert back to my original belief: that horses are generally happier and healthier without shoes.

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.

Book arrived quickly.Excellent book especially regarding diet.I have read a lot of books on keeping horses barefoot, this book has given me a lot more helpful information that I have not read before.

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

I have bought many barefoot books and I even did a 5 day trimming course, back in the day. However, none of them has the emphasis on correct nutrition that this book does. Common sense . . . once it's pointed out! Interesting and informative book. Really enjoyed it.

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

Nic's experience rehabbing navicular horses is second to none. This book offers hope and guidance to anyone who wants help transitioning their horse from shoes to barefoot.

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.

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.

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.