Barefoot horses competing in equestrian sports challenge traditional assumptions about shoe necessity, with welfare implications for both appropriately managed barefoot horses and those transitioned without adequate preparation.
Barefoot competition welfare requires honest assessment of individual horse readiness rather than ideological commitment to either shod or barefoot approaches. Horses with well-conditioned, correctly conformed hooves competing on appropriate footing can perform in most disciplines without welfare compromise. Horses forced to compete barefoot before adequate hoof conditioning, on terrain their hooves cannot handle, or in disciplines with footing demands exceeding their hoof quality experience pain and welfare compromise. The welfare approach is individual-focused: is this specific horse, with its current hoof quality, competing on this terrain, experiencing discomfort?