Pete Ramey has another article regarding the Barefoot Horse, but this time he addresses the Draft Horse.
We created the heavy draft horse through breeding. We didn't manage to scale everything up proportionately, though. While overgrown walls can usually lift the soles and frogs off the ground, they are rarely proportionately strong enough in a draft. --Pete Ramey.
Many people have decided draft horses are supposed to have flared, split hoof walls. But the hoof walls were never intended to bear all the weight, so when you try to force the walls into a primary support role, this is when flared and split hoof walls start. Taking the draft into the barefoot stage can put a stop to the "expected" condition of the draft horse.
He also found that draft horses 1) Take to being barefoot easier and 2) benefit from it more that the smaller breeds. Because of this, Pete has found that he can pull the boots, do a natural trim, and return the horse to work. If the horse is not "comfortable" returning to work, Pete suggests hoof boots . He uses the Easyboot Epic, which is available up to size 7 and can be used during the transition period. (His article does indicate a size 8 Epic but that information is not correct.)
The Boa Boots, Easyboots, Easyboot Epics and Easyboot Bares can accommodate large draft horses. The largest boots we currently make are the Easyboot, Easyboot Epic and Easyboot Bare in a size 7. All three of these boots will fit a foot up to 7 9/16 inches wide and 7 3/4 inches long. Here is a picture of one of the guys in the warehouse wearing a size 8 Boa Boot. This boot is slightly smaller than the size 7 Easyboot, Epic or Bare.
Learn more by reading this article on Pete's web site, http://www.hoofrehab.com/draft.htm , or you can just visit his site to see what other educational material he has available. www.hoofrehab.com
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