The Contributing Authors of this book represent a "dream team" of equine knowledge, experience and forward-thinking. In addition to being at the top of their particular fields, each of them has something very special in common: they are explorers. None of them ever stopped learning. None of them ever got "too comfortable" with their own knowledge and ability. None of them ever stopped asking "why." They each have improved the world for horses in their own way, and they each have achieved notoriety in their field while still proclaiming to be students of the horse. These are people you want around when your horse has a problem. These are people that are expanding the body of equine knowledge and forging a better future for horses worldwide.

Throughout this book, you will find a few contradictions between the various Authors’ teachings. I might have edited them to give the book a more singular voice; but that would have defeated the purpose of the whole project. All of the Authors are thinkers, and this book is designed to make the reader think. If I smoothed over the areas where these experts have differing opinions, I would be thinking for you. Additionally, each of these Authors would tell you that the total body of equine knowledge is nowhere-near complete; that everything we think we know might be altered by future research. On top of that, "what to do" for a given horse, at a given time is a moving target anyway. Anything that anyone could recommend will be correct sometimes, and incorrect another time. This brings me back to where I started: the best we can do for you, as an equine practitioner, is better arm you to think—to go outside the box and give you more possibilities to consider for each individual case.

I stopped nailing on metal shoes about 14 years ago (1998). I did this because I generally stopped seeing an equine need for it. Personally, I can almost always see a healthier option for a given horse. There is, however, often a human need for metal shoes. For this reason, I refer horses to competent horseshoers on a regular basis—which from any moral standpoint is identical to shoeing them myself.

Some people are unable or unwilling to improve the diet, lifestyle or environment for their horse. Some people are unwilling to mess with hoof boots. Some people are unwilling to allow the hooves to have the time and space to fully develop their internal structures. Some people are unwilling to pay for routine hoof care. Some people insist on doing whatever is possible to get one more competitive season out of a compromised horse—even if it dooms the horse to permanent injury. This is their business, and I came to terms with it years ago (but I don’t have to watch). As for their horse; do I want to see it limping around barefoot, with no hope of improvement? Nope—I want to see that horse shod, if it makes him feel any better!

I will also say here and now that perhaps some horses are born so defective that they could never grow a foot capable of comfortably supporting them. In truth, though, inadequate movement/development, improper diet, unsanitary and improper environment, and inadequate hoof care are currently so common, that the vast numbers of hooves (and horses) that never reach their true potential effectively hide the less common, truly defective hoof (and horse) from study or observation. So most horse owners have no idea whether their horses’ hooves are genetic garbage, or if they simply have failed to reach their true potential. That is what this book is about—we hope to change that.

Barefooters often act like pulling the shoes off a horse will cure all that ails him. In turn, shoers often act like shoeing the horse will cure all the problems as well. Anyone with any real-world experience knows that both notions are often false. This book is packed with information that all horses need: the rest of the story.

To the best of our combined ability, the Authors of this book have detailed the veterinary care, nutrition, trimming, booting, padding, exercise, movement, environment, early development and general health requirements necessary to grow the very best hooves that an individual horse can genetically grow, and to thus provide prevention and cure of many problems that might affect them. The biggest reason we find this is all so important, has less to do with the hooves—more to do with the rest of the body. The same things that improve the hooves, also improve every aspect of the horse’s life: performance, immune function, protection from injury, strength, stamina, recovery, longevity, general health, happiness and well being.

Each of the Authors cares deeply about horses, and we know you do too. So even if you shoe horses for living or own shod horses, this book is for you. We are on your side. Every horse owner can make small improvements that pay big dividends for their horses. None of the information here is absolute. None of it is "all or nothing." As with the whole Bare vs. Shod Debate (or actually almost any debate), the most logical person will usually find a middle ground somewhere between the extremes.