Should you shoe your horses or leave them barefoot? What is best for the horse? What will benefit the horse most? While it's a hot topic, it's never really been a problem for me. I always shoe my horses in the summer when I know we will use them a lot and I always leave the shoes off in the winter. I ride with a lot of people who will never use shoes or who will sometimes only use one pair in the front or back. Each person has their own beliefs and reasons why they choose to do what they do. For example, when I bought my current horse (around 2008), the person I bought it from only ever shod the front two hooves. I started putting shoes on all four of his hooves and they have been that way almost every summer since I purchased him. Then again, I'm just one person. Everyone has a different point of view on what is best for horses and how to do the best thing for their individual needs. That's exactly where this question comes from. I want to know why; I want to know why people are so opinionated one way or another, and also find out what is actually in the best interests of the horse. The first person who came to mind to talk about this topic was my personal farrier. His name is Greg Gutknecht. The job of a farrier is unique in the sense that being a farrier is not a skill you can acquire by reading or watching videos, it is a truly unique talent that requires a special kind of person to achieve. A farrier must be skilled in working with horseshoes and be able to evaluate the horse's balance, gait and hoof conformation. For those of you who don't know much about horses, gait is just a fancy way of talking about how they move, and conformation is, by definition, the degree of correctness... middle of paper... ... n what to do for the horse. Works Cited Gutknecht, Greg. One shoe inside. 11/19/13. 108 Fairview Avenue, Lead, SD. (605)920-0594McCoy, Kristi. Horse owner. 20/11/13. 1725 North Main Street, Spearfish, SD. (605)717-1212 Stohrer, Rena. Belle Fourche Veterinary Clinic. 25/11/13. by telephone. 406 Summit Street, Belle Fourche, SD. (605)892-2618McCarty, Chad. Horse owner. 20/11/13. 1725 North Main Street, Spearfish, SD. (605)717-1212"Barefoot or Shod: Should Your Horse Wear Shoes or Go Barefoot?" About.com Horses. Np, nd Web. December 5, 2013. “Equine Veterinarian.” About.com Animal Careers. Np, nd Web. December 5, 2013. “Equine Veterinarian.” About.com Animal Careers. Np, nd Web. December 5, 2013."Farrier." About.com Animal Careers. Np, nd Web. December 5, 2013. “Horseshoe.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. and Web. December 5. 2013.