In harness racing, removing the shoes to race barefoot is commonly seen as it helps the horse to run faster. However, not all horses have hooves that can stand the increased wear and tear from racing barefoot, and the hind hooves have been shown to be extra vulnerable. Thus, racing barefoot could possibly violate animal welfare, and the debate continues over whether young trotters should be allowed to race barefoot. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the effect of racing barefoot on hind hooves in young Swedish trotters on their career length. The career length was measured in days from the first race as a 3-year-old for Swedish Standardbred trotters and Swedish-Norwegian Coldblooded trotters. The results showed that the risk of ending the career was higher for horses racing a higher proportion of barefoot races as 3-year-olds compared to a reference group consisting of horses that rarely raced barefoot. In Standardbred trotters, the median career length was reduced by 123 d and 85 d in males and females, respectively, for horses racing more than 50% barefoot, compared with the reference group that never or rarely raced barefoot. Similar results were found for coldblooded trotters.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.