We assume that asphalt is much harder on hooves than it actually is. I've done lots of riding barefoot on blacktop, and found that it's very easy on my horses feet.

Trimming clinician Pete Ramey's wife, Ivy Ramey, has experience with barefoot driving horses and said their performance barefoot is awesome. There are pictures of Ivy's draft horse in Pete's book.

Why would we need boots on asphalt?

The only real long-term reason is to protect a tender sole from gravel. Here's why I say this.

HOOF WEAR

I've had people worry about hoof wear with driving and parade horses, and the analogy I made was to running shoe wear. I've run hundreds of miles on pavement, and occasionally qualify for "Clydesdale class" in marathons (<heh! Heh! Heh! It's one of those years now... Sigh...) and even with my extra weight, it takes at least a month of serious running to wear a significant amount of sole off on my shoes, and the shoes *still* last 3 to
5 months before the tread is destroyed. I'm a big, clumsy runner... Not one of these lithe types. I understand that horses are larger, but hooves are tougher than rubber, and they grow. Most driving horses jog or walk on level surfaces, and they seldom do it for 8 to 10 hours a day, so the wear shouldn't be significant after the feet have gotten in condition for it.

TRACTION

Barefoot traction on asphalt is **excellent** - much better than shoes with cleats.

SHOCK ABSORPTION

The hoof absorbs concussion so well on asphalt that it amazes me... Gavilan has always been sensitive to concussion, and he'd like to canter on asphalt. When I was running, I found that asphalt transmitted less concussion than many hard packed dirt trails that appeared soft, and it "runs" softer than packed sand tracks - for me anyway. I was running 30 to 50 miles a week on trails, so I was hypersensitive to footing.

HEAT

The amount of heat transferred from asphalt to a live hoof is insignificant when compared to the amount of heat transferred by metal shoes, so heat alone isn't a good reason to avoid barefoot.

The only reason for booting is sole sensitivity, and using some sort of conditioning or loafing pen would help reduce the time to condition for roads.