MENTION the term “barefoot” and it's sure to spark heated debate among riders. It was not too long ago that the unshod horse would be the one turned out and roughed off, but now world champion and Olympic team gold medallist King Edward and the two-time Olympic individual silver medallist H&M All In are just two of the elite showjumpers winning at the top of the sport without a shoe between them.
World champion Henrik von Eckermann says taking King Edward's shoes off was the game-changer that took the superstar where he is; Germany's Christian Kukuk says his European team silver medal-winning ride Mumbai is faster and lighter barefoot. A recent study on the way horses move found movement in the barefoot hoof is “freer and larger” (see box).
“He's lighter, his stride is bigger, the whole
