There are some people who think that Exmoor really is all moorland, and envisage our horses only ever going on lovely soft turf, or perhaps bog (the latter is more common than the former, naturally!). They of course are convinced that this perfect, easy ground is the reason our horses can hunt barefoot season after season, and then they solemnly state that (of course!) their horses can't go barefoot because (horror of horrors!) they often have to ride on roads or even (can you imagine?!), stony tracks.
Just for the record, here are a few photos of the sort of tracks which are unavoidable on the moor, and which we VERY often go along out hunting.
In fact, our terrain is the reason why the organisers of the Golden Horseshoe (a 100 mile endurance ride which takes place annually on Exmoor) were sceptical of the ability of barefoot endurance horses to go the distance. Every year more and more barefoot horses successfully compete, but there haven't been any 100 milers yet...Any challengers out there?!
In fact, our terrain is the reason why the organisers of the Golden Horseshoe (a 100 mile endurance ride which takes place annually on Exmoor) were sceptical of the ability of barefoot endurance horses to go the distance. Every year more and more barefoot horses successfully compete, but there haven't been any 100 milers yet...Any challengers out there?!
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