leaving my horse barefoot

Question
Hi Christine:

I live in Abbotsford, BC. My mare is coming 7 and I have not put shoes on her and I do not want to have to shoe her.
Her mom pure polish Arab had great hard black feet and she has good feet too.  However, I must be sure that I am getting the proper trim for her feet so that she can go barefoot.  I have very knowledgeable and experienced farriers over the past seven years and keep her trimmed every six weeks.  What else do I need to know about barefoot horses that will keep her sound?  She is an Arab/Friesian cross, short coupled, great conformation.  Please let me know where you live.  I was told there was a lady Christine that's an expert on barefoot horses in the lower mainland is this you?  Thank you so much I know my horses feet are the most important aspect of keeping your horse sound.  I have owned 8 horses over the past 30 years and all were sound and working horses into their 20's I want this for my mare.  I am looking forward to your reply.
Best Regards
Mary  

Answer
Dear Mary,
first of all, my apologies for not responding promptly. My "day job" has been a bit demanding lately...
Anyway, from your description it sounds like your mare has been barefoot all her life and you don't seem to have had issues with her being barefoot. It this is the case and you are not planning on changing anything in the way you ride or where you ride, etc. having a consciencious farrier give her good hoof care every 4-6 weeks should be great. Remember, its often not a case of "can my horse go barefoot" rather than "does my horse need shoes".
So, can you please let me know what you use your mare for and whether you intend to change anything re: where or how she will be ridden? If she has not needed shoes so far and has been sound, with regular careful hoofcare, there is no reason why this should change. It may be useful if you can tell me a littel bit about where you keep your horse, what it eats, whether she is turned out or in the stall and what the general quality of her hooves are...is she over or under-weight, or just right, does her coat look ok, etc...may not sound like this has much to do with barefoot hooves but when it comes to feeding to provide the best nutrients for horses to grow and maintain the best hooves possible, this may matter.
Unfortunately, I don't live in BC but rather in the eastern US :-)
Please let me know whether the above response was useful to you and/or whether there is anything I missed that you would like me to respond to.
Take care!
Christine