More and more and more I see the value of keeping the horses MOVING!  24/7 turnout with free choice hay spread out all over the place so the horse has to WALK to get to it; turn out with a buddy or more so they can move and play; the MOVEMENT of the horse is so ultimately important in the health of the hooves. As with any other living thing -- movement means life. No movement means minimized circulation in the hooves which, in turn, causes the tissues to atrophy. No movement while standing in manure and urine in a small box  ... sounds, um, counter-productive to healthy hooves. No hooves, no horses.

I've had enuf exposure, now, to different horses all in different stages of restoration and rehabilitation to see that those who are not allowed 24/7 turnout and don't get the circulation through movement take much longer to transition and heal than those who are allowed to be out and moving. It's just so important to get that blood flowing down through the hooves. Nutrient, oxygen carrying blood.  Paramount to healthy horn, laminae and new growth of all hoof tissues. It's a known fact, also, that broken bones heal better and more quickly with an initial non-weight bearing (rest) stage but then  weight bearing and movement will increase the new healing growth rate!  Movement will also increase the quality of the new growth. This doesn't just apply to human bones but to all mammal bones and tissues.

Don't expect to yank the shoes, get a hoof trim then throw the horse back into the stall -- doesn't work! Go ahead and pull the shoes, trim the hooves correctly and TURN THE HORSE OUT 24/7!!!  Preferably within a herd situation - even a small herd of just 3 or 4 horses. They keep each other moving. And try to provide varied terrain on which the horse must move to get to its hay and water. As Xenophon stated in the 3 - 400 BC's -- put down some fist-sized rocks in the stableyard over which the horses walk to strengthen and condition the hooves. Especially if you ride on rocky trails. You can't expect the horse to get its shoes off then immediately start galloping over rocky hill and dale. The horse must condition its hooves, first ... walk and walk and walk and more walking on the same terrain on which you wish to ride!  The same applies to horses that are kept on grassy pastures ... can't expect a horse that lives on grassy pasture to be totally OK with rocky terrain once a month.

You want your horse to have healthy hooves? Take the shoes off, turn him out 24/7 on varied ground and get him to move then move some more. The movement is just as important as the trim ...