barefoot

i've been thinking lately about this...

Molly has been barefoot for ages (only had shoes on for 6 months, then took them off againn, since I had her, and it was years before that since she'd been shod).

She doesn't get white line disease. She doesn't get thrush. She hasn't had any abcesses (touching wood as I type).

she's trimmed by the farrier every few weeks.

I don't wash her feet out every day or whatever....

You all know the work she does (granted, not huge amounts!)

Anyway, I spend a lot of time reading other forums and what other people seem to struggle with. White Line disease, thrush, abcesses; and i get the feeling they get trimmed more often than Molly does.

Do other people do too much? is this not a less is more situation? bearing in mind that as the horse moves, the hoof is getting worn, and there's a balance to be struck between the amount of growth/amount of wear - if the work/growth balance is right then hardly any trim would really be needed, just tidy ups...

anyway, what do people think?

And I wonder