Hi Marilyn,
We live about an hour's drive from you and have the same climate. I
too struggled at first with seeing good results from going barefoot.
But finally I am very pleased and this is what I found works. It's not
the rain. In fact our 2 horses were more sound in the winter and had
more concavity. This is due to them eating only hay, no grass in the
winter. When spring came and the grass was abundant they would get
tender again.
So this spring I fenced off a smaller portion of the pasture which
they have eaten to the nubs, and compacted and hardened the soil,
bascially starting a desertification process. I figure it takes living
on the desert to make desert quality hooves.
This keeps them from eating too much grass, yet allows them to do
what they love which is grazing and moving around, and the bumpy hard
soil conditions their hooves.
The other thing that we did that really helped their feet is quit
trimming them so short! I started reluctantly leaving more heel and it
made a world of difference. Now I leave a 1/4" of heel and hoof wall
all around, and do a steep bevel on the outer half of the hoof wall
only. They are thankful! I was well meaning but trimming too much the
first few years.
I do use hoof boots at times. But they are so much sounder on
gravel, and getting more so all the time.
My one mare has very flat feet that have gained some concavity from
all this but still she is much flatter than our other mare, yet she is
as sound and sounder on gravel than the mare with great concavity.

Sid




--- In barefoothorses@yahoogroups.com, "Marilyn Adamik-Solari"
<msolari@...> wrote:
>
> i understand about the wet hooves being ouchy, but it is even in
summer
> when it is dry that this horse still can't go on gravel. he is ok on
> roads and arenas for sure but i can't take him on rocks or gravel.
his
> feet haven't much of concavity either. Maybe that is why, he just has
> flat feet.
> Is there any way to get the sole more concave:?
> Marilyn
>