Isn't barefoot trimming more natural and therefore better for my horse?

If you're suggesting that there are no farriers in the wild then yes you are quite right to think that farriers are not a natural part of the wild horse's life but equally neither are the barefoot trimmers. (Wild horses rarely jump, never do a dressage test and don't take leisurely strolls along forest tracks or country roads.)

Domesticated horses are distant relatives of the truly wild horse. Over the years horses have had to adapt to our changing needs.

As a result breeders have chosen horses with significantly different characteristics than the wild horses of the Mongolian steppe or the brumbies of the Australian outback or even the wild mustangs of the Americas. Some are bred for speed, Quarter Horse, TB and Standardbred while others are better suited for strength, notably the draughts and shires.

Some need to jump 1.6m or more while others need cover 160km in a single race, all while carrying a person on their back. There is very little of the wild horse left in our equine friends these days.

The wild horse is not big enough, strong enough nor fast enough to compete with the modern equine athlete. Therefore it is inconsistent to reason that we should try to model our horse on its wild ancestors especially where the hoof is concerned.

The wild horse model is helpful only in showing us what a hoof looks like when the feral horse has adapted to its environment. However if that same horse was taken to the lush pastures of Cambridge or Matamata it may well find that its hard boxy hoof changes to resemble something akin to that found on a neglected hack. No longer would it be able to wear the hoof at the same rate as it grows and eventually it too would require some farriery assistance.

Related Topics:
How often should my horse be trimmed?
What is the difference between barefoot trimming and a trim that the farrier does?
Is there a transition period from shoeing to bare footing a horse?