5 months barefoot and the changes are amazing!

Wow! What a change!

I'm toying with the idea to go barefoot with my lad but still can't decide! Have ordered Feet First book to read more about it first before deciding.

What reason made you decide to go barefoot? Has it been easy?
 
Wow! That's some change!
I've found these products absolutely invaluable with my barefoot ones, and thrush is a thing of the past. Artimud, Fieldpaste and Silvetrasol. http://holisticequineebooks.co.uk/products
Silvetrasol sprayed sparingly after the feet have been cleaned out, into any crevices. Field paste smeared all over the sole and frog. But the Arti-mud is really brilliant if you stuff it into any cracks you've got in the heel, spots where you can see infection could go up the white line, and into any thrushy areas. They aren't cheap, but you don't need to use a lot and really effective.
 
CarmaandFlin said:
Wow! What a change!

I'm toying with the idea to go barefoot with my lad but still can't decide! Have ordered Feet First book to read more about it first before deciding.

What reason made you decide to go barefoot? Has it been easy?
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he wa diagnosed with djd and poss navi in front feet and djd in both back hocks he has been lame on and off since he was approx 4 1/2 hes 8 now,hes had various so called remedial shoes on the last ones where over an inch high and he looked like a child wearing their mums high heels when he walked,he tripped and kicked himself and had a pony stride hes(16hh).i had had enough of people telling me he would never be any better and that he just has "crap" feet (he has one slightly bigger than the other)i brought this horse as a 2 yr old and he was backed at 3 he had a lovely smooth movement and a long stride he had been in shoes approx 1 yr when the probs started
i can not honestly say it has been easy ive had lots of probs with him mainly thrush and diet and what to do about grazing as we have very lush grass but it has been worth it.i do put hoof boots on (in front) to hack as we have awfull sharp gravel stuff on our roads,but i spent most of this summer blasting round the stubble on him and he felt fantastic!!!!:)
i can honestly say i would never put a set of shoes on a horse ever again.
you should have a look at the rockley farm blogs they are incredible!!!
 
Tinypony said:
Wow! That's some change!
I've found these products absolutely invaluable with my barefoot ones, and thrush is a thing of the past. Artimud, Fieldpaste and Silvetrasol. http://holisticequineebooks.co.uk/products
Silvetrasol sprayed sparingly after the feet have been cleaned out, into any crevices. Field paste smeared all over the sole and frog. But the Arti-mud is really brilliant if you stuff it into any cracks you've got in the heel, spots where you can see infection could go up the white line, and into any thrushy areas. They aren't cheap, but you don't need to use a lot and really effective.
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thanks tinypony i will have a look!:)
 
Brilliant - glad it is working for you

I do wish people would consider Rockley, or home barefoot rehab first and give the horse a chance rather than using it as a last resort when all of the ineffective and possibly damaging veterinary and farrier interventions have failed. It would be a lot cheaper, and so much better an experience for the horse.
 
brucea said:
Brilliant - glad it is working for you

I do wish people would consider Rockley, or home barefoot rehab first and give the horse a chance rather than using it as a last resort when all of the ineffective and possibly damaging veterinary and farrier interventions have failed. It would be a lot cheaper, and so much better an experience for the horse.
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I have the same feelings as you on this, but vets and farriers are very resistant to changing their opinions and people are used to taking the 'professional' view as it is supposed to be correct. My own view is that things will change in the face of mounting pressure as more people have better outcomes by taking the alternative route.
 
Well done.

The trouble is that anyone choosing this is up against 100s of years of tradition and vets who have only been trained to use certain "treatments". As they have always known horses in shoes they can't believe that a horse can manage without.
 
brucea said:
Brilliant - glad it is working for you

I do wish people would consider Rockley, or home barefoot rehab first and give the horse a chance rather than using it as a last resort when all of the ineffective and possibly damaging veterinary and farrier interventions have failed. It would be a lot cheaper, and so much better an experience for the horse.
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But also consider that the owner might not be a patient person so doesn't have the time for them to get right by being allowed to go bare. That is the most common lament from vets and farriers alike that their clients want instant fixes and aren't willing to 'wait and see'. It's not always their fault.

Pale Rider said:
I have the same feelings as you on this, but vets and farriers are very resistant to changing their opinions and people are used to taking the 'professional' view as it is supposed to be correct. My own view is that things will change in the face of mounting pressure as more people have better outcomes by taking the alternative route.
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See my reply to the quote above. I know both my vet and farrier lament impatience in owners a lot and they are normal vet and farrier, both craftsmen of their trades but an awful lot of people want quick fixes and would rather throw money at something which only time can fix even when V & F are both of the opinion that sometimes, time is the greatest healer of all.
Simplistic view, I know how hard you have to work at barefoot but you get the gist. Don't tar all vets and farriers as the bad guys, it's sometimes the owners.
 
surely some of the reluctance comes from the fact insurance companies will pay for remedial farriery but I don't think they would pay for a Rockley farm referral and treatment????

Fab changes by the way
 
TicTac said:
Well done his feet lok fantastic. Did he go to Rockley or did you do the work yourself?
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hi TicTac i did the work myself,its been hard work and ive read everything i could get my hands on,ive had some great advice from people on this site and the uknhcp forum!
 
brucea said:
Brilliant - glad it is working for you

I do wish people would consider Rockley, or home barefoot rehab first and give the horse a chance rather than using it as a last resort when all of the ineffective and possibly damaging veterinary and farrier interventions have failed. It would be a lot cheaper, and so much better an experience for the horse.
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i think a lot of the problem is that in my experience anyway the vets first ask "is he insured"and when they are use it like an open cheque book!!
i got so frustrated with my vets i sought a second opinion who did just the same!!!no one once recomended that by going barefoot the horse could help himself!!!!even my farrier still thinks its a fad!!!i have to push and push to get the kind of trim i want so now i lightly rasp myself just to keep the heels down and round the edges slightly.luckily for my horse im the kind of person that refuses to give up!!!:)
 
jackessex said:
i have to push and push to get the kind of trim i want so now i lightly rasp myself just to keep the heels down and round the edges slightly.luckily for my horse im the kind of person that refuses to give up!!!:)
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This is exactly why I changed to a barefoot trimmer. I still take his toes back at intervals between trims (at trimmer's request!) but don't do anything like what I had to before.

His feet look much better! Well done!
 
CBFan said:
This is exactly why I changed to a barefoot trimmer. I still take his toes back at intervals between trims (at trimmer's request!) but don't do anything like what I had to before.

His feet look much better! Well done!
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thanks,i tried to get barefoot trimmer but she never returned my call!to be fair to farrier hes a good chap just slightly "old fashioned"and ive known him for so long he openly takes the mick out of my ideas but he doesnt really mean any harm,its just a little difficult trying to get the ideas across :)
 
I agree that insurance companies are the true cause if a lot of unnecessary suffering where horses are concerned. I pay for basic cover which doesn't cover vets fees. To be brutally honest, financially I cannot justify insuring the number of horses I have. Most vets fees fall below the excess and I could replace three horses for the cost of insuring them all. So its a not really worth insuring. Added to which, non specific lameness and other ailments appear to be so infrequent, when horses are barefoot and therefore fed correctly, insurance really isn't an option.
Obviously, vets fees are paid by me when required, but compared to the total cost of insurance is a lot less. Plus it puts me as owner in the driving seat regarding the treatment I want.
 
Fab feet:). Some questions....

With shoes.....How long was he lame for and when was he last in work?

Barefoot....How long did it take before you were riding again.

What is his difference in workload between now and then.
 
soulfull said:
surely some of the reluctance comes from the fact insurance companies will pay for remedial farriery but I don't think they would pay for a Rockley farm referral and treatment????

Fab changes by the way
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Most rehabs at Rockley are financed by insurance companies.
 
Oberon said:
Fab feet:). Some questions....

With shoes.....How long was he lame for and when was he last in work?

Barefoot....How long did it take before you were riding again.

What is his difference in workload between now and then.
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with shoes... from when he was about 4 ish but then he was turned away for a bit as i was having a baby so hard to judge how lame as it was never hoping lame just "not right"
when he came back into work eveyone kept telling me thay couldnt see anything but i could feel it and he wasnt "right"
he gradually got worse untill about a yr 1/2 ago i had full vets claim xrays etc,shock wave therapy horrid wedges,but he had good wks and bad wks sometimes nodding lame and literally falling on his knees, sometimes coming out like nothing was wrong apart from short stride,he was being ridden all the way through this as vet wanted me to make him worse as he couldnt decide what it was!:(

barefoot...the change at grass was fairly quick i would say 3 wks and you could see a longer stride and he was bucking and charging about which i hadnt seen him do for a long time,he also had to have quite major work on his teeth so he had a break due to that.
i started riding him as soon as i sorted the boots,short walks sometimes only up the lane and back(10 mins)sometimes in the field (no boots)i let him decide by how he felt.

the difference in workload... im doing more now i would say as i realise his feet need it,but he has just had a mild lami attack so has put us back a little.he still has some footy days but i know i dont have his diet and time out in field quite right yet.
 
cptrayes said:
Most rehabs at Rockley are financed by insurance companies.
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the problem is if the person doesnt know about rockley and the vets dont suggest trying barefoot rehab,its often to late i only had 1 yr from the date the vet first properly looked at him,then the insurance exclude as much as is possible,mine even excluded all tendons even though he has never done one,but because he has "changes"they say it would be related to previous claim :(
 
I am going barefoot from this Friday coming - UKNCHP barefoot trimmer coming out. It's really encouraging reading posts like this because it's a big step to take. My horse has similar problems to OP. I'm nervous and excited at the same time!
 
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