A barefoot and shoeing question, help please

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charliejet

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My horse is currently barefoot (has been all winter) and being trimmed by a barefoot trimmer but I think will struggle when the grass comes in, she is low grade lami with possible metabolic issues that we havent got to the bottom of yet. I really struggle with her weight and she needs more exercise. Her feet are hugely improved since removing the last lot of shoes but she still needs booted for work.

So if I was to shoe her again how many cycles of shoes would you do before giving the feet a break again? I wouldnt ever shoe her continually again as I feel that contributed to her problems but its a bit chicken and egg with keeping her comfortable enough to work enough to keep the lgl under control.

I also have a new farrier lined up.

Thanks for any thoughts.
 
Why can't you just continue to boot her? If her hooves have improved so much I personally wouldn't want to ruin that by putting shoes back on. You should be able to work her well enough in decent fitting hoof boots?

If she's too heavy, can't you restrict her turnout even further and just give her hay to make up for the lack of grass? One of mine, a shetland is so lami-prone that all year (bar winter) she comes into a hardcore yard with hay during the day (so no grass at all) and then goes out into a small paddock at night. She's kept nice and slim doing this.
 
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I can boot her for ridden work but she can still get uncomfortable as she is very sensitive to grass and cant boot her for turnout as I have a nightmare with boots rubbing her very sensitive skin as it is. She gets footsore and short strided and this has a knock on effect on her shoulder and back muscles which in turn then cause her more discomfort.
I keep her at livery and I am very limited on my control over her grazing so cant restrict her enough, have tried grazing muzzles but she freaks out and gets very stressed.
She is stabled for about 10 hours a day, most she will cope with is about 12 hours but keeping her shut in stood still doesnt help the issue either.
I know that shoeing can mask problems but if I can get away with only shoeing over the worst periods of grass growth it may help to keep her in work and keep things under control. Even my BF trimmer says she will never fully transition.
 
Aim for 3 months shoe free per year. That seems to be a good compromise for most horses, and it sounds as if you'll manage that OK in winter.


I believe that shoeing in summer won't just disguise her issues, it will actually help. The blood supply to her feet will be reduced, and she'll get less of the toxins that damage the laminae as a result. For your horse, in your situation, shoeing in summer, off in winter may be the very best way of managing her.
 
Thanks for that so if it comes to it I could look at shoeing for the summer and taking them off for winter again, she is on a pretty much hay only diet over winter so does much better then.

If I could find somewhere else to keep her where I could control everything myself and do her a track system she might manage to stay bare but no luck so far searching so may have to compromise.

Will be very sad to put nail holes back in her lovely bare feet :(
 
Sorry didnt see all your reply for some reason, that does make me feel better about it. She was trimmed today and trimmer did say she would still support us through the summer if she needs shoes which was lovely of her.
 
Before Turbo was retired I had him shod from end of March to October, was a great way of riding him like the devil to keep his weight down over summer then letting him chill out, living out without a rug all winter ( always loses weight in the winter )

Its a good compromise :)
 
charliejet said:
Thanks for that so if it comes to it I could look at shoeing for the summer and taking them off for winter again, she is on a pretty much hay only diet over winter so does much better then.

If I could find somewhere else to keep her where I could control everything myself and do her a track system she might manage to stay bare but no luck so far searching so may have to compromise.

Will be very sad to put nail holes back in her lovely bare feet :(
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It really isn't easy for you people with sensitive horses who don't have control over how you can keep the horse. Don't blame yourself, you are doing your best for her.

This little bit of research has just linked iron with insulin resistance in horses (it's well documented in humans), so if you can't get to the bottom of her metabolic issues you might ask a local farmer about iron levels in the area, or test your grazing. Lots of barefooters have iron problems, including me, and find feeding extra copper helps.

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31...link-between-insulin-resistance-iron-overload
 
Thank you very much for the replys.

And thank you for the link will go and read it now. Will start a thread with some pics of her feet as wellat some point when I get organised to take some new ones.
 
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No probs, happy to learn more about this :)

I was reading an article about lgl and found this quote:

Hay can also be very high in sugar and starch. Growing conditions, time of day when harvested and stage of growth are most important. Sugars rise through the day on a sunny day, and decrease overnight when nights are warm. Mature stands of grass are safer than young, growing grasses. This means that unstressed mature grass cut early in the morning will be safer than grass harvested late in the day. Drought or nutrient deficient stressed grass will be higher in sugar and starch.

People who own horses sensitive to high levels of sugar and starch on predominantly hay diets often get their hay analysed at a laboratory to find out how safe the hay is to feed. Soaking hay for up to 30 minutes can remove a significant amount of soluble sugars but won’t reduce the starch levels. However, it is best not to soak longer as iron will be driven into the hay. Dr Eleanor Kellon VMD, an equine nutrition specialist in America is convinced that iron overload is a risk factor for insulin resistance in horses as it is in people; hence any feed or supplements with high levels of iron should be avoided.


I soak my horses hay for 12 hours..... could this be having an effect?
 
Ali2 said:
CPT what's your iron level and how much copper are you feeding?

Sorry to hijack OP
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Ali2, it's more complex than that for me I'm afraid. Not only are iron and manganese levels in the grazing sky high, but I'm on a spring water supply that is also far too high in them. Left standing, my water supply will actually rust :D !

So it doesn't matter what they measure, my horses' intakes vary depending on how much they have eaten and how much they have drunk. How much they have drunk depends on the weather and their exercise.

I supplement 9 grams of 10% copper bioplex a day, for each of three horses weighing in at 600 - 675 kg. There is also some in the cubes that I feed them, but I discount that because it already comes with even more added iron and manganese!

I got there by trial and error over several years, increasing the dose until my dark brown horse stopped turning orange at each coat change.
 
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