A daft question about shoes/unshod

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Moomin1

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This is something which has been bugging me for a while now, and it is probably going to sound really stupid!

But if horses often go without hind shoes, would there be a reason a horse could go without fronts and have shoes just on the hind? :confused:
 
I think they carry 60% of their weight on their fronts and 40% behind, so that may be a reason?

I'm sure some barefoot geniuses will let you know!
 
Taz feels more in his fronts then his backs so sometimes during the summer i have his shoes put back on.. also he seems to wear them down quicker and he has strange shaped feet so i have had trouble finding hoof boots so sticking shoes on for 12 weeks of the year doesnt bother me :)
 
According to Pete Ramey's site his opinion is that although standing they carry more weight on forelimbs, when moving it is completely different. As they use their hind hooves 'harder' they develop more, so fronts are more prone to be under-developed and not cope as well with unshod work.
 
Reason I ask is that I had her hinds taken off a few years ago as she has very strong and well formed feet, and was only in work on the school. She was crippled lame within 24 hrs. Shoes back on ever since, not a days problem. Then this summer, she somehow pulled a front shoe (a unique and one off mystery as she never ever does this), and she was perfectly sound, even on concrete, for an entire week until her shoe went back on! :confused:

So was considering this winter to try her with just hind shoes on, as the most she will be doing is work in the school.
 
samlf said:
According to Pete Ramey's site his opinion is that although standing they carry more weight on forelimbs, when moving it is completely different. As they use their hind hooves 'harder' they develop more, so fronts are more prone to be under-developed and not cope as well with unshod work.
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see I knew somebody else would know ;)
 
samlf said:
According to Pete Ramey's site his opinion is that although standing they carry more weight on forelimbs, when moving it is completely different. As they use their hind hooves 'harder' they develop more, so fronts are more prone to be under-developed and not cope as well with unshod work.
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Interesting this might explain something that bugs me why their hind frogs develop and improve better and quicker than the front ones when you take their shoes off.
 
Agree that hinds in motion do a lot of work and are often (not always) stimulated to improve faster. Also hind pedal bone tends to have more of an arch to it.

But it's not always true that hinds struggle less. But I wouldn't shoe I'd boot.
 
Actually I think it makes more sense to shoe just hinds than just fronts. As the hind end does (or should) be doing most of the work, surely that's what requires the extra most?
 
littlelegs said:
Actually I think it makes more sense to shoe just hinds than just fronts. As the hind end does (or should) be doing most of the work, surely that's what requires the extra most?
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That's exactly what I thought really Littlelegs! I would have thought most of the force and friction used during 'proper' exercise is on the hinds.

I am going to have a chat with my trusty farrier anyway and see what he thinks about the whole thing!
 
I had often wondered that too moomin, I have never heard of a horse just having backs on, I imagine it messing up their weight balance, I imagine when the forehand is slightly raised by front shoes it would put more weight on the hindquarters which may be a good thing, but not if it was the other way round... I don't know if that would make a difference while moving but fronts do seem to be more sensitive and often with shallower soles so more footiness without shoes.
 
mandwhy said:
I had often wondered that too moomin, I have never heard of a horse just having backs on, I imagine it messing up their weight balance, I imagine when the forehand is slightly raised by front shoes it would put more weight on the hindquarters which may be a good thing, but not if it was the other way round... I don't know if that would make a difference while moving but fronts do seem to be more sensitive and often with shallower soles so more footiness without shoes.
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Yeah I do wonder whether it's all down to balance etc. I am just baffled as to why she was sound when she lost her front shoe, even though she was charging around a hard summer field, yet she went crippled when she had her backs off.:confused:
 
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