a newbie barefoot q - possibly stupid?

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catwithclaws

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can 'most' horses go barefoot with the right care? MM keeps throwing shoes for no apparent reason, and her feet crumble and splinter apart. She is also sore if she's not on a surface without shoes. I've tried hoof hardener and biotin but doesn't seem to make any difference

is this something that could be worked on? or is it hopeless and i should stick to a full set of shoes every 5 weeks? HELP!!

sorry for the possibly silly question but its not something i know anything about!
 
Its not a silly Q, its a good Q
The answer is .... most horses can be kept in work without shoes.
Shoeing has advantages........... it helps horses who would be footy [for various reasons] and help owners to work though various feet problems. Some say it masks the symptoms which can become more aparent in certain situations, like high sugar in the diet eg when grass is lush.
The horse was born without shoes so we can be pretty sure that was what nature intended.
Most horses are kept in less than ideal conditions from an evolutionary viewpoint, so once they are in work the farrier comes along and slaps a metal shoe on, he has to penetrate the hoof wall, which must weaken it and the cycle starts from there.
So why do people think barefoot is better........... well it helps the foot to develop and strengthen so that the hoof can support the limb and the limb can support the body. The frog and the digital cushion develop and become more functional.
Now the main thing from an equine point of view is diet, if we don't feed a good diet, the hooves will suffer both internally and externally.
Minerals and vitamins are essential, these may need to be balanced to the forage which the horse is eating.
Fibre, yes, a hi fibre / lo sugar diet is needed.
Oil for energy and good skin tone and joints and so on.
You are finding the hoof quality is poor so you need to change the diet. Later you may consider removing the shoes, there will be a few problems along the way.. this is the transition period and you may need hoof boots.
 
catwithclaws said:
can 'most' horses go barefoot with the right care? MM keeps throwing shoes for no apparent reason, and her feet crumble and splinter apart. She is also sore if she's not on a surface without shoes. I've tried hoof hardener and biotin but doesn't seem to make any difference

is this something that could be worked on? or is it hopeless and i should stick to a full set of shoes every 5 weeks? HELP!!

sorry for the possibly silly question but its not something i know anything about!
Click to expand...

Start at the beginning.

What is she eating?
 
Yes they can :D

It sounds like the hoof is pretty compromised to me, think about wooden fencing, eventually sooner or later where you put the nail in goes wet soggy and rots, then it splits. This is what happens with nails in the hoof :(. Your mare sounds like shes running out of solid bits to put the nails in to.

Painting stuff onto the hoof is just a marketing ploy to get us to spend money, it doesnt do a damn thing. The horn quality is a product of environment, diet and stimulation.

Firstly you need to get her diet sugar free and low in starch. So post up what she's fed and we'l help adjust it if necessary.

You need the shoes taking off the the hooves rolling, this helps prevent splitting and then just leave them alone for 8-12 weeks and let her be. She may well be sore to begin with as all those deadened nerve ends are going to put to use again and she has to adjust to that. Her frog and sole need leaving alone, if these are trimmed she will be more foot sore.

You do need to be prepared she might be sore, do not chicken out and put shoes back onto sore feet, the shoes are just masking the foot problems she has so you arent actually solving her pain. You also need to be prepared to possibly do less riding to begin with depending on how she does. :)
 
thanks guys, just what i wanted!

so do i need to keep shoes on to start with while i work on the condition of her feet? she is fed on literally just grass at the moment, but soon we are moving yards and she will be in at night so will be on good quality haylage then - is there a vitamin supplement u could recommend?

i've looked at hoof boots on the internet but some of them are like £100 for one boot!! i can't afford £400!!
 
lmao Oberon do you have a copy and paste job for all these bf queries yet? :D

OP usually hoof boots come in pairs - they'l also last 2-3 yrs unlike shoes, if you add up your shoeing costs for every 5 weeks I bet you'd be surprised....!
 
catwithclaws said:
thanks guys, just what i wanted!

so do i need to keep shoes on to start with while i work on the condition of her feet? she is fed on literally just grass at the moment, but soon we are moving yards and she will be in at night so will be on good quality haylage then - is there a vitamin supplement u could recommend?

i've looked at hoof boots on the internet but some of them are like £100 for one boot!! i can't afford £400!!
Click to expand...
lol, no no Cavallo boots are £72 a pair, and you can't be sure you need them at this stage.
Good Q haylage can be sugary and you may need to soak it.
I think stabling will help as she will get less grass which has very hi sugar sometimes.
You can immediatley start her on
500gms Fast Fibre per day
Equimins hoof builder at recommended rate
50-100gms micronised linseed meal [less if overweight][equimins 10kg=£24.00]
A good handfull of Dengie lo alfa molasses free chaff
A teaspoon of salt.
Once things have improved a measure of pro hoof can replace the hoof builder ]
In winter you can feed two of the above feeds per day, NO molassed sugar beet nuts no mixes with molasses or cereals.
You should see a dramatic change in the feet over the first two months, take pics and ask on here.
How long have present shoes been on, I would wait four-six weeks before removing, make sure farrier realises you are going barefoot and does not take off too much.
 
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