A question for the barefoot taliban please...

H

horsesatemymoney

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 March 2011
Messages
2,189
Visit site
I keep seeing the barefoot threads, but think I've missed a few months because am confused. What are the benefits of not shoeing/using a trimmer and can you do it with a horse that, without shoes, would be footsore on stones? Apologies if these are dunce-esq questions but I'd appreciate your advice :o
 
Well I'm not a fully paid up member of the Barefoot Taliban, more of a recent recruit but I'll have a go ;)

I think you can try barefoot with any horse provided you get a few basics in place beforehand. Unless you've got pea gravel or a conformable surface which would be comfortable for your horse to walk on straight away barefoot I'd be inclined to change the diet at least a few weeks/months before you take the shoes off, or invest in boots until your horse is comfortable.

My lad went to Rockley earlier this year and I'm proud to say he's now rock crunching but then he wasn't uncomfortable out of his shoes initially anyway so I was lucky.

If you're going to give it a go you need a low sugar and starch diet, lots of info in other threads, and lots of patience.

For me the advantages are that my navicular and collateral ligament damage diagnosed horse is now sound and moving better than he has in a very long time. Even with the supplements I feed, pro balance and mag ox, the financial cost is a lot less than keeping him in shoes. I don't use a trimmer either though because I do lots of roadwork and he keeps his feet trimmed himself.

Hope that helps but I'm sure there will be other more knowledgeable types along soon :)
 
I'm also a recent recruit. I took my pony's shoes off in January. For me, the advantages are that she goes footy at the slightest hint of too much grass/sugar, which is a good thing because with shoes on I wouldn't have known there was a problem until we needed bute, box rest and possibly x-rays. Barefoot I get an early enough warning that I can fix it by keeping her in overnight. Also she suffers from arthritic hocks so by removing the shoes she suffers much less concussion to her joints, especially on the roads and hard fields and bridlepaths.
My pony has been a pain to transition because she is so sensitive to sugar and we are still not rock crunching. If we hack on stony bridlepaths she has front boots on but I don't like using them on the roads in case she slips (she did once). She is fine on the roads and in the fields/school. If she wasn't then that would be a warning sign that the grass was too rich. I let her choose her own path and walk on the bits that she feels most comfortable on - if she would rather walk on grass than gravel, that's fine. We will get there in our own time.
She has trims every six weeks or so, but can go a bit longer. I less than a third for a BF trim than I was paying for shoes and she is happier for it, which is the main thing. I also by cal mag, zinc and copper as my hay/grazing is deficient and get yeasacc. That costs about £15-20 a month, but I used to feed blue chip for £30 a month and I don't feed that any more, so it more than equals out I guess.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top