Advice on going barefoot

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Kayfamily

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Hi,

I've been reading as much as I can but really need some advice on going barefoot.

I got my new boy about 7 weeks ago, he's a 15hh lightweight cob, as far as I know he has always been shod. He's sound and doesn't seem to have any problems with his feet or shoes, however I want to get rid off them and for him to go barefoot. I know its better for him, he tends to slip quite a lot on roads and as I haven't got a lot of turnout anything to stop him chewing up the grass I have got will be really helpful. :D

I have to do a lot of road work as there's not that much off road hacking near me, would this hamper him as there's not too many different surfaces for him.

Farrier is due to come on Wednesday, this was booked last time he came and I don't know if he has ever done barefoot trimming or not.

Any advice on the farrier, or would I be better to cancel and try to find a qualifield trimmer that covers my area first.

I have read up on quite a few websites but wanted to get personal advice too on things like feed, boots, turnout, work etc.

Thanks in advance
 
I don't have much advice, but can give you my experiences with my 15hh l/w cob. He went barefoot at 16, about two years ago, after a lifetime of shoeing. He had excellent feet, and I had his shoes removed as I wasn't going to be riding for a few months due to me knee op. The op went well, and I started riding again very quickly, initially barefoot walk and trot, roads and rocky tracks, then I had fronts put back on (because it was 'the norm'), he started pulling them off in the field, I borrowed some Old Mac G2's, and since then he's been booted in front and bare behind. I didn't change his feed or care regime - our horses live out 24/7, and rarely have hard feed, and I didn't change farrier - I've been with mine for about 12 years, he now gives Harley a paddock trim, rather than a four point trim, Harl's ack feet have a nice big flat frog, feet looks as good as ever.

The best things for me about going barefoot - never not being able to ride becuase the horse has pulled a shoe, the massive change in cost - a trim is £20 + VAT, instead of £60/70 a set, and no slipping on steep hills!
 
Personally I would speak to your Farrier. He the one who has done the long training in Farriery and knows your horses feet better than anyone.
 
Dont cancel farrier as horse needs a trim anyway and farrier will give you pro advice in a face to face situation , sometimes its hard over the net.I have had a 3yo barefoot for just over a year .If you go barefoot i would take hind shoes off first and take it easy on the hacking on roads, hard tracks for a few weeks the feet will harden up watch your horse some can go barefoot, some cant.Some are ok walking on hacks for a few hours then when you up the work, ie trotting etc that can change it .Is this your first horse ?If so i would recommend waiting a few month before attempting barefoot just incase as a new horse if anything happens, ie lameness, etc, cant be blamed on barefoot , etc,
Once you are happy with hind barefoot and farrier happy with condition, go barefoot on front, however for the front i would stick to tracks etc, and go on roads little at a time and listen to any little whispers your horse gives you .It is essential to get regular trims every six weeks by your farrier esp as barefoot .I had to shoe my horse as the tracks were i am were too hard and stoney and were doing too much road work , i do intend to go barefoot for a few months probs jan feb march for a rest though .All the best and lest us know how you get on
 
We had a barefoot farrier out to our two, to see if it was possible, our gelding was a prime candidate for going barefoot, our mare would have problems.
A month in our gelding is adjusting to not having shoes, he is fine on soft ground but gets footsore if on roads for longer than half an hour, he has never had boots on and its just a case of extending the road periods, he is fed happyhoof as part of his diet and I have cut down on his sugar intake, I believe it is reccomended that sugar is cut out of diets altogether, but he does enjoy his apples.
Our barefoot farrier said most farriers should be able to trim feet for barefoot, but for us it is early days, if our boy isn't 100% happy in another two months I will have him back in shoes, my advice would be get a barefoot farrier out for an assessment and be guided by their advice.
Our mare is still shod because of her thin soles
 
Hi, I have 4 barefoot horses. What you need to be aware of is, barefoot is much more than just 'not shoeing'. Nutrition plays a big part in horses being barefoot, they need to grow good quality feet. It can take between 9 - 12 months for a full hoof to grow. You really need a good qualified barefoot trimmer who is a qualified nutrionists as well. If you have a look on UKNHCP you should be able to find someone in your area. Good luck with it.
By the way, road work is very good for barefoot hooves.
 
Get a copy of "Feet First" a book about barefoot horses in the UK and how to feed and manage them.

Your farrier might be perfectly OK about continuing to trim for a working barefoot horse, or he might laugh and say it is all a fad and just wait for you to ask to put shoes on again (particularly if he scoops out all the sole of the foot, which some do automatically as part of the foot/shoe preparation).

So just see what his reaction is. If he wants to work with you, OK keep him. If he thinks you have turned into a bunny hugger and are off your head, then get in touch with a trimmer. A trimmer will charge more (they have fewer customers and have to travel longer distances and they spend more time with you), but you will have someone to work WITH and support you and give advice.
 
I am just doing this now with my 15.2 cob - I had the backs taken off 7 weeks ago, (my farrier is very good and took my TB barefoot all round) - he was initially fine, but I did a rather long sponsored ride and there was a track with horrible big stones and since then he has been cautious and a bit sore on stoney tracks (I got a telling off from my farrier)

- so I am contemplating getting him some boots for the back, and then using them on the fronts when I have them taken off - but I want him more happy on his backs first. I check his digital pulse a lot as that is a good indicator as to if he is a bit sore or not.

I used to use boots on my TB for his fronts (his backs were fine, the best feet I have ever seen on a TB! Going barefoot really did his feet good) - old macs - he looked a bit like coco the clown though! lol
 
poodle20 said:
Hi, I have 4 barefoot horses. What you need to be aware of is, barefoot is much more than just 'not shoeing'. Nutrition plays a big part in horses being barefoot, they need to grow good quality feet. It can take between 9 - 12 months for a full hoof to grow. You really need a good qualified barefoot trimmer who is a qualified nutrionists as well. If you have a look on UKNHCP you should be able to find someone in your area. Good luck with it.
By the way, road work is very good for barefoot hooves.
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What a load of absolute twaddle!

I took my horses back shoes off almost 2 years ago. 3 to 4 months afterwards my farrier removed his front shoes. My farrier incidentally is not a "barefoot farrier" he is a NORMAL farrier! I've never altered my horses diet, he gets pasture mix and chaff and no supplements, he also goes out in his paddock. He does lots of roadwork and goes up and down gravelly tracks and across stubble fields as easy as a shod horse. He competes in every discipline.

My line on horses going barefoot is some will take to it and some wont!

I was lucky. My farrier checks my horses feet every five weeks but never has to touch him at all.

Barefoot farriers and nutritionists cant tell you if your horse is ok to barefoot.

ONLY your horse can tell you that when you try it!
 
I agree with Poodle20 completely. You are one of the lucky ones AL, that your horse has excellent feet.

There is no such thing as a "barefoot farrier." There are farriers who have learned to shoe horses with metal shoes, who will also be very happy to trim horses to work with no shoes.

There are trimmers who cannot nail a metal shoe to a horse's foot, but they can, mostly with a rasp, balance and trim a horse's foot to let the horse grow and develop a healthy foot that supports the horse correctly and allows it to work without shoes.
 
To be honest, don't worry too much about it :)

My mare Bonnie was shod all of her life, and had terrible feet, regardless of me filling her up with Farriers Formula and using all sorts of lotions and potions on her hooves. After she had vet treatment last year, I turned her away for the winter and took her shoes off, and had her trimmed by a farrier who is experienced with trimming barefoot horses every 7 weeks. The change has been dramatic. Her feet have hardened up and look better than ever, and she is fine on roads etc.

Also, the cost in comparison with having her shod is blissfully low! £20 every 7 weeks, instead of £55 every 5. :)
 
Thanks for the advice guys, I'm sticking with the farrier coming on Wednesday and I'll have a chat with him then. If he doesn't do barefoot then I'll get him to put just fronts on and look at getting a trimmer out.

I need to think alot about diet, at the minute he's turned out in the day with a bit of hay as we have no grass and in at night again just with hay. Did you all just do trial and error to find out what supplements worked best for your individual horse or did you go down the analysing grass and hay route?
 
No trial and error with supplements etc and certainly didnt waste money having hay analysed, what a load of tosh. As I've said before, if your farrier thinks your horse could be ok barefoot then your horse will tell you if he can cope. Just take it slowly and dont expect miracles to soon.
 
I'm kind of in the middle ground here.

If a horse/pony can cope well without shoes then I am all for it, who wouldn't be? However sometimes shoes are required, even if it is just on the front feet, especially if your horse has a tendency to be heavy on the forehand.

I would stick with the farrier, shoe the fronts only if the hind hoof quality is up to going barefoot and let your farrier know your long term plans.

There is a lot of advice on the net re feeding, if your horse is inclined to be a bit footy owing to sugar intolerance then taking the shoes off might show this up and you will have to adjust the access to grass accordingly.

I have one barefoot at the moment who is out in a muzzle 10 hours a day. I could take the muzzle off and put shoes on her, where she would appear to be completely sound, but that wouldn't really address her issues
 
Andalusian lover, I do find you very offensive. The OP asked for opinions and that's what people, including me are giving. If you have a farrier that can trim a horse properly you are very lucky. My experience with farriers has not been that way, a farrier will trim a hoof flat as tho it is going to have a shoe, a barefoot hoof needs concavity. Nutrition plays a very important part not only for barefoot horses but also for shod horses. My last barefoot trimmers were absolutely fantastic, she was a qualified nutrionist, having done 3 years on the subject and she was also a saddle fitter, as she said there is more to a horse than just feet. Don't knock someone who you know nothing about. I find it incredible that people give barefoot trimmers a complete bashing without even having tried one, they do an enormous amount of training, with follow up training in America where the barefoot trend started. Not all farriers are God as all barefoot trimmers are not God either, but at least some of us are willing to try different things to suit our horses. I don't see farriers having to do follow up training, they finish training and this is it, no follow up whatsoever. I have seen some terrible feet due to bad farriers, but I did not come on here and give them a bashing. At the end of the day it is down to individual owners to chose what is best for their horse. That is why the original OP came on here for, to get different advice.
 
IME...any horse can go barefoot but some cannot cope without the correct diet ie limited grass, low sugar diet, and some can.
My cob, welshie and shetland have been barefoot forever and never get footy whatever they are fed on.
My tb, lightweight cob and Connie cannot cope unless their diet is carefully monitored. Incidently these last 3 are also the ones that are affected by too much rich grass and wormers (laminitis and /or footy).
IMO, it IS primarily a diet thing, just as we may have weak hair and nails on the wrong diet, a horse will have weak hooves on a bad diet.
:)
 
Andalusianlover - there was need to be so offensive.
The OP was asking for advice and that is what people/including me are giving.
You obviously no nothing about barefoot horses, otherwise you wouldn't have posted such twaddle.
Don't comment on something you know nothing about - go and do some research and you will see there is a great deal of difference in what a farrier does and what a barefoot trimmer does.
Nutrition is very important in barefoot horses as it is in shod horses, all horses need good quality feet.
A farrier will trim a hoof flat, a barefoot horse needs concavity.
I did not come on this post and have a go at farriers, if people are happy with them thats great, but lots of people struggle to find a decent farrier, me included, do not give barefoot trimmers a bashing without knowing what it is all about.
Our trimmers have done years and years of training, here and in America, unlike Farriers who do 4 years and that is it. There is no follow up on farriers and I have seen some absolutely shocking work done by them. Farries are not GOD and neither are barefoot trimmers, there is good and bad in all.
I did not critize farriers at all, each to their own, so don't give me a bashing for choosing something which suits my horses perfectly.
 
It's horses for courses and this is one of those subjects, where people tend to make their mind up on their own 'single' experience.

Like someone said, I think most horses could go barefoot, but to do so would require X, Y and Z and neither of those things could be possible for them, so barefoot is not going to work, not because the horse can't but because the horse/owner are not suited to 'what's suited to a barefoot horse. Of course this is always the case at all but just an example.

Mines barefoot. I do try and make a huge effort to learn everything I can about it, and I want to continue her barefoot. I forget she is barefoot most of the time and have a normal farrier, having said that my farrier is happy for horses to go barefoot and encourages it.
 
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I'm with andalusianlover here!
My tb mare is barefoot, took her backs off for a couple of months and she was fine then off came her fronts. She can be a tiny bit footy on really stony ground but never had a problem. Only time she has been lame is with an abcess when she had shoes on (touch wood).
Speak to your farrier and talk to him about it, Imo you don't need a barefoot trimmer.
 
I think barefoot trimmers definitely have their place but be sure to go on recommendation.
For alot of horses it's not just about whipping the shoes off...diet and conditioning have a big part to play so you really need to work out whether you can manage a barefoot horse if he turns out not to be a natural.
However, if you are prepared to do some research there is alot of useful info out there re barefoot.
My regular farrier has always trimmed mine but now I do them.

http://www.performancebarefoot.co.uk/

I can really recommend the book Feet First for any horseowner.
 
poodle20 said:
Andalusian lover, I do find you very offensive.

I couldnt give a hoot if you find me offensive, I'm entitled to my opinion too and I find that your opinion is a bit of a joke really.

My boss has a got a brilliant phrase and it suits most things where people complicate matters for no reason whatsoever and that is:

"Keep it simple stupid"

These days people over complicate matters feeding every supplement on earth combined with lots of different types of feed, boot bandage and wrap their horses up in cotton wool and its just not necessary as it doesnt make a blind bit of difference.

Keep it natural I say and dont feed your horse full of expensive useless supplements.

Let the horse tell you if he can take being barefoot.

Oh and by the way my farrier never trims my horses feet. He looks at him every 5 weeks, swears at me saying he never makes any money from me. All the other farriers that come to the yard admire my horses feet, he is so balanced he wears his feet down perfectly himself when we do roadwork and that is because I keep it simple and dont faff about! He events, does dressage, SJ, pleasure rides and he's as sound as a pound. Never been lame in 5 years so I think I'm entitled to a strong opinion.
Click to expand...
 
i have used an EP before.
found the horses feet looked the same (but needed doing every 4 week instead of 5-6) and it took ages per horse and was £45 per horse
farrier comes out every 6 weeks, watches horse trot up, trims. £35 later the horse has 'new' feet and im happy.
i think taking the backs off first can be helpful, but be guided by the farrier. he has done the horses feet before so should know them. cobs can have excellent hard feet that take to it straight away.
mine are all TB or WB and were slightly footy the first week or 3 on gravel or stones.
i put shoes back on one horse last year as it was slipping competing on grass.
if they need shoes, they get them. if not, im much better off if they are naked!

i wouldnt say a trimmer is totally necessary, but that a good trimmer is better than a bad farrier.....
so as long as your farrier is good, id stick with them.
 
I've only ever had one horse that "had" to be shod and that was a TB with flat feet and pedal ostitis.

My ponies never needed them, just had a normal farrier check and trim as necessary ever 6 weeks or so.

My ID/TB has only worn shoes for 9 months of her life whilst she was doing a lot of road work (an hour a day) during her backing and schooling. Doesn't do enough work now to need or justify them.

You do not have to go down the "barefoot specialist" route. The vast majority of horses will cope without shoes as long as they haven't got any underlying hoof issues.

To say my farrier is vehemently against barefoot trimmers is an understatment - he has had to deal with several cases where horses have been lamed by their methods.
 
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