Advice on taking back shoes off for first time?

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wench

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Just hoping someone might be able to help me. I have found a potential new horse. I would ideally like to take its back shoes off, mainly to save some money.

What steps would people recommend. Assume that the hooves are in good condition and shape as they are. Previous owner had reported horse was a bit footy previously when unshod and not in work.

Routine would mainly be stabled over winter with odd days of turnout in field, ridden in school and occasional hacks.
 
What does he eat? You need a Low sugar diet ie fast fibre with a good balancer progressive earth do one as do forage plus. Then build up a bit of road work to help toughen up/build callous and thickness to the bottom if his hoof.

I made the mistake of just taking back shoes off and hacking straight out without building up first and ended up making him sore and having to have the shoes put back on.

You may also find http://phoenixhorse.myfastforum.org/ useful

forgot to say keep on top of any thrush or potential thrush or nasties lurking as that will stop him putting his hoof down properly when he moves (also happened to me) and will delay any progress
 
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I must be a bad owner then. If I want back shoes off I call my farrier up, book and appointment and ask him to remove them! If they are a little footy then take it easy on the ridden work for a bit. (which to be honest, with back shoes isn't usually a massive problems. It's the fronts that some struggle with the most)
 
ihatework said:
I must be a bad owner then. If I want back shoes off I call my farrier up, book and appointment and ask him to remove them! If they are a little footy then take it easy on the ridden work for a bit. (which to be honest, with back shoes isn't usually a massive problems. It's the fronts that some struggle with the most)
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^^ This ^^

Got my horse last May, seller had him shod for me "for good luck" so he had new shoes on. When farrier came 6 weeks later, I asked him to remove them. Horse was being fed Safe & Sound, purely because that's what my other horse was eating at the time, grass, and hay. Continued to work him as normal and he was fine. He worked all summer without shoes (schooling, a couple of little competitions, hacking inc roads and some stony tracks), and went cubbing a couple of times. Only put them back on because I had planned to hunt all winter (though that never happened). All four shoes are coming off next week for the winter, because I have long since resigned myself to doing much less riding over the winter and forcing myself just depresses me. So shoes off, less work (prob 2x hack, 2x school and maybe one lesson or competition) and see how he goes. I will put boots on the fronts for hacking if he needs them. They'll go back on in the spring, if he needs them at all. I don't plan to change his diet unless he is struggling.
 
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