Advice please! barefoot vs front shoes

Sambo

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My 10 yr old welsh D has thrown the same shoe twice in a week...

He is only shod on the fronts.

When he came to me he had rim shoes on all 4 feet - and I have got him down to fronts, which he is a lot happier with, and is absolutely fine.

He lost a shoe last Thursday, and lost it again today!!!

He is fed 3/4 of a scoop of Dengie HiFi with apple and about 1/4 of a scoop of sugarbeet with 1 scoop of fibre plus nuggets in a treat ball. He will be living out 24/7 with around 8kg of haylage at night.

He is used for schooling mainly, jumping once maybe twice a week, occasional hacks - mainly on sand and grass, and a little roadwork...

Advice please! Shall I just go barefoot or keep putting shoes on?

Note: He lost his shoe tonight and still did a 45 min jumping lesson with his instructor, didn't care at all - and didn't flinch over the hardcore on the yard either...
 
If he can manage unshod, then go for it. Your farrier can probably give you the best advice as he knows your horses feet and the way in which he is kept and his workload.
 
If he's not sore without shoes what is the point in putting them on?

This. If he can manage without, take them off. If he gets footsore or shows excessive wear of his feet, get the farrier to put them back on again. Whatever you decide, you can always change your mind if it isn't working.

Good luck!
 
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