After 8 months I'm ready to give up the barefoot experience...

[toooldtofalloff]

Horse first is my take. You've given it a really good try, done everything right.
Fronts back on and enjoy your happy horse which makes for happy owner.
FWIW I have 2 unshod and one shod all round. Horses for courses.

Thank you, yes I do feel as if I've exhausted it! And its horrible riding them without that spring in their step.

 

[KikiDee]

I had 1 barefoot who adjusted very well and did great. 1 I transitioned who did ‘ok’ but was a bit of a PITA as I always had to be careful on stony or gravel tracks as he struggled, but I had various other mechanical/hoof balance issues for him being barefoot so stuck with it and worked around it. Current horse is fully shod all round for no other reason than it seems to work for him and I’m not prepared to take a year out transitioning him, plus I stud up for jumping on grass. I have friends with barefoot horses who have perfect rock crunching feet.

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong, it’s very much dependent on the individual horse, your own goals and what works best for you.

 

[toooldtofalloff]

I had 1 barefoot who adjusted very well and did great. 1 I transitioned who did ‘ok’ but was a bit of a PITA as I always had to be careful on stony or gravel tracks as he struggled, but I had various other mechanical/hoof balance issues for him being barefoot so stuck with it and worked around it. Current horse is fully shod all round for no other reason than it seems to work for him and I’m not prepared to take a year out transitioning him, plus I stud up for jumping on grass. I have friends with barefoot horses who have perfect rock crunching feet.

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong, it’s very much dependent on the individual horse, your own goals and what works best for you.

Thanks, yes, it really is an individual way of going and although Goose has perfect hind feet which have never seen shoes and go over the most inhospitable ground, the front feet are way more sensitive and belong to a different pony! I use road studs on his shoes as we have steep hilly lanes with a variety of surfaces. It's really quite a complex subject...

 

[MatHalTed]

You could potentially do what a lot of hunters do and shoe from autumn - winter then shoes off for spring and summer?

 

[maya2008]

It is what it is. If shoes work for you then I wouldn’t worry about it for a second more!

We have Cavallo trek boots for my NF pony and she absolutely loves them. Much nicer than the Sport Cavallo boots the Shetland had (I’m a ‘buy it second hand’ kind of person so got whatever was available in their respective sizes). We only need them in the winter though for shorter winter hacks. I do notice that they are more clumpy than the Old Macs my TB once had. She has less spring in her step and I would probably investigate more to find something better for longer rides. For me, boots in winter are much cheaper than fronts every 6-8 weeks, so it works.

 

[toooldtofalloff]

You could potentially do what a lot of hunters do and shoe from autumn - winter then shoes off for spring and summer?

Thank you, yes that's crossed my mind! On the other hand the boots scenario has been a protracted process And I feel he'd always need them from time to time.

 

[Fransurrey]

Ah yes sorry, um we've got cavallo boots but not had much success really. He's heavily feathered as well so that doesn't help!

As a fellow feathered horse owner I get this. The best ones I've found are those where the straps can be passed through the feather (such as the Evo or Magic Explora). Even then I have to trim the feather under the heel to help with fit and also with hoof maintenance. Fortunately we no longer need boots, but that's only because I trim the hooves myself and can do it as and when, rather than wait 5-6 weeks at a time. When the farrier was doing them, it was a pointless exercise (chipping, thrushy frogs, overgrown bars, high heels), so unless you can take over/contribute to the hoofcare, then there's absolutely no shame in just whacking shoes back on. Life is too short! My mare is barely touched and has great feet, but by god do I have to work for my cob's hooves!

 

[toooldtofalloff]

As a fellow feathered horse owner I get this. The best ones I've found are those where the straps can be passed through the feather (such as the Evo or Magic Explora). Even then I have to trim the feather under the heel to help with fit and also with hoof maintenance. Fortunately we no longer need boots, but that's only because I trim the hooves myself and can do it as and when, rather than wait 5-6 weeks at a time. When the farrier was doing them, it was a pointless exercise (chipping, thrushy frogs, overgrown bars, high heels), so unless you can take over/contribute to the hoofcare, then there's absolutely no shame in just whacking shoes back on. Life is too short! My mare is barely touched and has great feet, but by god do I have to work for my cob's hooves!

Oh that must make a massive difference being able to manage the trims and so on. I have to admit though now that his front shoes have gone back on a couple of days ago I feel a weight's been lifted. He's so much better on rough ground and I'm not obsessed with looking at it!