Another Barefoot Question

[PooJay]

Hallo

wonder if anybody can help? My big beast has been unshod for over a year, no problems, feet seemingly made of oak etc etc

I'm entering a mini numpty one day event and will be jumping on grass....she gets a little over excited whilst jumping and sometimes balance can take a back seat (we're working on this) and i'm a little concerned she may slip with the ground still being quite hard.

Do any other barefooters compete on grass whilst it's so hard and have problems?

Thanks

 

[kittykatcat]

Bare feet have WAY more traction than a shod hoof...think about it - it's the whole hoof that is in contact with the ground, rather than a thin metal rim...basic physics would tell us that there is more surface area and therefore traction with the bare hoof!

This link is great for arguing the point against shoes and studs!

http://4hooves.co.uk/FAQJumping.aspx

 

[PooJay]

Bare feet have WAY more traction than a shod hoof...think about it - it's the whole hoof that is in contact with the ground, rather than a thin metal rim...basic physics would tell us that there is more surface area and therefore traction with the bare hoof!

This link is great for arguing the point against shoes and studs!

http://4hooves.co.uk/FAQJumping.aspx

hmmm that article makes me think that i'm more likely to slip....i understand on good ground that she's likely to have more traction (and of course she can feel what her feet are doing without shoes) but her feet are so hard and so shiny that they resemble polished wood - which is great in general but on hard grassy ground that doesn't bode well for turning corners at speed. It's only a little "event" anyway so i think i'll try to walk between fences, it's only practice after all and i guess it will instill some discipline in the loopy tart!

 

[ThePony]

Have no probs with our grip barefoot (and madam really does put her traction through its paces by a mix of stupid spooks launching us sideways or going nuts around her field!). If it concerns you then make sure to really ride your corners and don't let her motorbike round.
Good luck and enjoy!

 

[criso]

What I've been doing with my barefoot tb is take him up to our canter track in the field in different conditions and canter him round corners first really slowly then a bit faster so I get a feel for how much I need to steady him up.

 

[PooJay]

Have no probs with our grip barefoot (and madam really does put her traction through its paces by a mix of stupid spooks launching us sideways or going nuts around her field!). If it concerns you then make sure to really ride your corners and don't let her motorbike round.
Good luck and enjoy!

This is my problem, jay thinks she's a motor bike and because jumping is the bestest thing in the world (ever) since sliced carrots i tend to lose an element of control between fences. We've been having weekly jumping lessons to combat this but we're still a work in progress. I think stopping after each fence (it's only a 1ft6 class and we're 16.1hh lol) will be a good way of combatting slippage and using the class as a learning exercise!

 

[Clava]

Bare feet have WAY more traction than a shod hoof...think about it - it's the whole hoof that is in contact with the ground, rather than a thin metal rim...basic physics would tell us that there is more surface area and therefore traction with the bare hoof!

This link is great for arguing the point against shoes and studs!

http://4hooves.co.uk/FAQJumping.aspx

It depends upon the horse, my TB has small hooves for her body size and wears then so no wall is proud as such, she has terrible traction barefoot compared to when I've had her fronts shod, there is absolutley no comparison (except for on roads where traction is much better bare). On the lunge with fronts on she grips the bare grass and doesn't slip, when bare her stride shortens to try not to slip but it is a less happy pace. Shoes, with the way they raise a clear edge all round dig into hard earth better than a smooth bare hoof. Still for me that's not a reason to shoe her as we cope fun for what we do together.

My friend's barefoot cob, however, almost never slips.

 

[ThePony]

If it worries you then just come back to trot for each fence, a good lesson for her to remind her to listen to you too!

 

[PooJay]

If it worries you then just come back to trot for each fence, a good lesson for her to remind her to listen to you too!

A LOT easier said than done. Madam definitely believes she knows best when it comes to jumping but she's gotta learn and i think this could be a brill way of practicing what we've learnt in our lessons. I think we'll be well on our way to winning the most entertaining round

 

[kittykatcat]

I also compete my looney tunes TB - jumping, hunter trials, trec, endurance...and yes, we slip sometimes, i'm not going to say he NEVER slips, but it's not a problem at all....much better than his stumblings and trippings in shoes! x

 

[PooJay]

I also compete my looney tunes TB - jumping, hunter trials, trec, endurance...and yes, we slip sometimes, i'm not going to say he NEVER slips, but it's not a problem at all....much better than his stumblings and trippings in shoes! x

I think once we become a more balanced partnership and Jay realises that sometimes it's a good idea to listen to the momma then i don't think we'll have any problems competing barefoot, she's got amazing feet (one of the reasons i bought her) it's just the other stuff that needs a lot more work

 

[MissTyc]

Hard ground is the worst ground for my barefoot horses, but I see just as many shod horses slipping as lots of amateur riders don't realise studs are useful when it hasn't rained for a long time. We do slip, but we've never fallen (TOUCH WOOD!!) and we go pretty fast!!