Anyone elses (newly) barefoot horses struggling?

Dylan has his off in June, when he was having trouble on the stoney tracks to the field he refused to be lead out of the barn...just his way of letting me know but he's fine now.
 
I observed them all in the field yesterday and all were head low, picking through the pocked, sharp hard ground.

Don't think it has much to do with barefoot or shod.

I think it has to do with "oh mum, it's bleedin horrible out here and I might cut me coronet on this stuff!"... At least that's what I think my filly is saying when she sideways-glances me... sure enough... grazed coronets on two of them. One shod and one not.

MIne can stay in today she will be happy :)
 
My three are all without shoes/barefoot however you want to word it and are all struggling with the rutted ground, the two most careful over the ruts have never had shoes and my mare had fronts till I bought her almost two years ago so unfortunately they have to tolerate it.
The only shod horse I've ever had was a cob and he was also the only one to bruise his foot walking on a tarmac road.
 
Mine are all BF, and have been for about a year now. They are doing really well, but they are unhappy on the frozen ground as well. Just as Amandaco said, just like humans are being careful walking across it. Doesnt necessarily mean it hurts, just that you might do a header if you're not careful!

We are lucky to have ours at home with a self enclosed arena / stables / yard, so they just come in and mooch round there when its as cold as this. Appreciate not everyone can do that though!
 
No, and I'm seriously wondering why I've spent so much money on shoes in my life.

No great barefoot aspirations, just all comps in Aberdeenshire are on surfaces plus they kept slipping on road when even a bit icy so I thought I'd just take shoes off and see if it made a difference. Farrier said I'd know in 10 days if they would cope or not. Don't get me wrong, they aren't hooning around in the hard uneven ground but certainly not suffering either.

Taking one to clinic on Sunday so be very interested to see how he gets on as surface there is a bit 'nippy' to say the least. So far a convert though
 
scarymare said:
Farrier said I'd know in 10 days if they would cope or not.
Click to expand...


For other people thinking of going barefoot, that isn't nearly enough time to know if your horse will cope. Many horses are fine for two weeks and then go a bit footie for another couple of weeks and then gradually gain more tolerance as they build up sole callous.

There would be far fewer barefooters around if everyone who's horse was ouchy on stones at two weeks put the shoes back on. A far better option at that stage if you cannot avoid bad surfaces would be boots.
 
Flaming typical! Got down this morning, and you wouldn't have thought anything was the matter. Silly mare, wonder whether she's just being really, really picky about it. Anyway farrier put her fronts back on, will leave her like that and hopefully whip them off again around March (and maybe get some boots?)
 
Teehee naughty pony! Good luck with taking them off again, YP hasnt noticed a change in ground and he was jogging next to me over the hard core to get to his field this morning :rolleyes: But then I often woder if he can feel his feet, they are a long way from his muppet brain!
 
Cheers DH, yup very cheeky, but at least I should be able to go for a nice hack now without complaint. Feeling confident about spring, have lots planned (we're going to work on our dressage next year, as we're done shed loads of jumping, so going to concentrate on something a bit different (plus we can hack to Bluegate!) plus shoes-off will be a bonus!
 
cptrayes said:
For other people thinking of going barefoot, that isn't nearly enough time to know if your horse will cope. Many horses are fine for two weeks and then go a bit footie for another couple of weeks and then gradually gain more tolerance as they build up sole callous.

There would be far fewer barefooters around if everyone who's horse was ouchy on stones at two weeks put the shoes back on. A far better option at that stage if you cannot avoid bad surfaces would be boots.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. I wasn't really thinking about barefooting at all tbh, just wanted to hack a bit safer but then the snow and ice came and couldn't even get in from field. I've always shod, just like until I came to Scotland I'd always stabled. However I am starting to question things much more now. My yard is stones (horrid hardcore) and some struggle always (my ID broody for example). However these pair (one in particular) didn't bat an eyelid when shoes removed which I thought was intersting. I'm not intending to go down the barefoot regime with diet etc, I'll just see how they fair up and take it from there. Certainly won't be shoeing if they carry on like this!
 
dafthoss said:
Teehee naughty pony! Good luck with taking them off again, YP hasnt noticed a change in ground and he was jogging next to me over the hard core to get to his field this morning :rolleyes: But then I often woder if he can feel his feet, they are a long way from his muppet brain!
Click to expand...

This did make me chortle rather... :D
 
Gosh I am honestly quite astounded at the amount of barefoot horses who go 'footy' in the frost. ALL of mine (competition horses included) are unshod and trimmed by a farrier - NONE of mine have ever gone footy regardless of the time of year, maybe the trimming is to blame.
 
Amaranta said:
Gosh I am honestly quite astounded at the amount of barefoot horses who go 'footy' in the frost. ALL of mine (competition horses included) are unshod and trimmed by a farrier - NONE of mine have ever gone footy regardless of the time of year, maybe the trimming is to blame.
Click to expand...

Ditto.
I even had shoes removed from my TB (I believe they're calling it 'transitioning' these days?) and didn't have a problem with him going footy in the frost, or any other time of year. Guess I've just been lucky.
 
Amaranta said:
Gosh I am honestly quite astounded at the amount of barefoot horses who go 'footy' in the frost. ALL of mine (competition horses included) are unshod and trimmed by a farrier - NONE of mine have ever gone footy regardless of the time of year, maybe the trimming is to blame.
Click to expand...

An interesting idea :).

Can you elaborate?
 
OberBaubles said:
An interesting idea :).

Can you elaborate?
Click to expand...

Not an idea, a fact.

Not much to elaborate really, they are trimmed regularly by my farrier, all but one on a high fibre diet, two are dressage horses, one a newly backed 4yo and a 19yo broodmare - all are PRE's who in general have very good horn, but that's it really. Have never had a footy one regardless of terrain or weather.

They are all fed balancers and high fibre nuggets, ad lib haylage and one gets Spillers Quick Reponse mix as she works very hard and needs the energy.
 
Mine is fine again today. First time with since shoes have come off he's been footy. I never thought he'd cope without shoes on the fronts, but apart from one day he has.
 
OberBaubles said:
I have one footy horse, one fine.

Same diet, same trimmer.

Footy one has rampant Cushings.

I'm not sure it could be considered a fact that the trimming is to blame in every case?
Click to expand...

Sorry! Meant my horses were not footy is a fact :)

It seems that many other 'traditionally' trimmed horses are not footy either, which is what made me ask (meant it as a question - punctuation failure!) if maybe the trimming was to blame?
 
I wonder if there is a bit of confusion about barefoot horses being footy in the frost.
Are they footy on frosty ground or it where they need to walk across very uneven (6' deep hoof holes) frozen ground where there isn't enough frozen mud at a similar level to support the majority of hoof?
The majority of my field has divots etc scattered all over the place and they are absolutely fine but where there was a bog and now now it resembles frozen peaks on an iced christmas cake they are taking things very steady.

Also maybe someone with more experiance can tell me if barefoot horses get very thick lumps of packed ice in their feet or is it just shod horses, mine never have but wondered if it was just co-incidence.
 
Amaranta said:
Sorry! Meant my horses were not footy is a fact :)

It seems that many other 'traditionally' trimmed horses are not footy either, which is what made me ask (meant it as a question - punctuation failure!) if maybe the trimming was to blame?
Click to expand...

Sorry - I'm on nights and easily confused :o.

I agree that we need to look at how the horses are being trimmed - if they go footy post trim. I don't much care who does the trimming as long as it's sympathetic and appropriate for the individual horse.

I was driving along the motorway on the phone to (non horsey) hubby last night (hands free), crying that he's not right and I think this is The End :(.

He told me to get some perspective and that a happy 26 year old horse who walks out of his stable stiff and sore in the morning isn't quite the same thing as needing a bullet :rolleyes:

He's right - but I'm still freaking out :(.
 
Oh Oberbaubles bless u! Course its not the end its a blip :) If he's stiff after being stabled can he stay out? Or be shut on the yard with his box door open and the others all shut in so he can wander? A friend of mine does this with her 32 year old - she did have to invest in door clips though as he worked out how to let all his friends out :D

LD+S - mine are in a field that is far from smooth, thanks to moles, divots, rabbits etc. They really aint bothered even though its so hard I stubbed my toe on a mole hill and cried!
 
My cob and PBA were picking around the frozen mud very carefully, especially the PBA, who had her fronts off about a month ago. Cob is barefoot, has been for nearly 4 years. Difficult to say whether they were a bit footy or whether it was simply self preservation, as it was VERY slippery.
TB has never been shod, has granite feet and was hooning around like a demented motorbike as usual :D she doesn't feel the cold, her feet are always rock crunching. I swear she has no nerve endings as she can carve lumps off herself and never appears bothered. :D
 
OberBaubles said:
Sorry - I'm on nights and easily confused :o.

I agree that we need to look at how the horses are being trimmed - if they go footy post trim. I don't much care who does the trimming as long as it's sympathetic and appropriate for the individual horse.

I was driving along the motorway on the phone to (non horsey) hubby last night (hands free), crying that he's not right and I think this is The End :(.

He told me to get some perspective and that a happy 26 year old horse who walks out of his stable stiff and sore in the morning isn't quite the same thing as needing a bullet :rolleyes:

He's right - but I'm still freaking out :(.
Click to expand...

When we love them so much it is very easy to over react.

My job means that I advise other horse owners, I can be completely logical when talking about other people's animals, when one of my own is affected, everything I know flies out the window and I become Mrs Gibbering Idiot imagining the worst possible scenario :o

Your chap is 26 years old, a grand age, it would be very surprising if he were not a little stiff after a night in the stables, I am sure it is not 'the end' for him - see I am Mrs Logical :) However, I do understand the feelings (been there, done that) and would be exactly the same in your shoes.
 
Mine was like it on the bits that had frozen rutted near the gate. Most noticeable when he was trying to turn. Today he was cantering about fine thou as the ground has softened up.
 
Amaranta said:
When we love them so much it is very easy to over react.

My job means that I advise other horse owners, I can be completely logical when talking about other people's animals, when one of my own is affected, everything I know flies out the window and I become Mrs Gibbering Idiot imagining the worst possible scenario :o

Your chap is 26 years old, a grand age, it would be very surprising if he were not a little stiff after a night in the stables, I am sure it is not 'the end' for him - see I am Mrs Logical :) However, I do understand the feelings (been there, done that) and would be exactly the same in your shoes.
Click to expand...

:)Thank you. I needed a gentle Logic Slap
slap.gif
 
scarymare said:
I'm not intending to go down the barefoot regime with diet etc,
Click to expand...

I'm not sure you mean this how it reads? The "barefoot diet" is just the good old-fashioned low sugar, high fibre diet that is best for all horses, shod or not. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to feed your horse a good diet, so I'm guessing that you think a barefoot diet is something else?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top