Anyone elses (newly) barefoot horses struggling?

SaffronWelshDragon

SaffronWelshDragon

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My girl has had her fronts off since end of October. She's been unshod behind since I bought her 10 years ago. She's been ok, done a little hacking, a bit footy on stones, but nothing really to worry about. Just today she seems to be really struggling. She's ok on flat ground, but where it's rutted and frozen solid she having trouble. She's also gone mega stubborn and refusing to leave the yard at the moment. She's always been opinionated but goes my way after a slight argument, but now she point blank refuses to move. Not sure whether it's related :(
 
Why did she have her fronts taken off?

She looks very like my old boy who was always shod in front and not behind. He had a sensible diet and we took his fronts off to see how he'd cope. He didn't - he tried hard but when we gave up and put his fronts back on his relief was amazing.

Unless there is a very good reason to remove them as she is, IIRC, an old girl who had been managing perfectly happily as she was I'd be inclined to put them back on and stop her pain.
 
A few reasons really, I took them off as I thought we'd have a go (my NF pony copes fine) and she's never had trouble with the hind ones. Also, thought winter would be a good time to try as we're not riding much, and the snow balls up in her shod hooves something chronic so though removal would alleviate. Lastly I thought it would be nice to give her feet a rest over the winter. As mentioned on previous threads she's fine on tarmac, grass etc. just annoying to have this setback.
 
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My boy has been barefoot now since July and hes struggling on the rutted ground as are my friends ponies who have been barefoot all their lives :o

Hes getting a good BF diet no mixes, hes cereal intolerant so cant have commercial nuts and mixes and is gettng some Veteran Vitality (similar to FF) and a handful of alfalfa (unmolassed) and his hoof and joint sups. Out on rough grazing and currently not getting any hay as 4 acres of the rough mixed grazing to himself.
 
Thanks Xmas, should have added, she's having speedi-beet, Pro Balance and linseed. She's also getting lots of hay as absolutely no grass left :( She's picking her way carefully over the ruts, but sometimes she'll nod her head down, then carry on. Once on the flat she marches along quite merrily. Obviously I'm trying to keep her off the ruts for her comfort, but sometimes she walk over if she's after food etc.

Fingers crossed it'll pass, I should add that I'm not a 'barefoot' (hate that term) enthusiast, got lots planned for next year so if she can't get on, I'll put the fronts back on (would love it if they didn't have to go on though!)
 
SaffronWelshCob said:
Thanks Xmas, should have added, she's having speedi-beet, Pro Balance and linseed. She's also getting lots of hay as absolutely no grass left :( She's picking her way carefully over the ruts, but sometimes she'll nod her head down, then carry on. Once on the flat she marches along quite merrily. Obviously I'm trying to keep her off the ruts for her comfort, but sometimes she walk over if she's after food etc.

Fingers crossed it'll pass, I should add that I'm not a 'barefoot' (hate that term) enthusiast, got lots planned for next year so if she can't get on, I'll put the fronts back on (would love it if they didn't have to go on though!)
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Im the same Im doing it as my boy is pretty much on a break and semi retired being an oldie, hes been bare behind for years as well but we were hacking twice a week so no need for the shoes :)

If he requires them then they will go back on,same as you or if his feet cant cope when the spring comes and he goes back to work :) Im lucky that his field isnt poached so not many ruts but when he does hit one you can see his whole posture change :(
 
Jericho - thanks for your feedback :)

Xmas - thanks for your reply again, you've described just what Saf is like, she just goes, ouch :( Annoyingly, we have an underground spring running across the middle of our field, so a strip of it is always wet, therefore, rutted, so she has to go across it to get from one half of the field to the other. Luckily it's on a few feet wide.
 
SaffronWelshCob said:
Jericho - thanks for your feedback :)

Xmas - thanks for your reply again, you've described just what Saf is like, she just goes, ouch :( Annoyingly, we have an underground spring running across the middle of our field, so a strip of it is always wet, therefore, rutted, so she has to go across it to get from one half of the field to the other. Luckily it's on a few feet wide.
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Bummer, fingers crossed it passes and your girly can go back to being happy and not footy its rotten seeing them do that, one good thing to be said about the mud I suppose ;)
 
The timing of the freeze is so unfortunate. If you can't boot for the ruts to get her over them, then maybe you should shoe her.


Other people with horses that have been barefoot before may like to know that my current rehab insists that he is crippled eery time it goes below zero - until I put a headcollar on and lead him, when he is sound as a pound. He clearly has memories of pain from frozen ruts that are not the reality.
 
So after we had that thaw, I did a bit of schooling and she was fine (felt really good actually!) Now it's solid again and she's not happy. I'm going to get her some boots (with pads?) Can anyone recommend boots please (would need to stay on overnight).
 
Poor Saf! I think you're doing the right thing getting her some boots.

Alf seems to be coping ok with the frozen ruts - much to my surprise, but I have his last pair of front shoes up at the yard to put on if he starts to struggle. I'm away for three weeks, so am hoping he's going to be ok! Yard owners horses are barefoot, and out in boots, but old concrete feet doesn't seem too bothered! He's quite smart about slowing right down and mincing over the bad bits!
 
Our little grey is suffering, took her out yesterday and she was very footy on stones and gravelly bits on the tarmac. She is cereal free, only just started on minerals though, and we still have grass so the frost won't be helping. I'm going to boot her so we can carry on getting her out and about, she's only had about 10 rides so I need to keep it up!
 
My welsh cob has always been barefoot, has great feet but always a bit footy on rocky ground. The trimmer says there is no reason for her to be footy but she is a bit of a baby that way. So I have hoof boots on her when I know I will be going on stony ground. Great thing about that is she can go everywhere always without throwing a fit without being shot. I use renegades and they are great!!! Www.Hoofbootique.co.uk does hire just to try if you are interested
God luck
 
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Take its shoes off and put it on the barefoot diet.....




.....oh sorry was on HHO answer to everything auto pilot!

:D

Anyway... I would say if you want to work your horse then reshoe her infront, I wouldnt want my horse hobbling round for the sake of having no shoes
 
I took my TB's shoes off last Thursday to see how she went ... the next day she was crippled .. as in wouldnt leave her stable ... wouldnt come out of the barn just plain refused! Had her front two put back on this week and she's back to her usual pain free self :rolleyes:
 
To quote Lucy Priory
if a horse isn't sound when not shod, they are not sound when shod either. They are just demonstrating what happens when you partially cut off the blood supply to the foot and as a consequence there is a numbing of the foot.
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Does the horse have any thrush ? This would make the soles more sensitive so more affected by frozen ruts.

Can you put some pics up of her feet?
 
I agree with Tigertail, when Zack went shoeless he was chronic on frozen or stony ground until after we cured his thrush :) when the ground started to freeze last month he got so footy he would stand still without moving and his legs would fill up. After the thrush was sorted he came on in leaps and bounds.
 
Even shod horses would struggle over frozen ground. It's a self preservation thing. None of ours want to leave the stable at the moment... shod or not.
 
Thanks for your replies. It was a hard decision but i had to do something. Tigertail i agree about masking the problem but need a tempory measure as she's in obvious discomfort. I took some pix the other day so will upload when i get to my laptop, i'm rubbish at spotting thrush but they look ok to me, don't smell etc. but opinions welcome. Going to have another go in the spring when the ground is more predictable.
 
It's really a mixed bag with rutted frozen ground. Mind you bare Heidi is like "what's the big deal". She's much happier than she was in previous winters when shod. She's been bare since September. Coincidentally I had my farrier, that's right farrier, here today and he was telling me I'm lucky in that my horses seem to be coping very well. I said its not luck it's management. I'm just tickled in the way Heidi's feet have come on as is he. Although he said I should be on the roads more weather permitting.

But I will say that my bare horses are picking their way through better than the shod ones. The shod ones go with a bit more gusto and find themselves more all over the place. The bare ones are a little slower but more methodical and then get through it better. But to be fair it's all crap with frozen ruts. Kind of hold my breath til they get past the gateway and up to the covered hill and their hay.

Terri
 
SaffronWelshCob said:
Thanks for your replies. It was a hard decision but i had to do something. Tigertail i agree about masking the problem but need a tempory measure as she's in obvious discomfort. I took some pix the other day so will upload when i get to my laptop, i'm rubbish at spotting thrush but they look ok to me, don't smell etc. but opinions welcome. Going to have another go in the spring when the ground is more predictable.
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I think you are doing the right thing. After all, that is what shoes are for...

Personally, if you already have boots then I would get those on to protect the sole as well if truly footy. And it's cheaper than shoeing... Personal preference! :D
 
Obi is struggling at the moment :(.

He's never had problems before, but he has rampant Cushings now and the grass is as sweet as spring grass.

Last year he looked amazing all winter and was fully sound and happy :(.

He'll be stopping in for a few days to keep off the grass a while.

My Tank is doing fine - he is healthy in hoof, metabolism and gut :).
 
I took shoes off mine about July time and he has struggled but followed Oberon's advice and we are getting there. He is coping really well with the frosty ground but it has taken a while. I think I expected to have his shoes removed and he would be ok in a matter of weeks but it has taken a lot longer than that. My 19 year old mare has been unshod for over 10 years and she is feeling the hard ground more than the cob.
 
Mine is doing ok, she has been barefoot for 5 weeks, she just goes short when ridden even with boots but I do too, even with shoes it's not nice. In the field u wouldn't know she doesn't have shoes at all and she walks over flat concrete no problem, she doesn't like stones but again with front boots its no problem.
 
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