Anyone got a full TB barefoot and in work?

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redriverrock

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I am sure it is possible and am looking into giving it a go wiith mine. His feet according to both farriers I have used are not bad for a TB but he does get foot sore on hard rough ground. I posted a thread a couple of days ago as he was showing signs of being foot sore on the rough frosted ground...he is still sore (6 days later) but is showing signs of improvement and is happy to move about and even have a hoon about with his friends.
Some may think..he is sound with shoes, whats the problem with putting them back on but I just wonder if in the long run he would be better going barefoot...would love to hear from anyone who has tried it with there TB and what the outcome was.
Just to add we dont do any jumpng but love long hacks and are hoping to try some NCR's next year.
 
I have a full barefoot TB.
We hack for up to 3 hours and she is fine.
We only occasionally do any schooling (although we're hoping to do a few shows in summer).
She copes fantastically.

However every horse is different, but it won't hurt to try :)
 
Yep, I have a full TB and he's been barefoot for a year. :D He does wear Easyboot Gloves for hacking over stonier ground, but we school, compete (on a surface and grass) and can hack on roads all barefoot.
 
Yes I have a full TB who is barefoot and has been for a year. It was all going wonderfully until two weeks ago - she either currently had a deep bruise or an abscess! But that's nothing to do with being barefoot.

I did use boots on the front feet for quite a while at first - I think I used them for at least the first 3 months. As my horse's feet are suffering badly with the wet at the moment, I've decided that when she comes back into work I'll also be using boots on the front through winter.
Good luck - it can be done, but it's definitely not an easy option!
 
I have a barefoot tb been so for 8 months- raced until then. He was footy for about 2 weeks but much better now. Was again footy for a week after his second trim. But since then he is fine.
We hack loads, school. Don't jump tho.
 
I think the transition time will be very interesting...can I ask for all those that have managed to go BF with there TB's did they all have good feet prior to going BF. Mine has got quite good feet, strong hoof etc but thin soles so he is prone to getting foot sore and his fronts are def weaker than his backs...
 
Only pic I could find at short notice where you can see his bare hooves, but here's my boy out jumping...(hope link works!)

picture.php
 
redriverrock said:
I think the transition time will be very interesting...can I ask for all those that have managed to go BF with there TB's did they all have good feet prior to going BF. Mine has got quite good feet, strong hoof etc but thin soles so he is prone to getting foot sore and his fronts are def weaker than his backs...
Click to expand...

Mine had been diagnosed with navicular which was my reason for going barefoot. Her soles were so thin you could push them in with your thumb. When my vet came out last week to the bruise/abscessy thing she commented about how rock hard her soles were and how good her feet were.....so no, mine had crap feet, but now has good feet. In fact her soles are so thick, I don't think this flaming abscess can find an exit point now!
 
Nope rubbish feet. Typical ex-racer feet, flat, long toe, slightly dishy and collapsed heels.

Shoes wouldn't stay on more than 4 weeks, so I bit the bullet and stripped him completely. Gave him 3 weeks out at grass, then moved him to a field that was part stony, then started riding him lightly in the field for a few weeks, then started hacking him lightly, starting with about 20 minutes of roadwork a day.


He gets sore on stony tracks [like, the flinty cycle track ones] but fine anywhere else.


He hunts/hacks/does a bit of everything.
 
I do. Only bare since mid September. An 8 yo chestnut TB mare. From day 1 of shoes being off she hasn't had a hitch. No boots either. She was shod for 6 years. Continually! Yes, I know. Sounder now than she has ever been. Only do roads on Sunday but the rest is hacking in fields where we encounter everything and arena work. So 5 days a week minimum.

Terri
 
Mine has been BF seven months is just getting back to full work hes also had a nasty issue with his jaw over the summer which physically affected him badly so he lost all his muscle and looked awful.
He's rebuilding his strength and muscle working six days a week we hack two or three times a week and he is in the school the rest of the time one rest day ( ice stops play this week) he's jumping twice a week no issues with school work at all happy to hack on the road not done much trotting yet I would not trot a shod horse on the road at his stage.
I am busy for the next month and he will be on tick over until January we wil up his work again and see how we go there's more improvement to had from his feet from my first BF project I know you need a year.
 
Mine had flat pancake feet and was heading towards wedges as her only shoe alternative. Quality was good. But flat underrun heal, thin soles, flat feet. She's getting better concavity now too and heels are coming too. She has surprised me.

Unfortunately, she was too easy and I had 2 that I had to reshoe. One back out of them and doing much better.

Terri
 
redriverrock said:
I think the transition time will be very interesting...can I ask for all those that have managed to go BF with there TB's did they all have good feet prior to going BF. Mine has got quite good feet, strong hoof etc but thin soles so he is prone to getting foot sore and his fronts are def weaker than his backs...
Click to expand...

Mine had uneven digital cushion and very poor medio lateral balance almost no frogs splat flat fore feet with under run heels long toes in front .
Behind he had the weirdest long toed thing going on his sole sort of went up at the front and again no frogs really to speak of.
The walls were crumbling away he was beginning to be sore after shoeing.
 
Well it is very nice to hear it is possible and I think I am going to give it a go...a very kind forum member has given me the details of a barefoot trimmer so am going to give him a call. Will be very interesting to see how we get on.
 
I have or had until he decided to injure his shoulder and is now about to be turned away.

Mine had awful feet, used to pull off shoes weekly and ended up at Rockley with bilateral problems with virtually all the soft tissues in the feet which is where he went barefoot. (you can search for Frankie or the blog).

Diet was key to getting him right particularly avoiding daytime summer grass.

Not our best action shot but a good foot pic.

Patchettsapril1-1-1.jpg
 
Mine! my tb went barefoot last winter, has only had front since I bought her almosy 3 years ago with no issues whatsoever so thought why not try the whole lot!
Sore for about a week, and fantastic ever since! We hack on any type of ground, Tarmac, gravel, stoney paths, mud, the lot! And with no issues whatsoever :)
 
would I be right in thinking that when I fetch him back into work he will need boots...we hack out on roads alot with very little school work as he hates it! On average we were hacking out 4/5 times a week upto 3 hours at a time.
 
criso said:
I have or had until he decided to injure his shoulder and is now about to be turned away.

Mine had awful feet, used to pull off shoes weekly and ended up at Rockley with bilateral problems with virtually all the soft tissues in the feet which is where he went barefoot. (you can search for Frankie or the blog).

Diet was key to getting him right particularly avoiding daytime summer grass.

Not our best action shot but a good foot pic.

Patchettsapril1-1-1.jpg
Click to expand...

good frogs :)
 
I built the road work up slowly and never needed to use boots. I started by leading her out in-hand, but that was partly to reassure me that she was OK.
 
Festive Faracat said:
I built the road work up slowly and never needed to use boots. I started by leading her out in-hand, but that was partly to reassure me that she was OK.
Click to expand...

That is a good idea, would you start doing that once the inital footiness in the paddock has died down. He is having a break at the moment hence the shoes coming off but could certainly build him up with some in hand work.
Should I get him BF trimmed first or just leave him as he is. The farrier did trim him but Im presuming that will be different to a barefoot trim?
 
Will you be changing his diet before going barefoot in preperation?

Would be interested in hearing what you are feeding a thoroughbred going or already barefoot and used as a nice allrounder with road hacking a few times a week :)

Just started reading about barefoot and its a bit daunting so anything i can find around feeding a barefoot TB would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance :D
 
I decided to remove my TB's shoes (ex racer) a month ago. fronts off first as he had a suspected abscess from nails and probably thrush and all the other things that go with being shod since he was 2. Then two weeks ago I had the backs off. Now that he appears to have recovered from the abscess he is doing pretty well.

I haven't used boots and he is happy on most surfaces so far. I had been feeding him a no sugar/starch feed for a about 6 months. Of course it is early days and I often ask myself if I am doing the right thing.

He is initially having a 'rest' from shoes but I will see how he goes and hope to continue. Time will tell.
 
My situation was trickier than some horses have - she was sound on tarmac from day 1, but she kept having abscesses and was obviously unsound while the abscess was happening.

When she was sound, she was led out.

I would let your horse's hooves grow a bit before getting the trimmer out, but you can always ring, chat and book the appointment. :)

ETA. Cutting out molasses from her diet made a big difference (for the better) to the hoof quality that she grew.
 
My boy is fed a and p calm and condition. With handful of molichaff magnesium. Once a day with hay lage out in field daily. He gets black salt and joint supplement with msm in.
I didn't change his diet at all as wasn't planned he decided to take them off himself continuously!
He has feet so hard you hear them clip clop on the roads.
Have never used boots as they would rub him. He even canters on bridlepaths which are a bit pebbley in places.
 
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