anyone see the difference?(barefoot hooves...)

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Jericho

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Anyone see at what point the shoe came off this front hoof?

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this is one of the hind feet which has been unshod for nearly 3 years.
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I was quite fascinated by the photos and showed them to my very non horsey OH who noticed how the angle had changed and the reduced amount of event lines.
 
It's really interesting how much changes in a hoof when you take the shoes off. I've become a total hoof anorak now, I even took picture of my boy's hoofprint in the mud tonight because it showed his frog quite clearly ;) I'm beyond saving now! :)
 
That is interesting there is quite a defined difference. I don't know much about barefoot but considering it for tb who likes to lose shoes but don't think it will be easy!
 
Another obsessive hoof watcher here .
I have a TB eight weeks from removing shoes beginning to show a spectacular change in the angle the foot is growing at.
He's sound on the school on grass and on Tarmac but footy on stones on a hard surface I am amazed at this he did not want to walk when we first took the shoes off we are about to up the work and start riding I have boots to use and am really beginning to believe that a collapsed heel need not be something you just have to live with in a TB .
 
You've got a thicker hoof wall growing there, too. They are going to be very strong feet. I also think you are going to end up with a very different lateral balance to the hoof. How comfortable is s/he on them? How long have they been off? And what made you choose to take them off?
 
bikerchickone said:
It's really interesting how much changes in a hoof when you take the shoes off. I've become a total hoof anorak now, I even took picture of my boy's hoofprint in the mud tonight because it showed his frog quite clearly ;) I'm beyond saving now! :)
Click to expand...

We in the Barefoot Taliban have been calling this "hoofporn" for quite some time now :D
 
I am such an barefoot anorak now! ;-) and thanks for all the interest!

front shoes came off around December and we didnt do much for a month or so. About 3 months ago I changed her management, out at night, in during the day. She went untrimmed from November as they just didnt need it (farrier at the time always said even when she was shod she hardly ever needed anything taking off so apparently a very slow growing hoof). 11 weeks ago I changed to a barefoot trimmer who tidied but hardly did anything. 12 weeks ago I changed her diet to grass/straw chop, kwikbeet and forageplus minerals. This was analysed about 6 weeks ago and needed a top up of magnesium oxide but thats it. She has been on starvation paddock as well for the last 3 weeks with only soaked hay and she has lost weight.

She has been wearing boots on her fronts as has been fairly ouchy over the last 6 months but today she was felt really good without them- the best she has ever been so its all coming together, hence the photos but even I was surprised to see the changes (for some reason its much clearer on the photo!)

ETA: i took the fronts off because I liked the idea of a natural hoof and we are only happy hackers and a bit of dressage. She also occassionally held a slightly odd pointing/switching stance with her fore feet which obviously wasnt right despite vet/farrier saying she wasnt lame!! Needless to say, this has vastly improved as well...
 
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I had one of those. A horse who pointed with one front foot all the time. "No problem" said the farrier. I took the shoes off and he stopped pointing almost immediately and never did it again.

You've done all the right things Jericho, and deserve a big pat on the back for making it work for your horse. You are going to be rewarded with some great feet :D
 
Im not expert but I think they look great. My horses back feet are split (hes shoeless on his back feet even though he gets baileys lo-cal).
 
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