Barefoot advice please

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jellybean09

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Hi all

I am looking for a bit of help/experience/advice with regards to going barefoot.

I am looking into the possibility of going barefoot with my lad. Its never been possible before due to the only way I had to exercise was hacking. I have since moved them home where I have an arena.

Bit of back ground info -

Horse in question is 16.2hh, good feet and (far as I'm aware) good confirmation. He does twist slightly on his off front and needs an outside toe clip to prevent the shoe twisting.

He is a good doer and is fed small feed (twice daily) of hifi molasses free, nuts, garlic & biotin. He has ad-lib hay.

He is stabled at night and goes out from 7am - 5pm daily (swaps in the summer). He has matting/shaving in stable and mix of concrete and gravel to go out to the field, although it's very limited.

Exercise he is riden/lunged in the school 3/4 times a week for half hr or so and hacked out. Our hacking is Road only and mainly at walk. We have no bridle paths near us.

We do BSJA & hunter trails and xc schooling over the summer. We also attempt the odd dressage test.

I have done a fair bit of research but would like to know if it would work with us? I will be speaking to my farrier but I am just pondering at the moment. My main reason is in the winter I hardly hack due to light and mainly school so think it may benefit him having them off. I would just be worried if this would affect him with the things with do?

Sorry this has turned into a long post 😟

Thank you in advance for any information :)
 
Hello,

try joining the BArefoot horse owners FB page, lots of useful info.
Many people compete barefoot including endurance and BE and everything, and many people also hunt - no reason for there to be any problems there.

You'll find that diet is really important for barefoot horses because you need to do what you can to limit sugar, so you would probably want to look at his diet and maybe alter the nuts to something that's lower in NSCs (the barefoot community sing the praises of Agrobs and Thunderbrooks).

If you're already hacking at walk you'll find the transition not too bad - it involves lots of hacking at walk! The idea is to stimulate the feet as much as possible, so lots of walking is ideal (try reading Paddock Paradise) and on varied tracks, including concrete. So no reason to be worried about the road work either.
 
I have a sports horse who is kept in a very similar way and is fine barefoot, go for it, get some well fitting boots for hacking, the transition period is hard work, but stick at it, look at pro earth minerals, i use them, good luck !
 
I think if you want to compete in the summer then it may be best to wait until the autumn to take the shoes off, spend the summer getting prepared rather than risk it not working and you having to put them back on, if he is jumping on grass and used to studs he may find it slippy, most of mine are barefoot but I sometimes put shoes on so they can wear studs, I think the transitioning is best done without any pressure so winter is the best time.
 
I would also agree that winter is the best time, as you also don't have the grass issue which can be a problem for some once their shoes comes off. Mine will be staying off the grass in summer during the day from now on I think (I hope!). He's a fatty anyway so it can't hurt!
 
As a barefooter I think if you are wanting to SJ seriously on grass over the summer and do competitive jump offs then you will want studs.

Garlic has no place in a horse's diet, it just disrupts the gut bacteria, feeding biotin is a fallacy. Feed a good low iron mineral + vit supplement (forageplus/prohoof/equimins adv complete/equivita), some micronised linseed and a plain grass or straw chaff (hifi molasses free isn't the best option IMO).

When you start little and often roadwork is excellent for hoof development
 
Thank you all for your reply. He is very surefooted so I have never worn studs with him but this will be the first summer I will be jumping the bigger tracks competitively. He is kept at home so I can change anything to suit him to help with the change.

Thank you, I am going to look into his feed as he I don't feel it is beneficial for him, it's more a token food for when he comes in/goes out.

Thanks, I will have a look at Facebook for that group.

��
 
I took my mare barefoot at 16 under the guidance of my farrier mainly because she slipped badly on the road with shoes. We started with the hinds and after a few months took the fronts off too. I did buy boots but rarely use them. She's got brilliant feet and is so much more sure footed now.

I did some in-hand transition work over every surface I could find when the fronts came off and she soon got used to the feel on her feet. I didn't change her diet in any way.
 
Why would the diet have a massive effect to being barefoot compared to being shod? I need to read up alot more. My farrier already suggested taking his backs off over the winter due to no hacking but it's something I've never done as yet. Maybe something to look into this autumn and get my research done over the summer. :)
 
My farrier recommend that I take my sect d's shoes off as he has very good feet and he felt it was right for him. Took shoes off in about April time which in hindsight might have been a mistake. Should have taken them off in the Autumn as I rode less over winter and the ground would have been softer. He was fine on soft ground and in a sand school but it took two years for him to be completely sound over rough ground. I did try boots but he slipped on the roads in them and it made him anxious so they were really not suitable for him but I know many people who swear by them. He has been barefoot now for quite a few years with no problems. His diet has consisted of good grazing in the summer months and ad lib hay over winter while living out 24/7. No special feed or additives required.
 
Thank you. That's interesting to know diet wise. I think by everyone's comments I will look to take them off over the autumn. Where I am we have no bridle ways so all my hacking is on roads unless I box to a different location. :)
 
jellybean09 said:
Why would the diet have a massive effect to being barefoot compared to being shod? I need to read up alot more.
Click to expand...

Its not that it has any more effect, just that you notice it if they aren't shod :). Some horses can eat anything and be fine (like some people can eat anything and not get fat or spots). Others are more sensitive.

It is usually down to one of two things, too much sugar (and that can just be grass / hay) which makes them have sensitive frogs, thrush, low grade laminitis, thin soles etc, or not enough of something (e.g copper) which effects hoof quality.

The ForagePlus website and Rockley Farm blog are a good start for reading material, though bear in mind Rockley are dealing with unsound horses with serious issues, a transition for a sound horse is often much easier. Personally I just took mine's shoes off, I didn't have any trouble till the following spring that is when I had to get boots.

If you plan to go barefoot in the autumn there are some things you can start doing now, such as getting on top of any thrush. Maybe ask your farrier if you can have a good look at his feet next shoeing and check for any white line separation as that can be a sign the diet is wrong. Is he sound if he loses a shoe? If he's one that "needs" shoes I would get boots first, otherwise wait and see if you need them.
 
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