Barefoot diet - can it be used for shod horses?

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djlynwood

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Ive been researching my horses diet and found out that what Im feeding is pretty much the same as what some are calling the barefoot diet.

I feed, divided into 2 meals:

1kg of unmollased alfa a
200g miconised linseed
80g equimins advance
500g dry weight speedibeat

Also ad lib hayledge at night and turned out during day. She is ridden almost everyday.

My horse is shod on all fours and Im not wanting to remove shoes as we do a lot of roadwork. I did try just having fronts last year but farrier said that we needed the back ones on.

So, am I missing something as my horse is shod? Does it make any difference?
 
A barefoot diet is not only for barefoot horses. It is probably a really good diet for all horses tbh, so I think you'll be doing a lot of good. :)
 
To my thinking, you can see the effects more once the shoes are off. My horses a lot less footsore now with new barefoot diet.

If it is working for you, then that's great. The only difference I can think is if you were to take your horses shoes off, you wouldn't need to adjust the diet as you have it sussed.

I don't think it makes a difference to a shod horse.

Shysmum - that's what I was trying to say and messing it up.
 
Of course you can!

It is known as a 'barefoot diet' as it is thought of as it is following basic rules of feeding for healthy hooves - regardless of whether they are shod or not.

The only thing slightly iffy about what you are feeding is the alfa-a mollassed or not it is often too rich for some sensitive types... but let the feet do the talking!
 
Of course it a very healthy way to feed horses my shod one has the same diet as the BF one hes slimmer healthier and has better feet for it.
 
No if you feed a barefoot diet to a shod horse its feet will explode :D

Seriously, it is a diet suitable for barefoot horses not a diet only for barefoot horses, it is based on good feeding principles so suitable for any horse. Some feed companies are promoting low sugar high fibre now too.
 
Shod horses and barefoot horses are not two different species.
Shoes though by covering up for a poor diet have allowed feed companies and owners to get away with feeding excessive sugars and starches which eventually show up in diseases like EMS, IR and LGL.
So, even if you don't feel you can take your horse fully barefoot, feeding the diet is a massive improvement on what passes for conventional horse care.
 
cptrayes said:
What did your horse say? His opinion is far more important than the farrier's. If he was sound he didn't need the shoes.
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Why do you think the farrier would have reshod the horse, if it were not required? For fun? To earn an extra few quid?

Does nobody have any trust or respect for their farriers any more? :confused:
 
Hho Hho Hho said:
Why do you think the farrier would have reshod the horse, if it were not required? For fun? To earn an extra few quid?

Does nobody have any trust or respect for their farriers any more? :confused:
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I trust no one doing anything to my horses until they have earned it and respect to is not given unless earned I have been round the block to many times now.
A sound horse doing its job does not "need " shoes.
 
Hho Hho Hho said:
Why do you think the farrier would have reshod the horse, if it were not required? For fun? To earn an extra few quid?

Does nobody have any trust or respect for their farriers any more? :confused:
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You tell me. Why DO farriers shoe thousands of horses who don't need shoes?

You tell me why, after two farriers told me that my first barefoot horse would never be able to work without shoes, I was able to event him at BE novice with no shoes well before the year was out?


ps the answer for most of them is "they are not taught about hard working barefoot horses during their training and therefore they know no better". Shame on the FRC and the WCF for their ongoing failure to rectify this situation.
 
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Tell me more about the micronised linseed you ad? Do you think it makes a difference or could you not pin point just one thing you are feeding?

Im trying to do as much research on it as possible so any advise would be much appreciated :D
 
cptrayes said:
You tell me. Why DO farriers shoe thousands of horses who don't need shoes?
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Isn't that just like asking 'why do so many barefoot trimmers refuse to recommend shoes for a horse that clearly needs them' ...?

I trust my farrier completely, and should he ever decide that my horse needs shoes (which, to this day he never has ;) ) then shoes he shall have...

Anyway, tell me more about the horses that you've rehabbed CPT... I definitely don't hear you talk about it enough :)
 
Q. Can you feed happy hoof/healthy hooves as an alternative to the Alfa A or should it be a straight forward un molassed chop? (not the pork/lamb type obviously :-D)
 
Hho Hho Hho said:
Isn't that just like asking 'why do so many barefoot trimmers refuse to recommend shoes for a horse that clearly needs them' ...?
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No, that's another question. There are good trimmers and bad trimmers and there are good farriers and bad farriers. It does not answer the question why there are so many farriers who still do not understand just how much work horses are capable of without shoes on.


I trust my farrier completely, and should he ever decide that my horse needs shoes (which, to this day he never has ;) ) then shoes he shall have...
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Jolly good. It's a shame that I could not trust mine, but I had two horses becoming increasingly less capable in shoes who performed much better without them.


Anyway, tell me more about the horses that you've rehabbed CPT... I definitely don't hear you talk about it enough :)
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If you want to know then I will help anyone. If you have read it more times than you want to read it, then it is because I will repeat it until I am blue in the face if it will help anyone new who posts. And while people PM me with messages like this


So if you ever get fed up saying the same stuff or listening to the same arguments please try to remember there might be other folk than those arguing for arguings sake and feeling the indescribable relief of a really poorly horse improving when there seemed no hope who really appreciate the time you take to advise and support *
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then I will continue to give them the help that they want.

Now, is your question pure sarcasm, or do you want some information? If you want it, and I have it, then it is yours for the asking.




...
 
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cptrayes said:
Now, is your question pure sarcasm, or do you want some information? If you want it, and I have it, then it is yours for the asking.
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I must confess, it was pure sarcasm :p
I have a very good farrier who's advice I often seek when its required. I genuinely find it a shame that so many people on here don't feel that they can do that :confused:

For what its worth, I think its great that you offer advice. Its the heavy dose of bias that comes with it, that I could do without ;)
 
Hho Hho Hho said:
I must confess, it was pure sarcasm :p
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Well that's no surprise but I fail to see why you think a smiley is appropriate when all you intended was nastiness.

I have a very good farrier who's advice I often seek when its required. I genuinely find it a shame that so many people on here don't feel that they can do that :confused:
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You have a barefoot horse. Almost by definition that means you have an open minded and good farrier. Not everyone is so lucky. Some people's horses would be dead or paddock ornaments by now if they had trusted their farriers.


For what its worth, I think its great that you offer advice. Its the heavy dose of bias that comes with it, that I could do without ;)
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What bias are you referring to? I suspect it's more in what you think you are reading than in any words that I actually use.
 
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Hho Hho Hho said:
I must confess, it was pure sarcasm :p
I have a very good farrier who's advice I often seek when its required. I genuinely find it a shame that so many people on here don't feel that they can do that :confused:

For what its worth, I think its great that you offer advice. Its the heavy dose of bias that comes with it, that I could do without ;)
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Ha ha! Of course you are not biased in any way... :cool:
 
A barefoot diet is a diet for healthy strong hooves... Nothing more nothing less, why wouldn't you want your horse to have healthy strong resilient hooves whether shod or not?
 
The_Snow_Queen said:
A barefoot diet is a diet for healthy strong hooves... Nothing more nothing less, why wouldn't you want your horse to have healthy strong resilient hooves whether shod or not?
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Zactly. And anyway... healthy hooves is a direct correlation to healthy horse (internally... can't guarantee work shirking for other issues such as "ow my knee")
 
I'm confused as to where my bias is, exactly?

I keep my horses without shoes, and I appreciate all barefoot advice this forum offers... other than those heavily laden with bias & prejudice, which sadly goes for most of what CPT posts :(

Oh & likewise CPT in regards to what you *think* you read. No nastiness will ever come from me.
Have another smiley :)
 
Hho Hho Hho said:
I'm confused as to where my bias is, exactly?
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That's ok, I'm here to help point it out...

It was where you keep mentioning how everyone should trust the farrier. YOUR farrier may be amazeballs but how do you know what other people farriers are like?

I can't remember you ever saying that you had tried a trimmer or even trimming yourself so, really, your bias is your experience with a good farrier.

Lots of people have had experience of farriers, trimmers maybe even doing it themselves so opinions purely based on your barefoot, farrier trimmed horses are definitely biased :)

Anyway, everyone is biased in these arguments. However since bias usually has a "prejudice" tag (check the dictionary) I think you are leaning more towards bias than CPT despite her poor experience with farriers she still believes there are great ones out there doing a great job :)

p.s. my friend runs a bf yard in Somerset, all trimmed by a farrier that has been training with trimmers at his own expense. She doesn't insist that I get mine trimmed by him. I'm happy with my trimmer, she's happy with Paul. Yay :)
 
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It's a shame some BF threads go wonky :(

To go to the original question, we amended all our horses diets to cut down sugar and increase fibre, adding micronised linseed, copper and magnesium. One mare we bred, who has had foals the last 2 years (and has previously had awful feet and was never able to be ridden without shoes) has been back in work a few weeks barefoot, helped by her changed diet.

The icing on the cake was a week last saturday when she went on a hunt ride and did several miles over all terrain.

No more shoes - that saves me a tenner a week - and a sound and healthier horse to boot, not to mention the lack of slipping on hard surfaces.
 
Ahh, I see... you've decided I'm biased based on what I *haven't* said. Makes complete sense.
No really, it does... :rolleyes:

I can't quote you since I'm now using my phone, but obviously the fact that I can't spell means that all fariers are evil & all shod horses will die.
It must do, or it wouldn't be even slightly relevant to this thread, would it ;)
For the record, I reached that conclusion by your own tried & tested method of deciding someones opinion on something with absolutely no evidence to back it up.
Its a great method. I like it :)
 
Hho Hho Hho said:
Ahh, I see... you've decided I'm biased based on what I *haven't* said. Makes complete sense.
No really, it does... :rolleyes:

I can't quote you since I'm now using my phone, but obviously the fact that I can't spell means that all fariers are evil & all shod horses will die.
It must do, or it wouldn't be even slightly relevant to this thread, would it ;)
For the record, I reached that conclusion by your own tried & tested method of deciding someones opinion on something with absolutely no evidence to back it up.
Its a great method. I like it :)
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Thank you although I have no idea what you are talking about. It's nonsense to me.

I based my observations on what you wrote on this thread :)

Your spelling is fine, not that I take much notice of that.
 
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