Barefoot Diet

[Tacobell]

Hi All

My horse has been diagnosed with navicular changes (plus some other issues) and he is having 6 months off in the field. i am going to transition him to barefoot.
i have bought forage plus hoof and skin balancer plus some linseed (on their advice) to feed for a couple of months.
My horse was previously fed Blue Chip Pro balancer and alfa a oil . he is a big warmblood that is a good doer but does require more energy .

FP advised:-
- FP hoof and skin balancer
- linseed (in winter)
- dengie alpha a pellets
- speedi beet

it would be really convenient for me to keep him on the alfa a oil as my other horse is on this, is this a no no for barefoot? I have also seen some comments on facebook groups about alfa a in general causing footiness but then question why FP advised it? what else would you all recommend?

Thank you!!

 

[SEL]

Alfalfa in general gets negative feedback on the barefoot sites although there are many horses around the world doing well on it barefoot. It's low NSC with a decent protein profile which is why FP would have recommended it.

Try and see - especially as he's already on it. You can keep the chaff and not use the pellets. If he is footy then something grass based like Dengie meadow grass or the Topchop one might work.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My barefoot one has graze on or grass tastic both just chopped grass my shod one also has it and they both like it, I just add unmolassed beet and micronised linseed and I feed the progressive earth basic pro balance it's similar to the fp one, both do well on it although they tend to be good doers.

Also to add my barefoot Arab also had navicular issues bone changes and soft tissue damage, it was treated with osphos then I took his shoes off and he was rested in the field and was sound in 3 months, he is 17 now and has been fine ever since best thing I ever did for him I think.

I'm actually pulling the shoes on my other Arab next week as he has coffin joint arthritis and I don't think the shoes are working for him anymore, although he has been barefoot before so hopefully will be OK.

Good luck with your horse.

 

[suestowford]

I've had a shod horse, and an unshod horse. I fed them much the same tbh. Chaff, balancer and hay/haylage. I think it can be the quality of the grass they're eating that can tip the balance. The field I use mostly is an old pasture, and unfertilised, so the grass is poor stuff, and nothing like cow pasture.
I'm looking after a pony for someone else now, and he had his shoes (fronts only) removed last winter. I didn't change his diet, just carried on as normal and his feet have done amazingly well. Regular trims from the farrier, and gentle exercise (he's quite old so all in hand) have encouraged healthy growth. He'd worn shoes for nearly 20 years and I did wonder how he would manage, but I have been pleasantly surprised. His feet are perfect now.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

About 25 yrs ago my then young stallion was having problems with stone bruises, abscesses etc. My farrier said he had very soft soles. I put him on alfalfa and his feet improved hugely, never had another problem with him, might just be a coincidence though. Stayed barefoot throughout his life and self trimmed.

 

[Peglo]

Does Alfa A oil not have molasses in it? I think I’m right in saying barefooter’s cut out sugar as a start point?

I swapped my mare from hifi molasses free to plain grass chaff to carry supplements and her coat lost its shine and I think she went a bit footier now I think of it. I swapped her back on it (when I realised it wasn’t the Hifi making her itchy) and she’s looking much better again but she is also on linseed so probably that too. I only mention as a lot of people prefer grass nuts/chaff to alfalfa but it didn’t work for mine.

 

[paddy555]

it would be really convenient for me to keep him on the alfa a oil as my other horse is on this, is this a no no for barefoot?

then keep him on alfa a oil. You can always change if you find a problem.

I don't get the no no for barefoot. Over the past 50 years I have fed barefoot horses on oats, barley, flaked maize, most makes and types of cubes and coarse mix, molassed sugar beet, alfalfa, grass nuts and just about anything else. The one who did the most barefoot miles over the roughest country was on a conditioning mix which had lots of molasses. . He was ridden until 27.

Only one had a problem with diet but the cause became obvious when I found he had cushings and very probably PSSM

The things I use and wouldn't change for a BF horse are salt, a good supplement and vit E.

 

[Elno]

My (recently) barefoot mare is on pure alfalfa pellets with a little addition of soymeal. Seems to be doing just fine so far.