ester
Not slacking multitasking
plenty do hunter trials and XC unshod.
Barefoot or shod?
- Thread starter maddiep1007
- Start date
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
There are plenty of people doing hunter trials and xc without studs.
These horses don't have shoes on.
muddybay
Well-Known Member
Those horses look incredible! Even though mine now needs the support of a shoe I love to see what others can do! We all know our horses best and try to inform ourselves best for what they need
utter-nutter
Well-Known Member
Out of my 4, 2 are fully shod, one has fronts and one is barefoot, Ido whatever suits the horse. I open team chase and hunt this guy (tb) he has been barefoot his entire life (via 6 months ) he’s incredibly sure footed and doesn’t slip even in occasional boggy going, I agree with the comments about being ‘secure’ on the roads too. 
I tried to just do fronts on the other two, and always take the hinds off come end of hunting, but by autumn they’re hinds aren’t coping as well. They hunt a fair bit... soft, wet going in the field made they’re feet ‘soft’ so think they were wearing them down quicker then what they were growing. I would have wanted the option of studs in one of them if eventing, but much prefer our hunting! Just do with whatever suits your horse!
I tried to just do fronts on the other two, and always take the hinds off come end of hunting, but by autumn they’re hinds aren’t coping as well. They hunt a fair bit... soft, wet going in the field made they’re feet ‘soft’ so think they were wearing them down quicker then what they were growing. I would have wanted the option of studs in one of them if eventing, but much prefer our hunting! Just do with whatever suits your horse!
FFAQ
Well-Known Member
Some hoof boots can have studs fitted to them if your horse can't quite manage without boots yet.
Personally, I am far too much of a chicken to do anything other than a gentle plod so I have never tried boots with studs. I am so impressed by people who do exciting riding that would require studs!!
Personally, I am far too much of a chicken to do anything other than a gentle plod so I have never tried boots with studs. I am so impressed by people who do exciting riding that would require studs!!
maddiep1007
Member
Wow he looks amazing! Agree with you about doing what suits your horse. I dont think there is any right or wrong answer
McGrools
Well-Known Member
Hiya, i only shoe if absolutely necessary. I have 3 horses atm, all fit and sound and competition ready, 2 long term barefoot, the other is a bit more sensitive and i have just shod as she struggled with the frozen ground.
I am seeing a lot of retired horses around me at the minute that have spent their entire lives in shoes and the owners now daren’t take the shoes off even in retirement. I think for that reason alone it’s worth trying some shoeing breaks as you go along otherwise you will be looking at an expensive retiree x
I am seeing a lot of retired horses around me at the minute that have spent their entire lives in shoes and the owners now daren’t take the shoes off even in retirement. I think for that reason alone it’s worth trying some shoeing breaks as you go along otherwise you will be looking at an expensive retiree x
Michen
Well-Known Member
Both mine are shod. One has been unshod for a year whilst in rehab. I would prefer they were unshod but I’ve never managed to get the management good enough to have them comfortable on all surfaces consistently.
Sadly I do think there are quite a lot of horses out there who are unshod and in some level of discomfort. A shortening of the stride that isn’t noticed over time perhaps. I’ve been guilty of missing it too.
if you are going to have your horses unshod you need to be really sure that they are 100% comfortable IMO and not ignore any signs of them not coming because, as IHW says, it will then effect them all over.
Sadly I do think there are quite a lot of horses out there who are unshod and in some level of discomfort. A shortening of the stride that isn’t noticed over time perhaps. I’ve been guilty of missing it too.
if you are going to have your horses unshod you need to be really sure that they are 100% comfortable IMO and not ignore any signs of them not coming because, as IHW says, it will then effect them all over.
scats
Well-Known Member
Millie is unshod, has never had shoes on. She’s the one who does the most work.
Polly has fronts on. I find that works best for her.
Polly has fronts on. I find that works best for her.
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
I have two who have never been shod (and are properly rock crunching) and one who was previously shod and is now bare. She was one of the 'will never cope without shoes' horses who has thrived since they came off. Her hooves looked their best when she was hacking (mainly roadwork) up to 3 hours at a time (slowly built up) but even then I never managed to get her self trimming as her hooves just grew faster.
TheMule
Well-Known Member
My event horse is shod during the season but unshod for as much of the rest of the year as possible- it generally takes her about 4 weeks to readjust to not being a bit cautious on the stones and then she's fine on any surface. The others are all unshod but will be shod when they start competing on grass.
I hate doing roadwork with shoes on, road nails make it worse as it focuses most of the force onto much smaller areas.
I have evented a couple of horses unshod but had a bad fall a couple of years ago where the horse slipped over on the flat in between fences when out schooling so I never will again
I hate doing roadwork with shoes on, road nails make it worse as it focuses most of the force onto much smaller areas.
I have evented a couple of horses unshod but had a bad fall a couple of years ago where the horse slipped over on the flat in between fences when out schooling so I never will again
McGrools
Well-Known Member
daffy44
Well-Known Member
As with most things I think it depends on the individual, personally I prefer barefoot, and I think there are plenty of shod horses who dont need to be shod, but equally barefoot is not for every horse. Most of my horses have been happy barefoot over the last fifteen years, with two exceptions, my mare is shod in front, but not behind, and this is what she prefers and she competed up to Grand Prix like this, and I have a younger horse who is shod in front over the summer, and barefoot the rest of the time.
The horse is my avatar is currently (well, when Covid allows!) competing Grand Prix dressage and he is barefoot.
The horse is my avatar is currently (well, when Covid allows!) competing Grand Prix dressage and he is barefoot.
HufflyPuffly
Well-Known Member
Mine are barefoot, they hack on all terrain, one competes dressage to PSG and the other I'm (still) hoping to event.
The one I want to event, we tried shoes and studs last year for one shoeing cycle but to be honest I'm unlikely to repeat, she didn't feel any more secure and did catch herself so on balance I don't think it had enough pro's for her.
I see far more horses who are lame but it's being masked by shoeing. To be fair my old horse was one of these, she needed her Cushings treated and then a barefoot rehab but afterwards was the soundest she'd been for years, though with the Cushings she needed boots if she was to hack on stony ground regularly but by this point I had retired her anyway.
She was the one who made me research shoeing and barefoot more deeply, and made me realise a horse who cannot be barefoot will have an underlying issue, which sometimes management/ livery/ life restrictions mean shoeing is needed. I am still happy to shoe if needed but I definitely give it more thought these days.
The one I want to event, we tried shoes and studs last year for one shoeing cycle but to be honest I'm unlikely to repeat, she didn't feel any more secure and did catch herself so on balance I don't think it had enough pro's for her.
I see far more horses who are lame but it's being masked by shoeing. To be fair my old horse was one of these, she needed her Cushings treated and then a barefoot rehab but afterwards was the soundest she'd been for years, though with the Cushings she needed boots if she was to hack on stony ground regularly but by this point I had retired her anyway.
She was the one who made me research shoeing and barefoot more deeply, and made me realise a horse who cannot be barefoot will have an underlying issue, which sometimes management/ livery/ life restrictions mean shoeing is needed. I am still happy to shoe if needed but I definitely give it more thought these days.
ester
Not slacking multitasking
I don't think I'd realised that your other two were bare HP, and yes can imagine skylla catching herself, and she doesn't strike me as one who needs to be absolutely sure of her footing and want big studs to go jumping, fast 
lol
lol
Kat
Well-Known Member
Mine is barefoot. I hate hacking shod horses on the roads, especially with our steep hills, they slip and slide like Bambi on ice. Mine on the other hand can trot (or even canter when she's on one) on the same bit of road without even a hint of a slip.
She's the hardest working horse on the yard. As well as hacking and schooling we hunt with bloodhounds, do pleasure rides, novice dressage, low level hunter trials/ode/SJ, whatever takes my fancy really.
I have some hoof boots that I put on for very stoney or very long hacks, or if she doing more miles than usual.
I would consider shoes short term if I wanted to do working hunter or felt I needed studs but generally I would prefer a barefoot horse and will transition any future horses.
It really worries me the amount of problems shoes can cause, barefoot eliminates so many potential issues.
She's the hardest working horse on the yard. As well as hacking and schooling we hunt with bloodhounds, do pleasure rides, novice dressage, low level hunter trials/ode/SJ, whatever takes my fancy really.
I have some hoof boots that I put on for very stoney or very long hacks, or if she doing more miles than usual.
I would consider shoes short term if I wanted to do working hunter or felt I needed studs but generally I would prefer a barefoot horse and will transition any future horses.
It really worries me the amount of problems shoes can cause, barefoot eliminates so many potential issues.
HufflyPuffly
Well-Known Member
I don't think I'd realised that your other two were bare HP, and yes can imagine skylla catching herself, and she doesn't strike me as one who needs to be absolutely sure of her footing and want big studs to go jumping, fast
? yeah careful with herself she is not! She kept catching the inside of her knees ??
?? bizarre and very her lol.Skylla has pretty much always been bare as we just didn’t have a reason to shoe.
Topaz had been a mixture, she had shoes on to jump as that was the ‘done’ thing ? and then they were removed when we moved to dressage and I learnt more about horses and their feet.
Shysmum
Well-Known Member
Barefoot always, never been shod. The more work the hooves do, the faster they grow. As in the wild, where horses were designed to roam for miles every day. Careful feeding, a good farrier, Shy has trotted round roads happily. My 31 year old shettie is also barefoot, and comes out with us for miles ?