barefoot pro's and cons

[Poppys Nannan]

as a newcomer to this forum, it could be that this is not in the right section and i think it may have been covered before - probably at length but can i ask ideas and suggestions / experiences re horse going barefoot.

my daughters horse is 16 and already only has 2 front feet with shoes barefoot to the hind.
Mostly my daughter schools on grass, wants to showjump next year and hardly ever goes on the roads, but to go out on a hack we have to go on a road and a dirt / stone track. Shes a proper little girl and doesnt like the stones but i wondered about providing her with a supplement to harden ( if you can) the sole and frog to stop stones being uncomfortable or the new equine boots.

Any ideas gratefully received

 

[treacle_beastie]

my daughters horse is 16 and already only has 2 front feet with shoes barefoot to the hind.

I think most horses only have 2 front feet sorry I couldnt help myself!

There are loads of posts on here about barefoot transitioning etc Basically, its not about the amount of work you do on a surface etc, the more work you can do on different terrains, the better but it can take weeks to several months for your horse to cope on all surfaces. You have to make make sure you get the diet right too - sugar free, high fibre is best.

You may need to restrict grazing too.

You will need to prepare yourself mentally too for the possibility of time off working the horse, in hand work etc etc (something I didnt do and paid the price).

You can feed biotin to promote healthy strong foot growth.

The pros- can ride in the snow, dont need to worry about lost shoes in the mud!

The cons - there arent any if it works out!

I'm sure there are lots more replies coming, just remember it isnt as simple of just taking the shoes off and getting on with it - though that does work for some horses!

 

[Miss L Toe]

You should buy Feet First {a book}, and if you decide to go ahead, be aware that it is the sugars in grass that cause a lot of problems, as do farriers who trim the feet as though they were preparing for shoeing, however it is relatively easy to have front feet shod and back feet bare.
Once the horse is stabled at night you will be able to control sugar intake by soaking the haylage, and supplement the feed with something like http://www.naturalhorsesupplies.co.uk/p/product/0802235323-Herbal+Hoof+900g++%A3599/
This supplement contains seaweed, so should not be fed in conjunction with any other seaweed supplement.
Other supplements are available, and advice should be taken from the helpline as you want to balance the intake of vitamins and minerals, equimins do give you good advice and are not the most expensive.
I have to walk my horse on a tarmac road every day to ensure the feet are kept "trim" and they harden up [over a period of six weeks], however the grass at this time of year is high in sugar and low in magnesium so you have to accept hat there will be good days and bad.
Take the front shoes off when shoes have been on a full six weeks, the feet should be balanced, but not rasped as much as for shoe-ing.
After this you may not need to have them trimmed so much as long as you are doing work on different surfaces, tarmac, stone tracks etc.
But make sure you have them checked regularly until you are confident about them yourself. See Rockley Farm for advice and for a barefoot trimmer.
I find farriers round here are really not interested in getting barefoot horses, so I have to lightly rasp off my horses feet round the edge every week myself. You have to keep looking at them anyway, but most areas of the country have UKHNCP trimmers, and they will give you al masterclass in hoofcare.