Barefoot stories

[loverly]

So lets hear them...!

I am thinking on going down the barefoot road after numerous problems with farriers and this time it's got serious. It's affecting his spine by the way the hooves have been shaped which causes him to stand oddly.

Would like to hear everyone's opinion.

(Hides behind the sofa just incase of an uproar!! )

 

[Housemouse]

Have you see the latest issue of Natural Horsemanship Magazine - it is all about the different schools of barefoot trimming.
www.nhmag.co.uk

 

[Sophstar]

my 21 year old little pony has always been barefoot and he has strong little feet! obviously depends on things like the type of horse and the kind of surfaces they will be worked on. my old boy does work out on the roads with his mini jockey but if he does it for more than a couple of days on the trot, his front feet look a little scuffed! i much prefer the difference of a £20 all round trim and tidy up compared to the £70 i pay for a full set of shoes for the other beast!

 

[soloequestrian]

Do a search on Pete Ramey, Jaime Jackson, Rockley Farm Blog, uknhcp forum - all have great information. I have three barefoot - all TB or TB cross. They all sometimes wear boots to cope with the stoney hacking I have, so I haven't quite reached barefoot perfection yet, but they have the advantage of nothing on their feet for the majority of the time. EasyCare and Cavallo are both good places to look at boots - it can take a little time and experimentation to find the right ones, but once you have some that fit well they will last for a long time. I've just worn out two pairs of Old Macs after about 4 years of fairly hard use!