Barefoot Success Stories

[Dumbo]

Please share yours!

I am going to transition by boy to barefoot in the coming weeks.
I'm in the process if changing his diet to a high fibre and oil, low starch and sugar.

He is a 15yo TB with dreadful feet. The lowest heels, flat as pancakes and bar shoes have made them worse so I'm hoping barefoot is the solution.
However, I know he's going to be very sore.

I'd love to read about your barefoot successes - how long were they footy? What time of year? What were you feeding? Did all 4 shoes come off at the same time or backs off first? Did you need to bute? Did you use boots?

 

[amandaco2]

ine had shoes on for over 10 yrs.
hinds had shoes off when bought him but they were tough.
fronts were very very sensitive to anything, even tarmac that wasnt smooth. Shoes went on for summer, off in winter.
same the next yr.
Progress very slow, had boots on for anything not in arena.
things definately progressed once I swapped farriers to one who left his frogs and sole alone plus he does more work on firm going.
he now stomps over stoney tracks, has much better frogs.
Before and recent pics. The before one was actually a while after shoes first off

 

[amandaco2]

Feeding, hes a poor doer if he doesnt get grass.
So grazing, pro balance, copra cool plus soaked whole oats.

 

[amandaco2]

These are the tracks he goes on with stones.

 

[Dumbo]

Thank you! I can see a real improvement in his feet from your photos.
Just wondering why you put shoes on in the summer? Is he barefoot all the time now?

 

[Primitive Pony]

I took my horse's shoes off about 7 weeks ago, although not because he had bad feet - in fact, generally very good feet, just felt it was best for him. Had changed his diet a few months previously - limited hard feed anyway, mostly on the grass he lives out on, just a handful of chaff, grass nuts and ground linseed. And apart from a few tricky days, he's not had any problems at all, so far - touch wood! He has boots for hacking in if I think we might meet stony ground as he is still a bit unsure on very rough/stony ground, otherwise have had no problems and trimmer very pleased with his feet at second visit. I bought a rasp - thanks to advice on here - for taking off the occasional large flake before it broke off as the nail holes grow down, and they now look pretty good!

 

[amandaco2]

He was justso sore inthose 2 summers I popped them on so he could stay in work

 

[NZJenny]

I decided to BF in about July 2005 (I think!). Horse at that point was doing 80 km endurance rides and ready to step up, but had to take him back to 40 km rides for that season (our season runs Sept-Easter). The following year he was back to 80 km plus and went on to do 2,500 km BF, competing up to FEI3* level. He retired from endurance in Nov 2010 and became my do-everything-let's-try-dressage type horse. Sadly, now retired completely due to a sub-luxating patella.

My next endurance horse was BF from day dot - so much easier! She has done around 800 km of endurance, but I have retired from the sport so now we just potter around 40 and 20 km rides.

I have another young horse ready to be started under saddle in a few months. She is a TB/Clydie cross (dressage orientated) and quite different to my Arabian bred horses. Of course everyone "knows" TB's and Clydies have dreadful hooves (*rolls eyes*), but I'm not expecting anything other than the normal conditioning of a young horse.

Have never had any success posting photos, would have loved to have shown you. Things take as long as they take - all the best with your BF journey.

 

[maccachic]

There are before and after pics of my TBs transition in my profile, my new mount has been a broodmare until I got her so hasn't been shod and is pretty much a rock cruncher from the paddock. I should add I did have to find a good trimmer to get any results as the first person I tried did get any results for a year, so you do have to chose carefully.

I evented, hunted and trekked my TB with no issues and hunting was pretty wet going for around 3hrs a time.

 

[Dumbo]

Thank you all - good to read your horses are happy barefoot.

Thats another thing- obviously I am using a farrier at the moment who suggested barefoot but said to avoid trimmers! So will I be safe sticking with the farrier to trim him?

 

[amandaco2]

Depends on farrier.
I had 3 making the horses sore after trimming. So id make it clear the sole and frog to be left alone and see how the horse reacts.......

 

[ester]

19 yo welsh cob had been a bit 'not quite right' for a few weeks and lost our medium trot but put down to likely stiffness behind. Then went lame in front.
Blocked to foot and coffin joint and xrays showed that his pedal bones were slightly reverse rotated in both front feet (also bullnosed and flat soles in hindsight!)
bar shod and rested - fine on rest, lame in work.
Treated with steroid/HA injections but with no lasting effect. So shoes came off 4 months after initial lameness.
Slow rehab with lots of inhand walking to start then hacking, didn't canter until 6 months in and then started doing some light circling- went to dressage in month 8
I took it quite so slowly as give his age this was our only chance to get it right and I wasn't in any rush.

two years down the line he is fitter than he has ever been, travels miles hacking, has been out hunting again, showing etc etc. He covers most terrain though does still have flat soles so has the odd ouch moment on a stone on a hard surface or some of our very stoney forest tracks - which we usually just traverse slowly unless with others when I boot him.

My farrier admitted he didn't know much about it, I use a UKNCHP trimmer and do some myself now too. If your farrier has happy working barefoot horses on his books that's . Our current yard farrier is quite pro barefoot and promised I wouldn't need to make sure he didn't touch soles or frogs but I think Frank (the pony) and him would have a disagreement about trimming bars - F has made it quite clear he likes to keep them thanks! Good luck and patience .

 

[Dumbo]

Ester, great story - thanks for sharing!

I will stick with my farrier to trim him and see how we get on. A couple of other horses on the yard are barefoot and see trimmers so I may get second opinions along the way.

 

[Hoof_Prints]

I have some positive stories for you

Horse 1- mare with "nasty" tendon injury (as described by vet) shoes came off, and that was that to be honest, she goes much better than when she was shod and has never been lame despite full days hunting and fast hacks that are on average 3 hours, but have gone up to 10 hours ! and jumping xc and up to 1.20m at home. competing at 90cm. She now competes in fun senior mounted games with my sister spinning and turning and you honestly cannot make that horse lame, her legs and feet have been 100% since being barefoot.

Horse 2- came over from Ireland fully shod, feet in awful shape so farrier just took shoes off, quick rasp over and left him. Took him out hacking straight away and no issues. Hooves a little softer than the mares, do have the odd chip but he hunts full days without shoes and has no lameness related to hoof or leg apart from the odd abscess. He hacks out over all terrain including rocks, stones, gravel, grass and is happy.

Horse 3- Had fronts on, took them off and he went footsore for about 2 weeks so left him in the field to get used to it. Then came back sound and again went out on super long hacks over rocks, gravel, slippy grass and totally fine, no lameness ( was sold passed 5 stage vetting with flying colours so definitely sound!) . I was not careful with him at all with hacking and jumping and his feet never chipped up.

Horse 4- another fully shod, shoes off and pretty much the same as the others. moved 100 x better, he was stilted in shoes. Nice healthy feet and the thrushy horrid mess has cleared up nicely already around his frog.

I did try taking an elderly laminitic barefoot but he was very sore, he has crap feet and although his hooves grew back very well and strong he couldn't walk on hard surfaces so he was fully shod again. kept fronts on another one I had as my farrier said he had quite weak front feet so I followed his advice, I trust he knows what he is doing as he has recommended that I take the others barefoot!

 

[Morgan123]

This is a 'be careful' story.

I transitioned my horse to barefoot when he was seven, with not much trouble. Took about six weeks to get used to ground, I did use hoof boots for road hacks for several months, but basically no problems. I think we had one abscess.

He's been great - now fourteen - and we've done all sorts of things including hunting, dressage, lots of hacking, and endurance (our main sport). He has lovely healthy feet and I just fed him a hoof supplement in spring/summer and made sure he had a balanced diet - no problems except occasional mild footiness.

At fourteen he has gone mildly lame in the last six weeks and been diagnosed with sidebone, mild navicular, and mild coffin joint arthritis. the vets and farriers I've spoken to have said that these concussion related injuries are more common in barefoot horses - particualrly sidebone - and I now feel like I should have been more aware of this. I was under the impression that the hoof was BETTER able to cope with concussion without a metal shoe, but apparently this is not the case at all. So choosing to have him barefoot has contributed to my now-lame horse.

I'm not saying being barefoot is a bad thing, but do be careful. Knowing what I know now, I am not sure I would necessarily have made the same choice for him. Obviously it depends on your workload though.

 

[ester]

I'm a little surprised that they would have seen enough working barefoot horses to come to that conclusion- I'd love to see some further info on that if there is any as yes, the presumption is that as you get a much beefier digital cushion without shoes, mechanically why to they think there is an increase in concussion? It was my understanding that those who have been barefoot and given a navicular diagnosis have similar hoof construction to those with shoes on - ie low under run heels/. Fwiw my vet was expecting to find sidebone in Frank as he was landing so laterally (improved out of shoes) - he didn't but I suspect that he had some collateral ligament strain.

There is a user (chavhorse perhaps?) on here whose youngster had huge horns of sidebone but sound without shoes.

Fwiw I think if I were to have Frank again we would likely shoe in summer so I could stud for competing on grass and have shoes off every winter.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

the vets and farriers I've spoken to have said that these concussion related injuries are more common in barefoot horses

I would like to see the study that proves this. IME some Vets and Farriers are pretty strongly against BF and state their opinion as if it was fact, with no scientific evidence to back them, even when the evidence that does exist contradicts them.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

This is a 'be careful' story.

I transitioned my horse to barefoot when he was seven, with not much trouble. Took about six weeks to get used to ground, I did use hoof boots for road hacks for several months, but basically no problems. I think we had one abscess.

He's been great - now fourteen - and we've done all sorts of things including hunting, dressage, lots of hacking, and endurance (our main sport). He has lovely healthy feet and I just fed him a hoof supplement in spring/summer and made sure he had a balanced diet - no problems except occasional mild footiness.

At fourteen he has gone mildly lame in the last six weeks and been diagnosed with sidebone, mild navicular, and mild coffin joint arthritis. the vets and farriers I've spoken to have said that these concussion related injuries are more common in barefoot horses - particualrly sidebone - and I now feel like I should have been more aware of this. I was under the impression that the hoof was BETTER able to cope with concussion without a metal shoe, but apparently this is not the case at all. So choosing to have him barefoot has contributed to my now-lame horse.

I'm not saying being barefoot is a bad thing, but do be careful. Knowing what I know now, I am not sure I would necessarily have made the same choice for him. Obviously it depends on your workload though.

That makes no sense to me or to all the people and their vets who refer horses to rockley farm.

As someone with a meniscal tear, I can feel a twinge if I twist my leg, but the best thing I ever did was to go barefoot in house and wear thin soled [ariat cobalt] boots outside, this allows propriorecptors to work automatically. If anyone remembers leather shoes with metal "segs", they were very slippery on icy pavements, just as shoes are on smooth tarmac, and I would not wear shoes with hard soles for running long distances, I would wear a soft rubber sole. To me nailing things on to the hoof of a living animal is an extreme action, only to be done with consideration of all alternatives. There are so many advantages to barefoot, I just can't see past it.

 

[Dumbo]

Thankyou.
Morgan123 that's interesting - the first negative against BF i've heard so far but will ask my vet about that. Sorry to hear about your horse.

I have pretty high hopes for my horse despite being told he'll be totally crippled. I've done so much research and desperately want to get it right for him. We only hack, school and do light riding club activities so I have everything crossed that in time he can do all that bf.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I would like to see the study that proves this. IME some Vets and Farriers are pretty strongly against BF and state their opinion as if it was fact, with no scientific evidence to back them, even when the evidence that does exist contradicts them.

agree

 

[Morgan123]

I would like to see the study that proves this. IME some Vets and Farriers are pretty strongly against BF and state their opinion as if it was fact, with no scientific evidence to back them, even when the evidence that does exist contradicts them.

The things you're all saying are exactly what I always thought too, hence having him barefoot!! However that's what they said they see in a typical case. I am just reporting as I wish I'd known it too and not assumed I'd known best (I also assumed less concussion without shoes). Actually, both vet and farrier were reticent to put shoes on my horse but felt it was the best option to try before the MRI/steroid since he needed better heel support.

Will look up clinical studies if I get a moment.

 

[Morgan123]

Thankyou.
Morgan123 that's interesting - the first negative against BF i've heard so far but will ask my vet about that. Sorry to hear about your horse.

I have pretty high hopes for my horse despite being told he'll be totally crippled. I've done so much research and desperately want to get it right for him. We only hack, school and do light riding club activities so I have everything crossed that in time he can do all that bf.

Well you did ask for 'barefoot success stories' so that may be why you're hearing lots of success stories ;-). Sorry, I don't want to bring you down, I just wanted to pass on what I've learnt or been told recently, that's all, because I wish I'd known it.

However, of course every horse is different, and there are a million different things to take into account anyway, so it may WELL be the best thing for your horse and just happened it wasn't the best thing for mine. Particularly as you say your aim is really to be able to hack lightly and school and so on. Of course there are lots of instances where people say it works best for them and I hope it does for you too! Good luck.

 

[Morgan123]

In the interests of fair disclosure: I've had a quick (but by no means comprehensive) scan via google scholar and can't find studies showing more concussion in barefoot horses than shod horses - make of that what you will (obviously it depends who funds/is doing research and what have you), but perhaps that is a good sign for you.

I'll also ask at the vet hospital when I go for our MRI next week .

 

[Meowy Catkin]

M123 - If you had shod your horse, he could have still developed exactly the same issues anyway. I'm actually quite cross that your vet and farrier have blamed your management in this way. Being generous, they only see horses with issues, so maybe this has skewed their perception of BF and hoof function?

Have you read the study that was reported on eponaTV that showed how shoes start to negatively change the shape of hooves after a very short time of being shod?

BF doesn't mean that a horse will never have concussion related issues as you can't take away concussion completely, plus there is more to having a properly functioning BF hoof than just not shoeing. If you look at slomo videos on youtube, you can certainly see more shock travelling up the leg of a shod horse that toe first lands*, than the vids of a BF horse that heel first lands. A BF hoof that toe first lands is going to absorb shock far less well than a BF hoof that heel first lands. Rockley has had cases of BF horses for rehab.


* Interestingly Heelfirst, a Farrier on this forum states that shod horses should ideally land flat.

 

[chestnut cob]

At fourteen he has gone mildly lame in the last six weeks and been diagnosed with sidebone, mild navicular, and mild coffin joint arthritis. the vets and farriers I've spoken to have said that these concussion related injuries are more common in barefoot horses - particualrly sidebone - and I now feel like I should have been more aware of this. I was under the impression that the hoof was BETTER able to cope with concussion without a metal shoe, but apparently this is not the case at all. So choosing to have him barefoot has contributed to my now-lame horse.

Conversely, my last horse had ringbone and sidebone. He had been shod all of his working life, bar about 6 months off out in the field. My farrier at the time, remedial and v experienced, said both RB and SB are very common in horses who do a lot of roadwork with shoes on, and is caused by concussion from the metal shoe. He said he sees it a lot in hunters because they spend a lot of time on the road, and in particular hammering along them. His opinion was very much that shoes cause concussive problems, and SB in particular.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I would like to see the study that proves this. IME some Vets and Farriers are pretty strongly against BF and state their opinion as if it was fact, with no scientific evidence to back them, even when the evidence that does exist contradicts them.

tbh, they do that about lots of stuff-not just BF.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

* Interestingly Heelfirst, a Farrier on this forum states that shod horses should ideally land flat.

there's heel first and heel first though-I saw an interesting article recently that states it basically it should be heel first but so imperceptible to us at normal speed that it looks flat. 'Too much' heel first can also indicate problems (to my limited understanding).

 

[Meowy Catkin]

tbh, they do that about lots of stuff-not just BF.

I have no doubt that you're correct, it's just that hooves are the area that I've had lots of trouble with, with my mare.

there's heel first and heel first though-I saw an interesting article recently that states it basically it should be heel first but so imperceptible to us at normal speed that it looks flat. 'Too much' heel first can also indicate problems (to my limited understanding).

Very interesting. Do you have the link?

 

[ester]

I have also seen, am sure it was on rockley of phoenix discussions of heel first compared to having a toe flick - a toe flick being bad/hyper extension etc.

M123 It would be interesting to get their perceptions at the MRI, good luck with it at least you will know exactly what is going on with yours then

 

[MotherOfChickens]

it's below-two parts. I am not a hoof expert/professional but would be interested to hear comments on this. (My BF trimmer once told me that too much heel first wasn't great either-in relation to an older, was-very-overweight-for-years pony with weak heels and evidence of lammi in the past pony had never been shod but arguably never had enough exercise either).

http://enlightenedequine.com/2013/11/27/the-myth-of-the-heel-first-landing-part-1/

http://enlightenedequine.com/2014/03/16/the-myth-of-the-heel-first-landing-part-2/