Barefoot Taliban - give me your stories.

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Jazzy B

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Yes I know, another foot essay and from me again as been toying with this shoe/shoeless idea for about six months now!

My lad is continuously throwing his shoes - he over reaches quite badly and in the last three weeks we have lost two shoes from him doing this, once out in the field and the other when I didn't put over reaches on.

My farrier reckons his feet are "rubbish" and said says he will never cope without shoes on. However in his last antics of pulling his shoe off he also pulled off most of his hoof, so a struggle to stick a shoe back on again. Farrier's advice is to leave over reaches on at all times. :rolleyes:

My inclination is just to say "sod it", find myself a good bare foot trimmer, and take all shoes off my main problem with this is that I do ride a lot, and we have a fair bit of of hard core around us which would just be horrible for him and make him very sore. Can you buy boots for all round?

Those of you who have taken your shoes off, has it stopped you from riding, competitions etc etc I know its horses for courses but can bare footers lead the same life as those with? Can I have your experiences please. His a wimpy TB/ID is it possible??

I'm offering custard creams, jammy dodgers and tea for anyone who got this far.

Thank you
 
Nope. Not stopped me or my horses from doing whatever we want completely barefoot.

You will have to appreciate that your horse needs time to grow a strong, healthy hoof first. So perhaps make no fixed plans for six months?
 
I can't help with advice but I will watch this thread closely. I am in much the same predicament as you except my horse doesn't (touches wood) throw shoes that regularly. His issue is more that I am coming round to the thinking that his soundness would be more assured long term by taking him barefoot. But I have no-one around me that will support me. Vet, Farrier and yard owner all tell me that my horse will never cope barefoot.
 
I would not say I am in the barefoot taliban but I have always had some of mine unshod, just never really thought it unusual to do so.

So the short story of one of mine.
Two years ago a new horse, ISH 16.1, was purchased he came with poor feet, almost no frogs and in not brilliant condition generally, he spent the first year shod, in light work being brought on and I worked on improving his frogs and overall health. He improved overall, was on high fibre low sugar/ starch diet, as are all mine, over last winter he was losing shoes, he is very active and short backed so they come off rather easily but his feet were not breaking up at all, I got fed up with having to keep getting the farrier so took them all off. He is in full work, hacking out, competing SJ and has been xc schooling, his feet are in great shape and he is moving well on all surfaces. He is on no special diet just grass, Fast Fibre and hay or haylage with salt and a small amount of cubes over the winter.

My only problem is he is about to be put up for sale and I am not sure if him being unshod will put people off buying him as a competition horse.
 
We have a welsh D X TB, a warmblood and a welsh A X B; all barefoot after various problems. We're about to take on another warmblood (17hh) with the poo-est feet ever, but as soon as he comes to us in a couple of weeks, we're starting him on our minerals and his shoes will come off when he would next be due to be shod. I love watching them change (i'm a sad loser!) We've had no problems at all with any of them getting too short (i actually have to make sure i do loads of roadwork to keep them trimmed cos they grow so fast!) and they manage better than they ever did in shoes. Some people have problems with grass-related footiness - i dont with 2 of mine, but our warmblood has cushings, so she can be occasionally. And i'm suspecting the new boy will be cos he actively seeks out grass to walk on even in shoes! Big wimp! :cool: I will probably boot him initially. None of the others wear boots though. You just need to be patient during the transition and be ok with him only being able to walk (possibly only inhand to start with) on smooth tarmac surfaces and suchlike until he grows better hoof.
You may need to address his diet too.

Do it! :D
 
Since I decided to take my boy barefoot I've heard every reason under the sun why everybody else's horses couldn't possibly go barefoot because their hooves as so bad! Well I'm sorry but having sent my boy to Rockley after being told he'd never cope barefoot we're doing about 20miles of roadwork every week and at a flatwork clinic last Saturday my instructor said she'd never seen a nicer canter or a better trot from him.

So, my answer is, it's all in the diet! Get the diet right and exercise enough and you'll be able to do what you like, whether that be putting shoes back on or going barefoot.

I cannot believe the changes in my horse and will not go back to shoes now. :)
 
Just bear in mind that the Houston Mounted Police Force (and now Austen as well among others I'm sure) have taken their entire mounted force barefoot and they do 6x8hr shifts each week - more when there are parades. And they originally started with just one horse that was permanently lame in shoes that they also probably thought couldn't manage without - but they had no other option so gave it a go.

I have horses on the books that were lame in shoes, some with a PTS over their heads that are now out successfully competing and not just stressage - but eventing, hunter trialling and jumping over 1m. A newbie is also driving her horses, albeit in boots to start. The list includes TBs with previously crumbling hooves and/or long toes and underrun heels.

It is as others have said it is all down to management. For most it is diet, and for all of them, once barefoot and sound they have to work their butts off. The horses that is - the harder they work (so long as done properly) the better their hooves get.

This is why I largely don't take on pasture ornaments (unless companion animals) their hooves never get as good as those that work really hard.
 
This is why I largely don't take on pasture ornaments (unless companion animals) their hooves never get as good as those that work really hard.
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Oh lordy... am I going to have to start walking the retired TB out in-hand too? :p
 
She's retired due to her vertical rearing habit. She can also walk on her back legs and has done it since she was a foal. She just loves rearing. Of course she totally sound... I'm a wimp. ;)

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The feet you're describing will need time off to recover and regrow correctly, so yes it can be done, but not if you won't give the horse a few months off work altogether whilst it recovers. Your desire to keep up the workload makes me concerned as to whether this choice would suit you both.
 
Faracat said:
She's retired due to her vertical rearing habit. She can also walk on her back legs and has done it since she was a foal. She just loves rearing.
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If I had a horse like that I would seriously consider giving her to one of those people that trick train for films, she might as well make a career out of it if she loves it so much!
 
He might not necessarily need time off - some dont, a lot do. Off entirely is a bad idea, movement stimulates growth which is what you want. It just has to be comfy for the horse :)


Hoof boots are more economical than shoes - and they def last longer than 6 weeks!
 
LittleBlackMule said:
If I had a horse like that I would seriously consider giving her to one of those people that trick train for films, she might as well make a career out of it if she loves it so much!
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We have a stunt team on the other side of the Valley. They provided the horses for the Russel Crowe version of Robin Hood. :D I think that she's getting a bit old for a new career (early twenties) and I'd miss her.
 
im not a barefooter, but why not take off hind shoes first to let hind feet gradually get used to it and then take fronts off ( use boots for a transition period if the fronts are sore)....most horses seem to be able to cope without hind shoes quite easily. you may need to give him an easy time for a few months and also diet is very important as others have said...
 
No wise words about barefoot, but don't understand the issue with wearing overreach boots all the time? Mine does at farriers request, and I've never had any issues. Just careful to check daily. Worth it to keep her shoes on!
 
Broodle said:
No wise words about barefoot, but don't understand the issue with wearing overreach boots all the time? Mine does at farriers request, and I've never had any issues. Just careful to check daily. Worth it to keep her shoes on!
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If the horse is fine skinned, it's a big problem. Also I would question whether the horse is trimmed and shod correctly if over-reach boots are needed all the time. Are the toes too long and therefore affecting the breakover?

Pulling shoes off was the very first sign that my (now sacked) Farrier was changing the shape of my chestnut mare's hooves for the worse, so this kind of thread always makes me wonder if there's a 'long toe' issue.
 
My lwvtb horse has the same over reaching problem, I would like to try barefoot as well so let us know how you get on! I am just wondering if it might make him 'footy' for his vetting so guess I should leave it til after. He is also very destructive and has mangled his current boots so unbearable!
 
Cant advise on how to go about it but I ride a friends tb x arab who is barefoot. He's been this way for about one year. His feet have been a bit tender on hard ground since the weather has been so wet. He was really good before the deluge started.
Today we put boots on him. Oh poor patient horse! He was a bit miffed about them initially but seemed to realise that they did help him walk over stony ground. He did look and feel like he was running in wellies poor chap.
 
TrasaM said:
Cant advise on how to go about it but I ride a friends tb x arab who is barefoot. He's been this way for about one year. His feet have been a bit tender on hard ground since the weather has been so wet. He was really good before the deluge started.
Today we put boots on him. Oh poor patient horse! He was a bit miffed about them initially but seemed to realise that they did help him walk over stony ground. He did look and feel like he was running in wellies poor chap.
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Are you certain that he is not tender on hard ground since the grass got so lush? The timing is the same, and in my experience it is much more common that it is the grass than the wet feet. The test is to restrict the grass intake for a couple of days and see how he is then.
 
Miss Bean said:
My farrier reckons his feet are "rubbish" and said says he will never cope without shoes on.
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I wish I had £10 for every farrier who has said this and been wrong. It is the really weak feet that improve the most. I evented one affiliated which 2 farriers told me would never manage without shoes on.

Miss Bean said:
My inclination is just to say "sod it", find myself a good bare foot trimmer, and take all shoes off my main problem with this is that I do ride a lot, and we have a fair bit of of hard core around us which would just be horrible for him and make him very sore.
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You can use boots but even so, do not go into this unless you are prepared to back off the work for a while until his feet toughen up. It may not take long, or it may take several months. However long it takes, you'll have to be patient if you try it.


Miss Bean said:
can bare footers lead the same life as those with? Can I have your experiences please. His a wimpy TB/ID is it possible??
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I evented one sensitive TB and four others barefoot. I now hunt another. Lots of people have barefoot TBs in hard work. There is no reason, if you are prepared to get the food right, graduate the work, and he has no metabolic disease, that he should not eventually do everything that you do now, but it will probably take some time.
 
Hi cptrayes.
He's on restricted grazing but my friend has commented that he has gained some weight in the past month.
He's was checked by the farrier today and he seemed to think it was from being constantly wet.
 
Nickles1973 said:
I can't help with advice but I will watch this thread closely. I am in much the same predicament as you except my horse doesn't (touches wood) throw shoes that regularly. His issue is more that I am coming round to the thinking that his soundness would be more assured long term by taking him barefoot. But I have no-one around me that will support me. Vet, Farrier and yard owner all tell me that my horse will never cope barefoot.
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I will PM you as I have the same vets and farrier, trimmer coming to take my mares shoes off on Saturday!
 
TrasaM said:
Hi cptrayes.
He's on restricted grazing but my friend has commented that he has gained some weight in the past month.
He's was checked by the farrier today and he seemed to think it was from being constantly wet.
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And I wish I had £10 for every farrier who can't spot the earliest signs of laminitis too. If the horse was sound on all surfaces up to a few weeks ago, it would, in my experience, but much more likely that he has sole sensitivity due to the amount of grass he is eating that due to his feet being a bit soft in the wet. If it's the wet, why was he sound all winter? If he has gained weight, then however restricted his grazing seems, then he is eating more food than he needs, and any weight gain is a major indicator for laminitic issues. As I said, she can test it by taking him off grass for 3 days and seeing how good he is on hard surfaces then.
 
cptrayes said:
And I wish I had £10 for every farrier who can't spot the earliest signs of laminitis too. If the horse was sound on all surfaces up to a few weeks ago, it would, in my experience, but much more likely that he has sole sensitivity due to the amount of grass he is eating that due to his feet being a bit soft in the wet. If it's the wet, why was he sound all winter? If he has gained weight, then however restricted his grazing seems, then he is eating more food than he needs, and any weight gain is a major indicator for laminitic issues. As I said, she can test it by taking him off grass for 3 days and seeing how good he is on hard surfaces then.
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Thank you CP. I will pass the suggestion on to her. T.
 
TigerTail said:
He might not necessarily need time off - some dont, a lot do. Off entirely is a bad idea, movement stimulates growth which is what you want. It just has to be comfy for the horse :)


Hoof boots are more economical than shoes - and they def last longer than 6 weeks!
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I'm another of the "undecided" brigade: I can see what people are saying about the transition time between shod and barefoot. The problem I would have, is just that, the "transition period". This is presumably a time where you have to cut right back on roadwork and the horse's routine as far as exercise is concerned, would be totally thrown out of kilter.

I HAVE to ride on the roads as there's no-where else to go, I don't have a sandschool or anywhere else to go, so if Ned didn't get his regular exercise then he'd get totally hyper and I'd have to start all over again with issues like solo hacking, napping, backing up etc etc, and I'm just not in a place where I could even contemplate that, however attractive the prospect of barefoot might be.

My boy is one of those horses who if you don't stay on his case and get him out regularly, just wouldn't deal with it, he'd just develop a load of bad habits and get absolutely hyper, and its a risk I just can't take. It took so long to get him where we are now and I just dare not change that!! Or in other words if its not broke don't go fixing it.

The only way I could hope to go barefoot with him would be to send him away somewhere and let someone else take him through the process (and also cope with his lack-of-exercise tantrums!!!).
 
thank you everyone some interesting views and stories there, and Oberon thank you very much for your message, I shall have a proper read of that tonight. Very interesting how many of you have TB's who lead a completely normal barefooted life especially eventing them when you hear of people banging in studs etc :cool:
 
I took the plunge with my thin soled TB, with long toes and collapsed heels. Still a work in progress andher feet look 100% better than they were in shoes, short toes, no collasped heals and up until last week was sound on all surfaces, now she is footy due to the wet and the grass flush as cptrays says ( and I also think a bit of stress as she moved yards last week), bad timing as we were supposed to be xc on sunday and I am not confident in XC in hoof boots
 
Be reading all BF thread withs interest as if my old boy comes back off loan he will be getting shoes pulled. He was bare behind for 4 years and did everything and was bare all round and sound on all surfaces when he went to the loaners :)

Yes its in the interest of keeping costs down but If his feet stood up to work with no shoes (he was mis-shod for a while by a farrier and did some damage a while back) then i wont see it necessary to put shoes back on him :)
 
I have a 5yr old TB who has never been shod. Her feet are like granite and she has always been rock crunching. My cob is bf also, for the last 3.5 yrs, 100% sound on all surfaces. Both live out 24/7/365 and eat only forage. I have just taken on an Arab/TB/Welsh 16yr old mare who has been doing top level endurance. Atm she is shod in front with Natural Balance shoes. They will come off in late Autumn and hopefully remain off from that moment on. All three are hacked regularly for hours on lots of different surfaces.
Great advice from Moorman and Oberon xx
 
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