Barefoot transition for a fire breathing beast

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SCMSL

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Ok, so I need a few pointers on how to do this.

Horse has been unshoed by her own will since the 11th - pulled RF shoe along with half her hoof wall, I called the farrier and he advised me to pull her LF so she could at least be leveled.

I ordered some boots who arrived today, but in the meanwhile I got animalintex and a neoprene sheet on her sole and wrapped with Vetwrap and tape. She started getting bit sore on Saturday so we kept her in and just handwalked her.

Today I went to pick up the boots, got them in her feet, and went for a walk with her in hand. She proceeded to rear onto me, managed to brake the chain/leather lead and ran away. My lovely 172cm, 5 year old, hormonal mare then managed to destroy the gaiters and remove the boots. While running around like a crazy, fire breathing beast she destroyed the remainder of the healthy hoof wall and I then spent the next 20 min rasping it. I then got the boots on her again, without the gaiter. She'll spend the night in her stall, so I have some time to figure this out.

Farrier will only be here on the 24th.

How should I proceed meanwhile? She is clearly very comfortable in her new boots, so I am tempted to lunge her tomorrow - she is becoming quite dangerous. Is it a bad idea? I've never transitioned a horse to barefoot so any pointers would be most helpful!
 
Ok this sounds like reaction to something being tied to her feet - which for a flight animal ='s instant death.....
Another horses reaction to boots led to her ended up in hospital with a broken jaw...

Some desensitisation with her feet / legs is in order before attaching them too firmly methinks - preferably on a soft surface like a school. Practise with something as similar to the boot as you can get that doesnt cost a fortune, nappies spring to mind, or there is a really good wrap around turnout hoofboot which my mare will tolerate where she wont tolerate much else on her feet!

You could also feed her arnica to help with any subsequent bruising.

How do you mean destroyed the remainder of the healthy hoof wall? And 20 mins rasping - unless you are very very sure of what you are doing leave it alone - over rasping takes months to grow out.
 
It took 20 min because the rasp isn't exactly new, so quite worn out.

She doesn't have any issues with the boots, walked normally straight out of the tacking up area. She is, however, highly strung and has been in since saturday, being handwalked for 20min at a time. So this reaction doesn't really surprise me...
 
I think putting them on her in the stable is probably a good idea and let her just have a look at them and sniff them etc if she wants, then once she seems happy enough try in the school if you have one. If you tend to ride on soft surfaces anyway you might not really need to bother with the boots, you could then start working in short periods of tarmac.
 
I left her in her stall with the boots for tonight.

Would the tarmac "work" be with or without the boots?
She is a bit sensitive on both front feet but looked immediately better with the boots on (never thought they made such an impact on the horse's comfort!).
 
Easyboot Epics. They fit quite nicely, she pulled them so hard the velcro in front just ripped and pulled the boot right off.

But then again, this horse pulls shoes as if there was nothing holding them to the hoof - and thats why she is always turned out in bell boots. Haven't pulled a shoe while ridden in the last year, so its just a matter of being wayyyy to happy!
 
I'm pretty sure it isn't! She has the terrible habit of rasping the floor with her front feet, even when out. So for the last week (since she's been without shoes) she probably "self trimmed" 3 cm of her toe area.

Farrier (who also does corrective trimming on the foals) will be there on the 24th, just wondering how I should proceed until then..
 
Was it a reaction to the boots or was it just excess energy? Is she used to floating / trucking boots?

The only things my guys have done the first time in boot is walk a little funny, higher steps.
 
If shes self trimming id leave her to it tbh - interference at this point might well be rather early. Especially if she's a little sore and still adjusting - you dont want the farrier getting rasp/knife happy !

The boots may have moved or made a weird sound to her on a different surface that set off the panic. Id take her out with a loooong line and in a dually so if she tried to go I could turn her and just get her on a circle til she stopped. Id take a pocket full of treats too just to keep her attention more on me than going into orbit!
 
I'm afraid to turn her out with the boots, and I'm pretty sure the hooves will continue to brake if I let her off without them. As I said, the rasp I have available is pretty much worthless so I was unable to get a good roll around the hoof. With the nail holes, ect, she pretty much brakes a little bit of wall every time she steps out of her stall. The boots were amazing yesterday and they apparently have managed to keep the integrity of the hoof.

I think the issue wasn't really manners, as much as excess energy. She isn't exactly the "safest" horse yet but usually has some brains on her. I hand walked her around the riding center and she spooked when the mares in the paddock were "behind" her. So she probably just wanted to join them. She is, however, very big and strong, and even with the chain its impossible to hold her down when she decides not to listen to you...

Today I took her out, took her boots off, cleaned her hooves and sprayed them with disinfectant and got the boots in again. I then "lunged" her and she didn't take one bad step, so my feeling is she's comfortable. It wasn't exactly lunge as I allowed her to do things at her own pace to get a feel of how she was. I used bell boots on top of the hoof boots and they didn't come off, which is great!

I told the groom to take her out in the afternoon again, slip her boots in and go for a walk with her to get the circulation going.

Trainer is suggesting we try to ride her tomorrow. She will be lunged first and only then ridden at the walk. Is it a bad idea? The flooring is super soft.
 
Two reasons really:

First is management. Currently there is only one paddock where the "sports" horses are allowed to be turned out, one at a time. There are several horses going out, so mine can only get a few hours tops.

But even when the grounds dry up and the grass paddocks can be used again, I don't feel her comfortable enough to go out completely bare, and I am 100% sure she would take the boots off... Plus the paddock isn't that big (its actually an old bullfighting arena) so the horses don't have too much room to move.
 
Grass paddock is clay, which is a mud Pitt right now and will be rock hard in a few weeks.

Bullfighting arena (also known as "winter turnout") is sand.
 
Sand will be perfect for a newly unshod/barefoot horse. Even a couple of hours out on it would be stimulating for her hooves. I wouldn't boot her for turnout on sand. :)
 
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