Barefoot tripping & slipping?

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canteron

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My cob has always tripped - mainly because he has limited attention span but it is always worse just before he is due to be shod. As he grows up and gets more balanced it is slowly getting better.

So next week we are going barefoot - farrier v supportive says that the horse will wear his feet properly and that should help.

But someone has just told me barefoot horses slip more on grass(when hacking). Is this true? Does anyone have any happy reassuring stories as I don't want to swap one horror for another!
 
My young boy is ridden on all terrain and doesn't slip, I would be more worried about them slipping with shoes to be honest, afterall thats why studs are used on grass.
Aslong as the hooves are trimmed too far back to make the horse foot sore you shouldn't have a problem.
 
I've had (until VERY recently) my cob barefoot, never ever been shod, and he's the same. I found a chan ge of farrier who corrected the fact that although he LOOKED right, he was, infact, trimmed far too long for barefoot. As soon as the angle was changed (couple of months at least) he never looked back. Sadly all the years of him being trimmed too toe-y mean't he's got a touch of other problems now, and he's shod when the ground is hard (which has also stopped him) but cob = attention defacit I'm sure is also a contributer (in my case!) might be worth a 2nd opinion though? (on his current trim)
 
Pony on the yard had issues with tripping with front shoes on,he is now barefoot and hasnt tripped since :) she hacks out with me on a regular basis and the pony hasnt once slipped on any surface :) if anything they have better grip with their hoof Au Naturel than with steel shoes on(hence why they wear studs on grass with back shoes :) )
 
Thanks everyone, thats reassuring, I will chat to the farrier re toe length so I can have a view and undeerstanding. Great photos xRobyn love them and will try and follow your lead!
 
I've always found the opposite, and very stable on roads as well. The right trim is essential I think, my lot are real rock crunchers now, but it took some time to find someone who took their hooves seriously.
 
Extract from my earlier post on the studs thread

"we do slip on grass but mostly so little I don't even notice. When we have slipped enough for me to be aware of it it has been when horse has been excitedly tearing along paying no attention to me and has slipped. On these occasions though the slip has felt controlled and horse has been able to quickly correct himself. He suffers no confidence knocks from these slips.

On roads being bare is brilliant - we simply do not slip

If we were shod then I would consider using studs. I saw a pony XC training earlier this year - the ground was very slippery and his rider had forgotten the studs. His friend was studded up and merrily jumping everything but he was really unhappy and jumping poorly or just not jumping. Riders mum went back to the lorry to get studs and once fitted the pony was far happier, jumping everything with confidence. At the same time my horse and OH were happily jumping everything bare. Horses for courses"

I'd not be unduly worried about slipping on grass bare :)
 
I have too say that we have had no slipping issues whatever with our horses bare foot on any type of surface.

When you think about it a polished piece of steel is bound to have less grip, common sense. Years ago I used to have to wear hob nailed boots, which had studs in the sole and a horseshoe shaped ring around the heel. They were awful to walk in on any surface and slipping, sliding and falling over was all part of wearing them. They did make a smashing noise though.
 
my 4yro was shod in front solely because he was slipping on grass barefoot and the last straw was when he hit the deck very hard slipping over.

since having shoes he has been fine (without studs).

however, he is 18hh with huge, extravagant movement and not yet the balance to go with it- once he is more in control of his legs i hope he can go back to barefoot.
 
My 3 working boys have never been shod. Two of these are endurance horses, and work over all kinds of terrain and in all kinds of weather conditions. I can honestly say there has only ever been one occasion when any of mine have slipped - and that was a bad one. My horse stood on a bent over thistle stalk. His foot slid up the gelatinous stalk (you could see the "scraped" and broken stalk afterwards) and slid out from uderneath him. Horse fell onto his side (unharmed fortunately, but trapping my leg underneath him. My leg later turned out to be broken.

However this was a sheer one-off incident. I honestly can't recall any of my horses slipping on any other occasion (even on wet grass!) And it certainly hasn't made me change my mind and put shoes onto my horses.

Slipping can happen in both shod and unshod horses. If it happens regularly with any particular horse (whether barefoot or shod) I would be inclined first of all to take a closer look at the shoeing/trimming and if necessary, get a second opinion. Much, but not all tripping and slipping can be put down to overlong toes (whether shod or not).
 
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