barefooters opinions and advise please

[Dottyfordylan]

My horse was shod last saturday, i have been doing alot of research about having him barefoot, espescially after looking at the photos which worry me slightly.

what do you think of his feet shod, confirmation etc He also stands toed out with his front right alot of the time.

This photo concerns me the most.

I have done a lot of searching through the web but there is just soo much information regarding going barefoot, any words of wisdom would eb very helpful!

 

[jools123]

i am sure everyone will jump down my throat for this but speak to a farrier you trust-mine has told me (not that i asked) that he wont put shoes on my 5yr old cos she does not need them.
also he crushed my daughters romantic vision of a horse that goes c'clip clop' on the roads when he told her he will not put back shoes on her cos she does not need them either

 

[Dottyfordylan]

i am sure everyone will jump down my throat for this but speak to a farrier you trust-mine has told me (not that i asked) that he wont put shoes on my 5yr old cos she does not need them.
also he crushed my daughters romantic vision of a horse that goes c'clip clop' on the roads when he told her he will not put back shoes on her cos she does not need them either

This is only his second shoeing with this farrier so I don't 100% trust him and not sure where he stands on the barefoot subject. I have been advised to look into a barefoot trimmer as apposed to farrier as my horse will be in full work once comfortable and barefoot trimmer maybe a better option...

 

[Oberon]

What do you want to know?

I am not an expert on shoeing jobs but - as far as shod hooves go, it looks to me that your farrier is doing an excellent job.

From a 'barefoot hoof POV' - the wall and heels are too long and look mechanically stressed at the quarters. Frog receiving no ground stimulation and heel looks contracted from that first pic. Some flaring evident (albeit rasped away).

However - I see good quality wall, decent wall connection (for a shod hoof) and lovely, plush frogs.

I can't see any pathology, just the run of the mill side effects from shoes (not being bitchy about shoes - but they DO cause changes to the hooves - that's not just 'barefoot propaganda').
I certainly wouldn't be scared of removing the shoes - at least for a break for a few months.

 

[Dottyfordylan]

What do you want to know?

I am not an expert on shoeing jobs but - as far as shod hooves go, it looks to me that your farrier is doing an excellent job.

From a 'barefoot hoof POV' - the wall and heels are too long and look mechanically stressed at the quarters. Frog receiving no ground stimulation and heel looks contracted from that first pic. Some flaring evident (albeit rasped away).

However - I see good quality wall, decent wall connection (for a shod hoof) and lovely, plush frogs.

I can't see any pathology, just the run of the mill side effects from shoes (not being bitchy about shoes - but they DO cause changes to the hooves - that's not just 'barefoot propaganda').
I certainly wouldn't be scared of removing the shoes - at least for a break for a few months.

I see they look long and the lack of frog contact. I always thought they looked strong.

Pathology - is this the lines on the hoof wall?

Would you remove all at once? Ive read about diet but feeding I can't seem to get my brain around... He's on simple systems only one feed a day out on grass through the evening and in during the day with ad lib hay. He had no condition when I moved yards but is now gaining weight at a steady rate.

I'm concered about being barefoot and how this impacts the chance of laminitis?

 

[Oberon]

I see they look long and the lack of frog contact. I always thought they looked strong.

Pathology - is this the lines on the hoof wall?

They look strong to me too.
By pathology I mean disease/long term problems.

Would you remove all at once? Ive read about diet but feeding I can't seem to get my brain around... He's on simple systems only one feed a day out on grass through the evening and in during the day with ad lib hay. He had no condition when I moved yards but is now gaining weight at a steady rate.

It's up to you if you want to move all at once or hinds first. I would say hinds first is probably the easiest way to go if you are nervous.
I'm not personally a fan of SS - I don't use alfalfa as it's too high in calcium for my forage and their balancers are overpriced for what they are.

I'm concered about being barefoot and how this impacts the chance of laminitis?

If you don't want to go BF - then keep the shoes on . You are under no obligation, he's your horse .

I don't understand what you mean about laminitis?

 

[Dottyfordylan]

At the risk of making myself sound stupid...again.

I wondered if being barefoot makes them anymore likely to get laminitis? Or does it all come down to feeding regardless of shoes or not?

 

[Oberon]

At the risk of making myself sound stupid...again.

I wondered if being barefoot makes them anymore likely to get laminitis? Or does it all come down to feeding regardless of shoes or not?

There are no stupid questions . The more I learn, then more questions I find . From what I know (and I am not an expert).....

Laminitis is not a primary condition. It is a secondary condition. So it is a symptom of something else going on. The laminae is designed to hold the hoof to the bone (like velcro) and it is damn good at it's job. If the laminae starts to peel apart and lose its connection - there is a reason why.

The primary causes (found so far) are;

Hyperinsulinaemia - Insulin resistant horses, Cushings horses...

Systemic Inflammatory Disease - 'horse broke into the feed room', shock and trauma, surgery, toxins (like poisons/wormers/vaccines).......

You can also have mechanical laminitis - but it's rare and unlikely to be found with a genuinely healthy hoof.

Now - shoes mean the horse bears weight on the wall (and therefore laminae connection) alone. The wall is designed to take the horses weight IN CO-OPERATION with the sole, frog, bars and heels.....the wall isn't meant to work alone.

So you get flaring to the wall.
It isn't well connected when it's flared.

The great thing about shoes is that they provide a numbing effect. If a horse has inflammation from sub-clinical laminitis they often won't feel it with shoes.
A BF horse will tell you straight away if there is a problem - which is why we whinge on about diet so much.

Both shod and BF horses will suffer from laminitis the same - it's just that the BF horse will usually give you the heads up before it becomes an emergency.

 

[Dottyfordylan]

That makes a lot more sense! Thank you!will do some more food research and speak to a few companies I think.