Busy day preparing for no shoes !

[Copperpot]

Have decided against heart bars for my boy and am going to have a serious bash at having him barefoot all round.

So today built a track system round his field, took hours and I got sunburnt bought a hoof supplement and some keratex, to try improve the foot he grows. Will measure him up for boots this week too.

Finally we went for a walk on the road for about 20 mins. He still has fronts on, but although hasn't had backs on for 9 months, he has only really been in the field. He coped fine on the road. Even better he was perfectly behaved amongst the cars and motorbikes he hasn't seen for a long time.

 

[amandap]

I wish you the best. Sun, what's that? Hope you're not too sore. Do keep researching diet, hooves etc. just in case you need more support in these areas. x

 

[pistolpete]

Very best of luck, I may be going this way at some point too. Just not yet...

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Good luck!

 

[ATrueClassAct]

Good luck fingers and bare hooves crossed for you

 

[Copperpot]

Thanks everyone. He is fed a handful of happy hoof just to get his supplements in. Cortaflex, the hoof one from today and top spec multivitamin.

OH is building me some long wooden frames with no bottom this week and I will fill them with pea gravel and put them on the track, so he will be walking from grass to gravel to wood chip.

Hopefully have some who is more experienced in all this coming out to take a look at his feet too.

 

[TPO]

Argh, just wrote a big reply and HHO timed out.

In short, well done you for all your effort. Remember and take lots of photos of the feet as sometimes it's hard to notice changes when you stare at them every day. Trust me you will stare at them!!

Re feeding: have a look at some of the other threads on here, Happy Hoof, and similar, aren't highly thought off due to their ingredients. Maybe something like Fast Fibre or an unmolassed chaff might be a better carrier.

Re supplements: again you'll find lots of info, advice and opinions on supplements on this part of the forum if you look through some of the older threads. Good places to look/buy are www.forageplus.co.uk and www.progressivehorse.co.uk (who sell Pro Balance/Pro Hoof/minerals on eBay as Pro-Earth).

Re support: as well as on here have a look at http://phoenixhorse.myfastforum.org/ It's a purely barefoot forum.

Books that helped me were: Feet First - Nic Barker & Sarah Braithwaite, The Barefoot Horse - Lucy Nicholas, Making Natural Hoofcare Work - Pete Ramey & Under the Horse - Jaime Jackson. The Paddock Paradise book by Jaime Jackson may also be useful since you're building your own.

Care & Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot by Pete Ramey (with input from the likes of Kerry Ridgeway, Eleanor Kellon & Hilary Clayton) is my current obsession but it may be a little full on when you're just starting out. I guess it depends on how big a geek you are (I'm a huge one) http://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/Trimming-Tools/Care-and-Rehabilitation-of-the-Equine-Foot

Good Luck and I'm looking froward to following your progress (with pictures )

 

[telerimist]

Oh good luck! Turned my mare barefoot 6 years ago and never turned back, she can walk out of pebbles and uneven stony ground no issue and she does lots of roadwork at walk and never had any problems!
However at pony club and shows I do get a lot of people comment!

 

[Holidays_are_coming]

Good luck took my mare barefoot last October and she was fine with front boots gradually I took them off now she is pretty much rock crunching, after increasing her road work before I went on holiday I'm struggling to ware it down now im back after 2 weeks, she never used to grow much hoof at all! I'm lucky she isn't sugar sensitive and has been very easy but hoping it works as well for you as it has for mine

 

[FfionWinnie]

Who is taking his shoes off? I'd not let them trim the foot personally, just take the shoes off and leave them alone.

Needs lots of pics (get some with shoes on too!). Wish I'd taken more at the very start.

 

[Copperpot]

I will take some pics today. He only has fronts on at the moment. His hinds need to improve a lot. I think as he has just been a lawn mower since they came off, he hasn't had the chance to improve them. I have been looking into simple system feeds. But will look into the others and the supplements too.

Not sure who will be taking shoes off yet. Have been trying to find someone to come and look and see what they think of his feet etc. If I can't I will just get my farrier to do it and not trim them at all.

 

[Lancelot]

Good luck!

Make sure you keep the shoes when they come off. I didn't but really regret it as his feet have changed so much I'd love to be able to compare the old shoe against his foot now!