Buying a barefoot horse

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mtj

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Seen a nice 5 yr old advertised that is described as good with farrier, but is clearly unshod in the photos.

Whilst I'm open minded about barefoot, my fields are heavy clay and do get soggy. I've also got a 100m gravel drive. I would be willing to give barefoot a go, but realistically I think the horse would need to be shod.

Has anyone bought a barefoot horse and introduced shoeing?

Any thoughts very welcome.
 
We bought our horse 6 months ago and she was unshod. This morning we had to have a full set of shoes put on her because I have been hacking her out and her hoof walls were worn flat to her sole.

I did consider hoof boots and there were lots of recommendations on here, but we decided to shoe her through the summer and possibly go back to barefoot for the winter - we shall have to see.

My girl is 18 years old though, so she has probably been shod before at some point - she was brilliant for the farrier.

The 5 year old that you are considering has probably been exposed to the farrier during his regular trims so would be 'good with farrier' - the fact that so many horses are shod, I wouldn't let the fact that he may not have been shod before put you off buying him. Most farriers must have dealt with youngsters having their first set of shoes.
 
I personally would shoe, I agree with HollyB66, if you are around gravel, sand etc it isn't easy to maintain and depends on the horses feet.
 
I got my horse as a six year old from World Horse Welfare, she had never been shod but needed front shoes on. I got her in August last year and so far she has only needed front shoes. She has been very good to shoe and my farrier has been really good with her, the only problem has been that she is frightened of the smoke. It has taken us until now to get her used to the smoke but she was perfect the last time she was shod.
I think as long as they have good manners and have been trained to pick their feet up etc it is not a problem to have them shod. She doesn't mind the hammering or anything and is really well behaved - especially as she gets a biscuit when the farrier is there!
 
Hi, slightly different but my 6 year old was always barefoot, had been all his life and never had any problems on the road, gravel etc but he got laminitis when he was 6 and needed heartbars putting on.
As he had never been shod before we didn't know how he would react but he was as good as gold and just stood there.
If your worried that the horses feet aren't hard enough or can cope with the work you want to do then all you can do is try the shoes but maybe see how it copes without them before you make the decision.
I wouldn't be put off buying the horse because it's barefoot.
 
Hi, an unshod horse isn't necessarily a "barefoot" horse. Barefoot is a specialist form of hoof maintenance quite different from the work a farrier would do and I certainly wouldn't consider riding an unshod horse out where trimming has only been done by a farrier. Whereas farriers work to the methods of their mentor, barefoot specialists all work the same way.

I have 3 barefoot horses and only one has had to be shod because poor previous hoof maintenance has left him with dropped souls and seperation of the hoof wall and in our wet conditions, he gets absesses and its a constant job keeping the seperation free of grit so it can heal. The other 2 hack out on all ground conditions with no more problems than a shod horse would experience.

So unless a horse is described as "barefoot" its safe to assume its just an unshod horse. Hope this helps.
 
I bought one as a three year old who had never been shod. We carried on and broke her barefoot, she hacked out on the road, did PC camp etc unshod and it was only when she affiliated BE that she was shod. Her first set were put on cold and she was very good about it. Her first experience of hot shoeing was in between the SJ and XC phases at an event after she'd sprung a hind shoe. She was perfectly well behaved.

The horse may not ever need shoeing - I have a driving pony that has never been shod, she's used on the road.

It's certainly much cheaper to just get your farrier to do a trim than to shoe, and I fell more confident with my unshod horses - surely a kick does less damage when it's not armed with an iron bar?
 
Franklin said:
Hi, an unshod horse isn't necessarily a "barefoot" horse. Barefoot is a specialist form of hoof maintenance quite different from the work a farrier would do and I certainly wouldn't consider riding an unshod horse out where trimming has only been done by a farrier. Whereas farriers work to the methods of their mentor, barefoot specialists all work the same way.
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None of my unshod horses have ever seen a barefoot trimmer. They happily hack and compete up to 3'6 SJ and 3' XC.

I'm amazed that you say all barefoot specialists work the same way. Strasser anyone?
 
jemima_too said:
I'm amazed that you say all barefoot specialists work the same way. Strasser anyone?
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Just what I was thinking.

If you have no experience or are unwilling to keep your horse unshod then put shoes on, and it's up to you and your farrier to ensure your horse is comfortable with the procedure.

If you want to take a horse or keep a horse barefoot then do take the time to research into what it really means in terms of diet, environment, exercise, and, yes, trimming. There are farriers who have sound barefoot clients, and trimmers who don't, but if your farrier is not supportive and barefoot is the way you want to go then you need to find a reputable insured hoof care practitioner who has plenty of sound barefoot clients.
 
Don't assume that barefoot means 'tender'.... My mare is barefoot (as opposed to 'unshod') and happily walks over gravel and hard ground. Try it, you might be surprised.

she was shod, but her heels contracted quite badly. The farrier removed the shoes and left her toes long. Not sure why. Next time, I had a trimmer to her and he rebalanced the foot, and it's been a lot healthier ever since. The thrush problem we had has practically disappeared.
 
Franklin said:
I certainly wouldn't consider riding an unshod horse out where trimming has only been done by a farrier.
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This made me really angry! I have had two horses, both have never been shod, both always done by the farrier, and there is no-one else i would trust more. Why on earth would you trust someone to hammer nails into your horses foot, but not to be able to balance the foot properly beforehand or give you suitable advice regarding hoofcare?

My farrier is excellent, and a big advocate for me keeping horse without shoes. He trimmed my old girl for 16 years, I believe she had never worn shoes in all 39 years of he life, and she worked on all kinds of surfaces without taking a lame step. Ive never seen better feet on a horse.

But yes, OP, I would definitely buy a barefoot one (we did buy the old girl intending to shoe her - but she had bad knees and couldn't flex them enough to be shod easily, turns out we never needed them! I live on clay too)
 
All of mine are barefoot, and I appreciate what SOME barefoot trimmers can do to benefit a horse that is working without shoes. However, I have had working horses trimmed by a farrier in the past, so... a good trim is a good trim.
With a new horse that is unshod, I'd suck it and see. I wouldn't shove shoes on straightaway, I'd see how it goes. If you want the horse barefoot then there is a lot of information available to help with that.
 
i think i would also wait and see rather than putting shoes on straight away.
my 3 are all naked footed and seen by the farrier every 5-6 weeks. all fine with road work and working over gravel....
 
My barefoot 5 year old copes fine with gravel and rocky farm tracks and sand exfoliates her sole, she's been trimmed by a good trimmer and a good farrier and the only differences I see in her feet are to do with diet and exercise.
 
I got my pony as a 5 year old, he had never been shod in his life and I had front shoes put on him at first then a full set. He was no trouble at all. And infact his feet have always been in excellent condition and hes never lost a shoe (i've had him 7 years)! I dont know if its because he wasn't shod early or i'm just lucky!
 
i bought mine without shoes and i kept her barefoot for about 4 years and then put front shoes on her and then waited a couple of weeks and then she's had a full set since.
she wasn't phased and i've had no problems
 
There is a big difference between a horse having his feet trimmed by a farrier and having his feet trimmed by a specialist barefoot trimmer/equine podiatrist.

I know several farriers in my area that I wouldn't let shoe/trim my horses at all. I have a farrier who will do trims when they are turned out at the end of a season without shoes. I then have an equine podiatrist to look after the 2 barefoot lads. The difference between a farrier trim (ie trimming the foot in preparation for a shoe, but not shoeing) and a specialist barefoot trim is chalk and cheese. I ride the barefoot lads regularly (on roads, no boots) and there feet are fine. The other 2 are shod when in work, and turned out for 4 months without shoes, and although they do some light work in the school, they are not ridden. I would never ride a barefoot horse on roads with just a farrier trim.
 
It really depends on the horse;
My pony has been barefoot all his life and I event him up to Pre-novice british eventing and his feet have never caused him any problems, I hack him out on gravel, roads etc.. not alot though but he has no problems . :)
Whereas my sisters pony had been jumping around 80 and same amount of work as my pony but he got very bruised soles and stopped jumping :( because of his feet so he now has shoes on and is now flying round 90cm courses and his paces are so much more flowing.
So it really depends on the horse, i'd say don't just put shoes on straight away, if the horse has been unshod all its life then it should be fine, but if he does feel the ground.. like my sisters pony then obviously shoes would be the way to go. But at the end of the day IMO if the horse is happy to be barefoot and is going well then its far better for them (and natural!) than having constricting shoes on. :rolleyes:
 
To the OP - it wouldn't worry me in the slightest to buy a barefoot horse, 3 of mine are barefoot and they cope on all sorts of ground.
To the trimmers - barefoot trimmers/equine podiatrist my a*se! farriers train for years to be able to look after horses' feet, EP only needs to print themselves some business cards and mouth off some farriers and away they go... farrier trim/pasture trim - what a load of tosh!
 
I think it is a bit ridiculous to say that a horse which is farrier trimmed can't be ridden on the roads; I have known plenty of farrier trimmed barefoot ponies that are sound as a pound over all surfaces; as has been stated before, a good trim is a good trim, regardless of who wields the rasp!

A foot trimmed for a shoe is different to a foot trimmed for working barefoot, but a good farrier recognises that and trims accordingly.

There are some farriers I wouldn't let near my horses feet, but also some barefoot trimmers too, so I don't think that you can say that either one is more capable of doing a trim that is fit for purpose than the other. It all boils down as to whether the horse is comfortable or not after the trim, and that should be the deciding factor, but saying that a farrier is incapable of trimming a bare hoof is just not true.
 
Franklin said:
I certainly wouldn't consider riding an unshod horse out where trimming has only been done by a farrier.
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Ermmm what?!!

Two of my boys had the shoes off over the winter and my pony has had his shoes off for the last year.

They both hacked out and on the roads. Both have also been out competing unshod.

And one is a thoroughbred..
 
All mine are barefoot and always will be unless they need shoes but 10 years down the line and their still fine, If It Ain't Broken Don't Fix It.

I have New Forest's, Welshy's and Shire x TB (who by the way has awful feet)
 
Franklin said:
Hi, an unshod horse isn't necessarily a "barefoot" horse. Barefoot is a specialist form of hoof maintenance quite different from the work a farrier would do and I certainly wouldn't consider riding an unshod horse out where trimming has only been done by a farrier. Whereas farriers work to the methods of their mentor, barefoot specialists all work the same way.
Click to expand...

There is a big difference between a horse having his feet trimmed by a farrier and having his feet trimmed by a specialist barefoot trimmer/equine podiatrist.

I know several farriers in my area that I wouldn't let shoe/trim my horses at all. I have a farrier who will do trims when they are turned out at the end of a season without shoes. I then have an equine podiatrist to look after the 2 barefoot lads. The difference between a farrier trim (ie trimming the foot in preparation for a shoe, but not shoeing) and a specialist barefoot trim is chalk and cheese. I ride the barefoot lads regularly (on roads, no boots) and there feet are fine. The other 2 are shod when in work, and turned out for 4 months without shoes, and although they do some light work in the school, they are not ridden. I would never ride a barefoot horse on roads with just a farrier trim.
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*sigh* please change the record

Its not black and white. It depends on the farrier and on the trimmer. There are plenty of farriers that are more than capable of trimming a horse to work without shoes vs trimming to take a shoe.


po·di·a·try (p-d-tr)
n.
The branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and medical, surgical, mechanical, physical, and adjunctive treatment of the diseases, injuries, and defects of the foot.
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So do your barefoot horses have problems then?
 
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