Considering taking my mare barefoot - what would you do?

[Sprogladite01]

I have a lovely 5 year old ISH mare who I bought at the end of July. She came to me with her first ever half set of shoes on her fronts (cold shod) and has since had one half set hot shod which she coped very well with. However, I am questioning whether I want to keep her in shoes or not. We do a lot of hacking on the road and her shoes cause her to slide the moment they get worn down even a little bit and I just find myself wondering if she even needs them. One slide resulted in injuries to both hind fetlocks so really don't want that happening!

I don't know a great deal about barefoot or transitioning a horse - even though my little companion pony is barefoot. But they are on a generally foot friendly diet and her hind feet seem to be coping well with no shoes in spite of the road work.

I think I just need people to help me think through the things I need to consider. Farrier is due this week so I need to make my mind up already as I'm dithering!

 

[j1ffy]

Personally I'd take them off and see how she feels - you can always put them on again!

The PC barefoot answer is make sure her diet is 100% (sounds like you're doing that), remove shoes, lead out in hand to build the hooves etc. but I've found that as long as their hooves aren't compromised then they're fine. It will take a while for her to get used to very stoney ground but she really should be fine on soft and on tarmac. If she's not, look at your diet and management more closely.

ETA - you can also get hoof boots if she is struggling but mine have usually ended up gathering dust in a drawer somewhere...

 

[ycbm]

I only lead in hand if they are toe first landing or for exposure to surfaces they need to pick their way over without additional weight on their backs.

Roadwork is great for bare feet and bare feet are great for roadwork
.

 

[IrishMilo]

I take shoes off everything I buy, but you have to be prepped for it. It's rarely the case that you take them off and Bob's your Uncle! you're up and away.

Hoof boots + good diet is key (low sugar/starch and lots of protein and fibre). How your mare fares will depend on the shape of her feet, the thickness of her sole and whether or not the foot is generally healthy (does she have a nice, thick frog or is it a shrivelled thrushy mess?!)

I've had some horses step out shoes like nothing's happened and I've had some literally crippled. My current boy was quite literally unable to move in the beginning, honest to god I thought I was going to have to push him along in my car. It was awful and you do feel guilty but just two weeks later he's already coping walking to/ from the field on hard rocky ground / tarmac. Keeping them moving is essential for the growth of the foot. The more they move the faster the foot regenerates but you will probably have to stop riding for a while.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I would advise you get onto the FB group "The Barefoot Horse Owners Group UK". I found this group incredibly helpful when I had decided to transition mine.

You will need to consider management throughout the transition period: things like turnout, diet, supplements, exercise, roadwork, boots etc. Good to start researching this NOW as we all know that changes take time to implement and their full benefit might not be seen immediately.

I would also suss out your current farrier as to their attitude to supporting your barefoot horse. Sadly not all farriers out there are supportive, and an awful lot of them have no idea how to do a good barefoot trim: worst-case scenario is that you would get a normal "pre-shoeing trim" which just won't be adequate for a barefoot horse and this is where problems like splitting & white line issues occur. A proper barefoot trim should have a nice "roll" to the hoof which will give adequate protection to the foot as it changes shape and will enable the horn to grow without being compromised by splitting-off. I would suggest that if you sense that your current farrier is NOT supportive that you consider using an EP (Equine Podiatrist) who will be able to give you advice on hoof care throughout the transition period and beyond, as well as giving advice concerning diet, boots, etc.

On the subject of boots: The Hoof Boutique is a good place to go for advice. Yes I'm biased as a friend works for them! You will receive excellent advice and support!

 

[paddy555]

bare feet are great for roadwork
.

yes, you can trot downhill whilst everyone else is sliding away.

I wouldn't shoe a 5yo as you will end up with far better quality feet barefoot. If you have problems in front you can boot. I sometimes get off and run downhill with mine (out of choice) and with renegades (and many other boots) the horse has excellent traction.

 

[Sprogladite01]

I take shoes off everything I buy, but you have to be prepped for it. It's rarely the case that you take them off and Bob's your Uncle! you're up and away.

Hoof boots + good diet is key (low sugar/starch and lots of protein and fibre). How your mare fares will depend on the shape of her feet, the thickness of her sole and whether or not the foot is generally healthy (does she have a nice, thick frog or is it a shrivelled thrushy mess?!)

I've had some horses step out shoes like nothing's happened and I've had some literally crippled. My current boy was quite literally unable to move in the beginning, honest to god I thought I was going to have to push him along in my car. It was awful and you do feel guilty but just two weeks later he's already coping walking to/ from the field on hard rocky ground / tarmac. Keeping them moving is essential for the growth of the foot. The more they move the faster the foot regenerates but you will probably have to stop riding for a while.

Thank you, she had shrivelled horrible thrushy frogs when she arrived but they're significantly improving - she was previously with someone who openly admitted they never picked feet out, didn't feed anything except hay and didn't really do anything to promote healthy feet so no surprises there. It took 2 weeks to even convince her to lift a foot off the ground but she's come around now (and we can now pick feet out with no issues). As soon as she let me pick her feet up she's been constantly slathered in red horse field paste which has helped loads. She had grown a decent amount of hoof when she got trimmed but I don't know when she was last done by the seller, so I'll be very interested to see how much she's grown in the last 5 weeks.

I suspect she will be a little sore initially but I'm hoping as she has only been in shoes for a couple of months she'll go back to being ok quite quickly too with supportive care. She's currently shedding her frogs in the front.

I would advise you get onto the FB group "The Barefoot Horse Owners Group UK". I found this group incredibly helpful when I had decided to transition mine.

You will need to consider management throughout the transition period: things like turnout, diet, supplements, exercise, roadwork, boots etc. Good to start researching this NOW as we all know that changes take time to implement and their full benefit might not be seen immediately.

I would also suss out your current farrier as to their attitude to supporting your barefoot horse. Sadly not all farriers out there are supportive, and an awful lot of them have no idea how to do a good barefoot trim: worst-case scenario is that you would get a normal "pre-shoeing trim" which just won't be adequate for a barefoot horse and this is where problems like splitting & white line issues occur. A proper barefoot trim should have a nice "roll" to the hoof which will give adequate protection to the foot as it changes shape and will enable the horn to grow without being compromised by splitting-off. I would suggest that if you sense that your current farrier is NOT supportive that you consider using an EP (Equine Podiatrist) who will be able to give you advice on hoof care throughout the transition period and beyond, as well as giving advice concerning diet, boots, etc.

On the subject of boots: The Hoof Boutique is a good place to go for advice. Yes I'm biased as a friend works for them! You will receive excellent advice and support!

Thank you, yes I'm already in the group and have been reading up. I'd previously done a ton of research into taking my previous horse barefoot as he had PSD; unfortunately I lost him to kidney failure before we got the chance to try barefoot with him.

I do have a feeling my current farrier won't be overly keen, but he does do a good job on my barefoot companion. I have a couple of options, one an EP who I know is good (I loaned a barefoot Fjord who he looked after) so not too worried if I need to change. I will have a chat with my farrier when he's next here and see what he says. His advice was to use road nails for the slipping but I don't want to do this - honestly it made no difference with my last boy and I don't want to have concussion from roadwork going through my mare's joints - she's only 5 and I don't want her joints being ruined before we've gotten started, especially as she's still growing. Between barefoot vs road nails, I'd much rather try barefoot.

 

[SantaVera]

Mine went barefoot several years ago, I use scoot boots.

 

[TPO]

The main thing is for them to be comfortable. No "working through the pain".

If they have weak/compromised hooves then have hoof boots and pads at the ready.

I highly recommend all of the blog posts on the hoof geek website.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

Do it if she is comfortable. I have barefoot TB’s. Never looked back.

 

[bubsqueaks]

We transitioned 5 years ago.
Be prepared for the transition as it does take 6-12 months for the holes to grow out, the hoof to adjust, frog to function etc.
Put them on best balancer you can.
Totally natural diet.
We use barefoot trimmer who knows what shes doing! Take care as a lot dont nor do a lot of farriers!
We use hoof clay from Horse Leads to treat soles & frogs.
And yes be prepared to use hoof boots depending on your horse & environment.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I think you need to accept it might take time and her work load might have to decrease until she’s comfortable.

My 5yo mare was barefoot until this year, I found you need to do quite a bit of road work to harden them up and we have a lot off road hacking the majority of the time, met by the odd stony path she was struggling with.

In a selfish way I don’t have time to harden her feet up enough to feel comfortable, she was loosing hoof boots all the time and after trying a handful of boot brands I gave up.

I’d like to try barefoot again but when there are different sized boots available.. being an awkward size!

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

We ve just decided to return daughters new mare to barefoot because she is currently only on her third set of shoes…one set in Ireland before we bought her and hot shod twice whilst we ve owned her. I think it will help her know where her feet are as she is a bit slip slidey and I don’t think it ll be a massive problem as she’s only been shod for such a short time. We have a variety of surfaces to walk on and I don’t intend investing in boots. Admittedly she is a baby and isn’t in a massive amount of work but I travel hopefully.

 

[Sprogladite01]

We ve just decided to return daughters new mare to barefoot because she is currently only on her third set of shoes…one set in Ireland before we bought her and hot shod twice whilst we ve owned her. I think it will help her know where her feet are as she is a bit slip slidey and I don’t think it ll be a massive problem as she’s only been shod for such a short time. We have a variety of surfaces to walk on and I don’t intend investing in boots. Admittedly she is a baby and isn’t in a massive amount of work but I travel hopefully.

This is pretty much exactly where I'm at with my girl - one half set when she came over from Ireland, one half set hot shod with me, now I want to take them off. Her frogs on her hinds look much wider and healthier than they do on the fronts! Farrier coming tomorrow so we shall see...

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Ditto farrier coming tomorrow…he is pro barefoot so let’s compare notes as we go along!

 

[Sprogladite01]

Pleased to report all went well with farrier this morning and he was more open to trying barefoot with her than I thought he would be. He has whipped her shoes off and doesn't think she will have any problems after checking in about her diet and current exercise regime. Pleasantly surprised now hoping for minimal soreness - I have a lesson today and am meant to be hacking out on Sunday so I'll see how she goes. Fingers crossed

 

[ycbm]

Please don't go straight for a complete hack without boots on, that would be a good way to make her sore if she's going to be. The only safe way to do it is start at 10 minutes and build up slowly.

Be aware also how common it is for things to go absolutely fine for 3-4 weeks and then for them to be sore on stones for a couple of months while things "come alive"in the feet and then get used to it.
.

 

[Sprogladite01]

I'll be going at a snails pace - I will likely cancel the hack we were meant to be doing (it's with a new horsey friend I've made in the village) and am looking at sorting hoof boots for her as well. I'll also speak to my instructor today as she is very very experienced at taking horses barefoot and she knows my mare well. Thank you for the warning, I will keep a close eye on her

 

[Petmurf]

My boy had his fronts off on Wednesday so totally bare foot now. I have been doing short bursts of in hand walking on different surfaces so far and tomorrow I plan to walk him up the gravel drive then get on and walk on the road for 10 minutes or so and gradually build up from there. I haven’t measured for boots yet but do have Hoof Armour at the ready.

 

[black and brown]

Instead of your hack you could go out for an in-hand walk instead. Taking a horse barefoot needs patience and perseverance, some days you may doubt your decision but keep asking questions, I'm sure we can all help you!

 

[Sprogladite01]

Instructor thinks we will be fine as long as we are sensible and take things a little slower - she has generally been doing short bursts of work anyway so we will shorten her sessions and see how she goes. Hack with new friend cancelled and I think we will walk out on the road in hand tomorrow for 10 mins, see how she's coping, and either repeat on Sunday or give a day off in the field if she's footy. She's had a busy week so an easy weekend was due anyway!

 

[Sprogladite01]

So far so good with the nakey feet - no signs of soreness or footyness yet. Her feet look great and I swear it's only been a few days but her frogs look better already very pleased!

 

[Petmurf]

So far so good with the nakey feet - no signs of soreness or footyness yet. Her feet look great and I swear it's only been a few days but her frogs look better already very pleased!

It’s very early days and she still can’t feel much yet, in a couple of weeks they get what’s like our pins and needles as the blood starts to flow back to the hooves which means they have more feeling in their feet so will start going Ow and Ouch over stones.

My boy is barefoot a week now and is doing well but I know we have quite a few hurdles to get over yet

He‘s being measured for boots this week as a just in case.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Newbie baby mare had shoes off this morning…big drama when she stood on a teeny weeny stone….but farrier happy with her feet generally and because she’s a baby she isn’t doing much.

 

[Sprogladite01]

So far so good here, I took her for a 15 minute hack at lunchtime and she did really well, still looking nice and comfy. Very much taking an "easy breezy" approach and toodling along, not doing anything strenuous or for too long, and seeing how she goes. Interestingly, the temperature of her front feet now matches the temperature of her back feet (her back feet used to be slightly warmer than the front) which I'm guessing is down to blood flow improving now she's lost the shoes.

 

[lynz88]

It’s very early days and she still can’t feel much yet, in a couple of weeks they get what’s like our pins and needles as the blood starts to flow back to the hooves which means they have more feeling in their feet so will start going Ow and Ouch over stones.

My boy is barefoot a week now and is doing well but I know we have quite a few hurdles to get over yet

He‘s being measured for boots this week as a just in case.

This for sure. Mine started out well but after a month went "backwards". He is now FAR more comfortable on a more regular basis though gets touchy after getting feet done but he's a sensitive boy and since I've had a new trimmer, has worked miracles on his feet all together.

Everyone thought he was a hopeless case and doubted me taking him barefoot but think it softens his landings for his arthritis (along with hoof boots) and is so much happier.

 

[Sprogladite01]

Starting to notice some slight wear to her toes today. Equal wear on both feet. Things are changing!

 

[ycbm]

Starting to notice some slight wear to her toes today. Equal wear on both feet. Things are changing!

She should be making herself a toe roll. Sounds like progress.
.

 

[Sprogladite01]

We are now two and a half weeks in, and so far all is going well. We're doing 15 minute hacks on the road and 20 mins in the school (mostly hacking though due to her age). Due to the wet slop that is supposed to be her field, her soles are quite soft at the moment so I'm making sure her feet are cleaned, dried off as much as possible when she comes in, and have been applying keratex. She has some very small chips in both front feet now but nothing alarming at all, and she looks and feels good when I'm riding so fingers crossed she keeps going in this manner!

Edit to add: she is SO MUCH MORE surefooted on the road without shoes - my goodness. I was hoping for some improvement but she's like a different horse!!! Really, really pleased we aren't slipping and sliding up and down the road anymore

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Our baby is coping well too sprogladite01 , mind you we aren’t hacking on roads just walking on tarmac to field and arena.