Could someone please explain to me about barefoot....

Farrier does mine every 7 weeks - gets rid of the edges and makes sure that 'natural' wear of the hoof doesn't lead to inbalance/unlevel hoof alignment

4 of mine work full time unshod and have no problems and one other has only got fronts on. Includes road work and hacks including some stoney paths.

They SJ and XC unshod as well - but only RC/PC level and all are native or native crosses - but 2 are small horses, not just ponies.

Saves a fortune on shoeing bills - i.e. trim 1/3rd cost of set of shoes !!
 
depends what sort i suppose, my horses are only shod in front in the summer to allow for extra roadwork and my farrier does all the trimming but i don't supoose they will be classed as barefoot by the more fanatical LOL
 
Hi FeuFolet, have replied re the magnesium on the other thread.

We use a K C La Pierre trained trimmer (also known as EP's). Some people trim their own horses, but that isn't something I would be happy doing to be honest. Way too important to cock up IMHO!

The main reason I started looking into the barefoot route and then took my boy down it was that he was forever ripping front shoes off and losing lots of wall each time. Like lots of shod horses, his heels were slight forward to where they should have been, and the farrier used to shoe accordingly. This used to leave a small amount of shoe overhanging. So although my horse knew where his heel ended, he didn't know where a piece of metal ended, hence why he was often catching it. This was from two farriers as well, not just one.

Went to a Clinic and notice a horse there with fabulous barefeet. And being nosey started talking to his owner, and found out lots more about it. It is interesting when you look at concussion, navicular, foot infections etc.

Decided to take the plunge and have hind shoes off first, and neddie transitioned without any problems at all. Front shoes came off last autumn. This is a bigger issue as naturally the horse has more weight on the fronts. But already he is getting concavity in his front feet, his heels are pretty much back to where they should be and his movement is excellent.

There are lots of myths around barefoot, and I am not going to pretend that it is right for everyone. Nor am I anti-shoeing, although personally I won't have shod horses again. One of the biggest myths is that you can't ride a barefoot horse on the roads as it wears their feet out. Actually it stimulates growth and helps the feet a lot.

On stoney tracks etc we are still using hoof boots on the front feet, but as his feet condition on the fronts ultimately we shouldn't need them.

Um, sorry, have rambled on a bit. Hope some of this helps!
 
I am asking this because 'barefoot' seems to be a bit fashionable at the moment and a bit of a buzzword (Can I also just say I think it is daft. Horses dont have feet they have hooves)

I was wondering if it was any different to leaving your horse unshod - my ponies were never shod when I was young....never called this barefoot though - they were just unshod as they didnt need to be shod!

So wondering where all this barefoot stuff is coming from and what is the science behind it etc.....
 
My farrier trims Chess who is unshod (well "barefoot" but only because she is a field ornament).

I would NEVER EVER even consider trimming my (or any) ponies feet. I think it is complete madness as hooves are not something to be messed with. If you can't afford a farrier you should'nt have horses.
 
I thought barefoot and unshod were different. I was under the impression that unshod was having shoes removed, or never having had them, and barefoot was when the hooves were trimmed differently. Barefoot has probably come to mean unshod though. We had Toff's back shoes removed prior to getting Beano, and as we have a lot of gravel round here she wears hoof boots when hacking as she gets footsore.
 
Two of mine only have fronts on, and the third has only recently been shod behind because she is working more off her hind and was getting a bruised hoof.

I would only ever put shoes on a horse when and where they are needed, that is nothing to do with being 'barefoot' and a bit tree huggy, it is simple economics and wishing to tamper with them as little as possible
 
I'm in the same camp as ISH_Mad, and my horse is ISH too! She is barefoot as a consequence of navicular, and taking the plunge a year ago was her last chance, and turned everything around.

We use a KC LaPierre trimmer. There are different schools of trimming. Farriers generally do a pasture trim which may be sufficient for natives with good feet, but to maintain a TB type barefoot I wouldn't even attempt without an Equine Podiatrist.

To qualify this, I had the farrier remove the hinds on my shod horse who had had one removed already by the vet investigating a lameness (she had kicked herself) - so I thought I'll take the other hind off as she'll do less damage to herself without shoes. But my farrier just took off the shoe and left it at that, no trim, nothing. I couldn't get my EP at short notice and my horse promptly went and trashed her feet and we had to get her shod again. I'm sure if I'd got a KC trim when the shoes came off she wouldn't have trashed her hoof wall, and at least I would have had some support as EPs are so helpful with transitioning.

My other horse, the barefoot one, fortunately inherited her feet more from her ID side than her TB, and has rock crunchers now and is totally sound. In fact she hasn't had a day's lameness since going barefoot, and she was crippled before.
 
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I would only ever put shoes on a horse when and where they are needed, that is nothing to do with being 'barefoot' and a bit tree huggy, it is simple economics and wishing to tamper with them as little as possible

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Which I completely agree with - we have got youngsters jumping 1.10's at the yard with no hind shoes on, and they hack etc...are fine however.....

Now the outdoor season is here and the ground is harder they will have to be shod as some of them are getting footsore etc and will also need stud holes etc.

Why, if your horse was uncomfortable without shoes - i.e. if you had lots of gravel etc - would you not put shoes on?

As much as shoes are not natural, neither is riding a horse really and shouldn't you compensate one for the other?

So is barefoot unshod or is barefoot barefoot and unshod unsod?
 
I agree the whole "barefoot" movement has become a fashion statement. If a horse does'nt need shoes I would'nt shoe it- if you can get away with working your horse to it required level without- then why not? But I call this UNSHOD, as that is how I see it.

I treat each horse as an idividual. For these people to say they will never go back to shoeing is crazy- some horses need shoes to work as required.
 
FF - thats a great point, years ago we had ponies who were unshod, they just didnt need shoes, but at what point did it become 'barefoot' and start a whole fashion trend?

My two Tb's are shod on the front only, we dont do a lot of hacking/roadwork etc so no real need for back shoes, however they dont have good enough feet to take the fronts off so they stay as they are. My Highland came to me with shoes on, I thought it was silly having a hardy native pony with feet like rocks with shoes on so I had farrier take backs off, let him get used to that, then took fronts off over winter. He isn't barefoot - he just doesnt wear shoes when he doesnt need them.

All the work is done by my farrier - I wouldnt let anyone else near my horses feet and think this 'watch a video and suddenly your trained to trim your horses feet' fashion at the moment is awful.. i wonder how many people are screwing their horses feet up?
 
There is a lot of research into the effects of shoes on horses and most of it is not good in terms of long term health with particular regard to things such as navicular, poor foot circulation and strength. So it's not just a fashion thing, some people may want to go barefoot just to be more natural without really understanding the science behind it but this isn't nessecarily a bad thing. Other people stick with shoes simply because they are used to them. Having studied alot about the effects of shoes and the natural functions of the foot I do think barefoot can be a good thing but it is not a desicion to be taken lightly as horses will take time to adapt to it. But as alot of horses are worked largely on surfaces now there is no longer such need for shoes as they are no longer doinghours of roadwork. Therefore for a lot of horses shoeing is unnessecary.
 
Both my boys are unshod at present, when they start doing more roadwork then they will be shod if required, last year my older boy only had fronts on but that was doing a LOT of roadwork, they both have good hard feet and I dont see why I should spend £50 per set of shoes when they dont need them.

Oh the farrier trims them, I would never ever even think of doing it myself.
 
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Therefore for a lot of horses shoeing is unnessecary.

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Completely agree with that point, but my question is what is the difference between barefoot and unshod?
 
Well I must be crazy then!!!

I am doing what is right for MY horses, that's all. There is no way I would see them suffering in any way.

For what we do unshod/barefoot/no shoes/whatever you want to call it suits us just fine and there is no way I would put shoes back on unless they were struggling barefoot.

Can anyone explain why there is such negativity/animosity between the shoes/no shoes people? I have no issue with whatever people do with their own horses, and would never seek to be rude or sanctimonious to those doing something different to me. All that ever matters is that the horses are okay, not human vanity, opinions or anything else IMHO.
 
ISH_mad I dont think you are mad and there is no animosity -

The point of this post is for education and also to see if there is a difference between barefoot (you have to admit that is a strange thing to call it when horses dont have feet) and unshod?

Dont think anyone has ever said it was wrong, just that it has become a fashion statement and people are going a bit wild on it - which is true - 10-15 years ago you never had people going on about the wonders of their unshod horse!
 
I think some barefoot people have taken to to it like some kind of fringe religeous group and become quite fanatical..most of us simply try to balance the needs of the horse against the work it is doing
 
So...reverting back to my original point

Where did this whole barefoot thing come from - when did it change from having, simply, an unshod horse?

And what is an equine podiatrist?
 
From the same school as parelli... it's all about lifestyle choice, and making money
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As far as I can see 'barefoot' is purely a fashion, imported from the USA. Many people have ridden unshod horses for years without any of this fuss!

Equine Podiatrist - quick web survey shows that to register your job title, which has no real standing within the UK, seems to take about 6 weeks consisting of a few workshops and some practical (unsupervised, for all I know) experience. Again, as far as I can tell, you can call yourself an Equine Podiatrist but not bother to actually register without even doing that much.

Which is why my horses, whether shod or not, will be looked after by a farrier. They may not all be great but in the UK at least they have 4 years training and must pass exams, so even the worst will have some knowledge and understanding of the foot.

What I can't find is genuine, rather than anecdotal, evidence for or against shoes.
 
Hi FF, no I know it wasn't you saying anything like that, no problem. It was Lilly07 saying we were crazy to say would never go back to shoeing!

And I think The Watcher is right, there is a lot of fanatacism about it which isn't helpful as unshod/no shoes/barefoot definitely isn't right for every horse. And it isn't a route to go down lightly either, with all the conditioning work, hoof soaking etc etc.

FF - being honest unshod and barefoot are always going to be the same thing in most people's minds, as in essence it just means a horse without any shoes on his or her feet. I suppose it is the difference between somebody saying toilet, loo, lavatory - means the same thing but different people use different expressions. (Blimey, didn't think I would lower the tone that far, that was the first example which sprang to mind)!

To me my horses being unshod means they have had their shoes taken off and are turned away in the field, with the odd trim to stop their feet getting too long. The barefoot trim we have is all about loading the hoof wall to strengthen the internal and external structures of the foot, get concavity in the foot to enable the horse to cope with stones etc and to support the pedal bone and the like.

But that is only MY understanding/interpretation of it, which will probably be completely different to somebody else's.

ETA - Equine Podiatrist is the name used by K C La Pierre trained trimmers. There are several other types of trimmers too. The K C courses are VERY intensive and include dissection of horse's legs, hooves and the like as part of their training. When I asked our farrier about his training he was very honest and said that the bulk of it was about how to make shoes, nails etc and how to make the foot fit the shoe, as much as the other way round. There are quite a few forward thinking farriers out there attending various trimming courses as they recognise that they don't know as much about the internal mechanics of the hoof as they perhaps want to.

Heavily caveated to say that OF COURSE there are great farriers out there who know everything there is to know about horses, but there are a lot who don't.

We used to live in caves, hunt our food down etc. Things do change, and sometimes for the better!
 
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When I asked our farrier about his training he was very honest and said that the bulk of it was about how to make shoes, nails etc and how to make the foot fit the shoe, as much as the other way round.[ QUOTE ]


Which is something I dont agree with - farriers have what is effectively a degree in horse's feet, but they study for a year longer and a heck of a lot of it is anatomy......it is very focused on the horses way of going etc and they learn how to trim and shoe.
 
Can only say what our farrier said to me! I know where he had his training, but will not post on a public forum. Maybe, just maybe, that was what was needed in the particular area/discipline he was working in when he went down the farriery route...

I am NOT saying this is the same for every farrier BTW. As mentioned before, there are lots of farriers attending the barefoot/unshod/no shoes courses these days to gain more of an insight, but equally there will be great farriers out there who know all there is to know about horse's feet, movement etc.
 
The last thing I want is to cause a debate other than the original. I am not saying you personally are crazy, you sound very level headed and I think that you have done the right thing by YOUR horse which is the most important thing, going un-shod suits your horse and therefore is in his best interests so why put shoes on?! I have said more than once in this thread that I don't agree with putting shoes on unnecessarily, hence Chess has no shoes.

What I do find hard to get my head round is you saying you will never have any of your horses shod again (or something to that affect). Surely this attitude is where all the problems arise? People become completely anti shoeing for no real reason (not necessarily you- people in general)

"There is no way I would see them suffering in any way" I am also interested to hear why you feel that shod horses are suffering?

Becca
 
My horses are as unshod as they can be. I trust my farrier totally and have never, since using him for the past four years, had an unsound horse.

Two of mine have never been shod - one drives and so does a reasonable amount of road work, the other will event.

The boys are shod at the front only - one came fully shod and we took his backs off for safety and he's never needed them back on. We have tried to get them both without shoes but their front feet won't cope. They both SJ, XC and do roadwork with just the fronts on.

Years ago I had unshod horses, there was no "tag" for them then and I now do try to use the term "unshod" rather than barefoot because there's no different technology being used, farrier trims their feet as is best suitable for the horse's feet, conformation and workload and doesn't put shoes on. End of!
 
Hi Becca, I think we are talking at crossed purposes, so thanks for posting again! The "there is no way I would see them suffering in any way" was meant that if they were suffering barefoot then I would put shoes back on! (FF made a very valid point in her thread - Why, if your horse was uncomfortable without shoes - i.e. if you had lots of gravel etc - would you not put shoes on?"). So I was responding to that.

So no, I definitely don't believe shod horses are suffering, sorry for not having enough clarity in my thread. (Am learning, quickly, about that)!

As my lad has transitioned really really well there is no way I would put shoes back on him UNLESS for some curently unknown reason he needed them. But as he is coping with all terrain quite well, other than using hoof boots for stoney tracks at the moment I can't see him needing them. My mare is having her front shoes off this afternoon as they are never going to recover with shoes on TBH. Her feet weren't brilliant when we got her and her heels are getting more and more underrun and her toe is being stretched which isn't good. Our farrier says he can only fit the shoe to the foot which she has got, he can't help with her heels. So I am going to try the barefoot route with her to see if we can get them back. I will be the first to put shoes back on her if she struggles. My lad had slightly underrun heels when we started down this route but not any longer, and fingers crossed we can help our girl too.

Trying really hard here not to sound fanatical, and hope I am not giving the wrong impression. So will say again I have no issues whatsoever with shod horses, and there are some good farriers out there.
 
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