Do TB's always have awful feet??

My TB didn't have the best feet, he had one dished front and the quality of the horn wasn't great either. After asking my farrier numerous times if there was anything he could do for his dished hoof (it was just getting longer and more odd looking) I switched to a different farrier which then made his feet even worse and suddenly found myself with a very lame horse. I then switched to a farrier on the vets recommendation and hey presto, great feet I then had! He was natural balance certified and seemed to solve my problems completely. Moral of the story if the feet are bad get the best farrier you can find! Mind you it definitely cost me!
 
Well we are going to view him Sunday. I have spoken to my farrier who says that you get good and bad feet but breed and type are not really an indicator.

After my current horse being out of work now until next march I don't want another horse with a problem before I even start.

On that note-never owned two horses at once! Any tips ;)
 
Hit and miss really! I've only owned one TB - his feet are absolutely amazing. He is fully shod however but touchwood never pulled any shoes ever. He could just be shod on just the fronts but I didn't want to risk him being uncomfortable given I can afford to have him done on all four and don't want any excuses for him to go lame - especially as the bridleways around here are really rocky and carp. He also has them on the hind as they are special "winged" shoes (don't cost a penny extra - literally a dent in the shoe) which stop him standing on himself and catching himself cause he's a lemon for that. :-)

My friends TB though - nightmare. Can't hold shoes for his life. He's only shod on the fronts for safety reasons according to my friend her fattier won't shoe hinds unless it's a 100% necessity in case of kicks. Personally I can't see there being that much difference - I was kicked by a barefoot in the ribs and I can tell you his feet are probably just as solid and he gave me a good hiding all the same, but anyway, this TB has to have aluminium shoes as regular ones are too heavy and destroy his weak hooves.

I'd definitely go have a look. Maybe brush up on what healthy good signs are and unhealthy ones. Look for the pancake and clubby hooves! :eek:

I think if he is similar to the TB I described above, unless he is perfect and you can afford whatever outrageous price for specialised shoes, then I'd tread carefully. Chances are though he could have perfectly healthy hooves. If your really wondering - take pictures of possible and talk to a farrier about it, can't hurt.


Edited to add - my farrier was 3 weeks late. First she had an event - then her grandmother died and was unable to get to me for another two weeks. I didn't want anyone else as I'm very cautious with farriers from previous experiences. He managed to hold his shoes an extra 3 weeks - albeit he felt more unbalanced and clumsy than usual.
 
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Ben2684 said:
Well we are going to view him Sunday. I have spoken to my farrier who says that you get good and bad feet but breed and type are not really an indicator.

After my current horse being out of work now until next march I don't want another horse with a problem before I even start.

On that note-never owned two horses at once! Any tips ;)
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The farrier is right. You can't label certain types of horse with bad this, or bad that. It's all circumstantial.

TBs perhaps do get branded like this as the feed they are given is actually pretty bad for horses in the long term and new studies suggest that the high grain high starch diets contribute to ulcers, behavioural issues and DJD as well as poor hoof wall connection. Not only that, they are shod as very young horses so the hoof growth is more restricted that horses not shod or exposed to high intensity workloads.

So, unless you are going to be entering races as an owner, you do not need to keep up this insane regime. Off the track, a racehorse is just a horse like any other horse. Yes, it's bred for a purpose but it has retained all of the genetic material that makes it a horse.

TB will have bloodlines with a tendency to have feet that flatten or become brittle perhaps but with the right nutrition e.g. high fibre, high protein diet then these maladies will improve and disappear in time.

Also, there is no research to prove that horses that do roadwork "need" shoes. Roads are great for unshod hooves and bad for shod hooves. It's the horseworlds' urban myth.
 
My TB has been barefoot for about 4 years and her feet are amazing. I transitioned her over to barefoot in about 2 weeks and never had a problem. She has always been ridden on any ground (stoney, tarmac, grass etc) and if anything the work improved her feet. The farrier said it helps stimulate them, so although a lot of people say it wears the feet down, it actually helps them.
 
The TB I have now is on the same feet friendly diet and turnout as the WB, and indeed all my horses have been, where we are now. His feet are dreadful whereas all the others, including another TB, have had excellent feet. Thin soles, walls and bruising being the main issues.
 
My ex-racer TB is barefoot & goes exactly the same as he did in shoes. Except he's happier as he hated being shod & found it all very stressful.

T x
 
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