do we need hoof boots

buddylove

buddylove

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Sorry in advance; these are probably very basic questions but i have never had a barefoot horse before!
I have just started hacking out my 4 year old, he is barefoot and has fantastic feet, which i am loathe to shoe. He is struggling though on any stony surface, will this improve or do i need to buy some hoof boots for the front? I have no idea about hoof boots - is there particular brands i should look for or avoid? And are there any negatives to using them?
Thanks x
 
You may need hoofboots or you may need to adjust his diet (reduce sugars possibly including grass) or he may just need time for his hooves to improve and become accustomed to the new surfaces.

I'd buy hoofboots and check diet :)
 
Diet wise he is out 24/7 but on fairly poor grass. He has a token feed of mollichop light and top spec balancer. His feet never chip or crack and my farrier says he has the best feet of any of the horses he trims, he just doesn't seem to have very tough soles?!
 
buddylove said:
Diet wise he is out 24/7 but on fairly poor grass. He has a token feed of mollichop light and top spec balancer. His feet never chip or crack and my farrier says he has the best feet of any of the horses he trims, he just doesn't seem to have very tough soles?!
Click to expand...

Metabolic disease aside; soles are a reflection of diet, exercise, environment and trim. Assuming they've not been trimmed you are left with the first three to work on. I'd swop the mollichop for something more barefoot friendly such as fast fibre, unmolassed beet or a timothy chop and I'd swop the top spec for forage plus summer hoof or pro hoof or something similar. And even poor grass can be high in sugar. Look out for lots of event lines on the hoof wall.

Barehooves reflect the surfaces they are worked on, so new surfaces need to be introduced slowly over time. So for example if introducing roadwork start off with 10 mins several times a week and increase gradually, allowing the horse to tell you when to increase and when to back off a bit.

Re environment, it helps if the living conditions can be on the drier side - even allowing the horse somewhere dry to stand for a couple of hours helps. Probably not an issue at present.

Re hoof boots, the best ones are the ones that fit. Try Cannock Chase Equine, Hoofbootique or Equine Podiatry Supplies for advice.
 
I am in exactly the same position, 4 year old just started going for longer hacks and a bit ouchy on stony ground. Mine also has fab feet and I'm loathe to shoe her. I've bought a pair of cavello simple hoof boots, fronts only, and we both love them.

I only put them on if I know I'm going over uneven ground or on a slightly longer hack and she seems really happy in them. We've cantered in them and they haven't moved or rubbed at all, I'm very impressed with them :)
 
Just joining along on this thread (sorry OP!) as I also have a four yo who has just been backed, always been barefoot and am working him lightly on stony-ish tracks...have noticed him putting himself on the grass now n again..farrier coming on thurs so will ask his opinion on how he thinks feet are coping and also ask him to lay off trimming frog or sole til he adjusts...also on poor ish grass and has some unmollassed Kwik beet and top spec lite to take forage plus' summer balancer in...sorry again op, just such a similar scenario..and interested in what has already been said and no doubt words of wisdom to come..
 
Fab advice,as usual from LucyP.
I backed my KWPN at 4 years with the intention of never shoeing. I did build up the road/track work slowly,but with hindsight,not slowly enough(the tracks here are VERY stony.) I wish I had used hoofboots because the horse became rather negative about hacking!:o
He is now fine(10 years old and never had shoes) but it took a while to undo my mistake.
 
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