Do you think he needs shoes?

Sanolly

Sanolly

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I have a 14hh hairy cob who will be wintering out this year. He will be used as a happy hacker maybe 2/3 times a week - 1-2 on forest ground and 1 -2 on the roads. At the moment he is barefoot but my friend thinks he needs shoes on, however for the amount of work he is doing I don't think he really needs shoes on. Any ideas?
 
Probably not, as cobs do tend to have good feet. But it depends on what your roads are like. If you dont want to shoe him, look into hoof boots. Still have healthy feet but are protected from stones if needed. Anyway, its your call, not your friends. Its what is best for the pony.
If you dont know much about keeping a horse barefoot, maybe you should google it. The more you know, the more prepared you will be to make this decision.
 
Presumably there isn't a reason YOU can see that he needs shoes on? Don't see why he needs shoes on ' because.

Ask your friednd WHY she thinks your horse needs shoes on NOW. Not in 6 weeks time once he may or may not have 'worn his feet off' (which a huge majoirty of people think happens with barefoot horses ;)) but why now? I think you'll find she can't give a good reason.
 
I can see her point as there are some stony tracks which we ride down. If he was being worked almost every day then he'd have them on but for the sake of two days a wee I wonder if it's worth it. Don't get me wrong if I thought he was struggling then he'd be shod straightaway but he doesn't seem to have a problem ATM.
He has been barefoot for nearly the whole time I've had him (nearly 4 years now) and has only ever had fronts on once - when we did some mock hunting the first year I had him - apart from that he has been completely barefoot. I did wonder also about the winter weather softening his feet as well?
Normally he comes in at night over winter, and we ride in a sand school but this is the first year I'll be wintering him out with no facilities so just trying to think ahead.
 
I can see her point as there are some stony tracks which we ride down
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So? There's stony tracks all over the country but unless he is sore walking on them, it's irrelevent.;)

If he doesn't need shoes, don't shoe him! Sadly there are many people who have their horses shod simply because it's 'what's done'
 
Do you really want the bother of loose/lost shoes, infections,lameness, can't get a farrier to come out, chopped up ground, over reaching and all the other negatives of shoeing? I say this because these are exactly the reasons I took my girl barefoot and then that was before I even considered her comfort and health!!

I believe that one day the tables will turn and they will all be barefoot,.... barefoot NOT unshod.
IMO, apart from a few competition horses, shoeing will be unusual and not the norm in the future. Boots are fantastic now and are improving on their design every year, it takes a few seconds to pop them on, so why shoe?

You have your pony at the point I have been working towards for the last 18 months. You are so lucky. so please don't throw it all away just because someone doesn't understand barefoot.
 
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