does keeping your riding horse bare foot compromise its welfare

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toni ox

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hi
im a university student currently studying equine sports performance and coaching, and in one of our modules we have to do an essay on an area we are interested in. i would be greatfull for any feedback.
many thanks
toni
 
No, the opposite infact. She has better nutrition/feeding to keep her healthy so her feet are healthy.
I get an early warning system so if she's had too much grass/sugar I can make adjustments straight away.
 
Why would being barefoot compromise welfare?

Sounds like you are trying to rile a few people as this is a subject people are rather passionate about ;)

Why don't you set up a survey with questions you want answering instead?
 
I can tell from her feet how well her gut is functioning and issues with her feet where the reason I had the blood test that showed up a liver problem done. (which meant we.were able to treat early)
 
It depends. :D If the horse is sound/comfortable on it's hooves then no. If a bit footy on stones etc. then there are boots and pads to use for comfort and protection.

Why not ask if it compromises welfare to shoe a horse with severely compromised hooves so they appear ok? ;)
 
Mine are unshod. H/W cob 13 yrs, who, apart from a few months, has never been shod and a WB X TB mare 13yrs, always shod until 18 months ago.

These two, have good feet and I can't honestly think of any thing that compromises their welfare by being shoeless.

If hoof condition is a visible sign to the health status of a horse, than I think it makes me more aware of early warning signs.

It does take work to keep them comfortable when the grass comes in, or like last year, when we had months of persistent rain, so exercise is very much geared around environmental conditions. Riding a slightly footy horse on rough tracks is unfair, so we build up exercise on smooth roads as well as grass and ménage until the foot has regained its former hardiness.

However, the benefits to their well being exceed any negatives by a wide margin.
 
Hi OP - I can see what you might be aiming at. Unfortunately the wording of your question, plus the way of collecting data (via forum) will compromise your results and make any findings unreliable.

I suggest you search the forum for the pros and cons of barefoot, view some of the barefoot blogs/websites if you haven't already done so, and likewise read some of the barefoot books.

Then it might be worth conducting a survey asking why people took their horse barefoot and if they got the results they expected. But I still wouldn't recommend using a forum to do it.

And no, welfare is not compromised (quite the reverse as previous posters have mentioned) provided the owner takes the care to make sure they do it properly, same as with anything.
 
not trying to rile people up (i thinks thats what you said) its for university and need peoples opinions on it, which yes great if there passionate about it as means ill have more response and more opinions. thanks for the comments guys. anymore welcome.
 
Just to clarify

amandap said:
It depends. :D
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... on the owner mostly and how observant and reactive they are to the horses needs. :)

My position isn't barefoot or shod it is that horses should be able to develop in body and mind well and strong enough to do what we ask of them. In that scenario they should need the minimum of physical intervention but horse centred management, feeding, exercize etc. Any support needed should not be a cause or exacerbate any problems and should be weighed up carefully.
 
I have one that wouldn't cope with being being unshod. We've tried, didn't work. He was in pain, it would have been cruel leaving him.

Whereas I have another that is very happy without shoes.
 
Mine are all fine and have been barefoot for years. I use hoof boots on the one that gets a bit footsore on stony ground. In fact I first went barefoot with him because of concussion problems causing unsoundness while his hock joints were fusing after we found he had arthritis problems in those joints. We've barely (scuse the pun) looked back since.
 
Definitely :D

Frank would like it known that he feels awfully compromised ;)

13083_10152596836855438_2008453891_n.jpg
 
Elsiecat said:
I have one that wouldn't cope with being being unshod. We've tried, didn't work. He was in pain, it would have been cruel leaving him.

Whereas I have another that is very happy without shoes.
Click to expand...

And that is exactly it.

A sensible owner only looks at the horse's welfare and makes the decision on hoof care based on the individual needs of each horse with no agenda or emotion.

On the other side, welfare problems emerge where knowledge is lacking and the owner has to make decisions based on flawed information.

Unfortunately when many vets, hoof professionals, feed companies etc provide advice based on flawed and sometimes medieval information themselves, the owners don't really have a chance :(.
 
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