Does SJing bare foot put more concussion on the legs?

JoBo

JoBo

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Does having shoes on a horse mean that there is less concussion on the legs when jumping bigger fences?

Does anyone BSJA a bare foot horse? What about on grass?

Just wondering if I am going to have to get Bodey shod as we do more jumping?

Opinions please???!!!
 
Well, if you look at it that a shoe is restricting the impact area of a hoof, I would say that jumping with shoes on puts more concussion on the legs!

Only reason for shoeing is if you need studs or your horse loses his footing on grass - if you only jump on a surface there is no need to ever have shoes!
 
Without shoes the frog takes up much more or the sole and are able to do thier job, provide grip and absorb concussion. As long as feet are propperly toughened and theres no conformational reason for shoes it could even give you an advantage!
 
If Bodey's happy to jump without shoes on, you'll probably be fine. Ask your farrier next time he comes to trim Bodey's feet
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I'm much cheered by the replies from at least one person whose opinion I value
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I share the view that barefoot, if at all possible, must be good (if not best) for the horse as it is how they go naturally. I don't, however, fail to see that as we have bred and cross-bred for various traits that there will be horses and ponies with fantastic ability but whose feet are unable to cope with the demands of competition without the protection of shoes.

My son recently competed in a ODE on his barefoot mare in the 3' section against horses I was dismayed to see wearing huge studs to contend with the going. I needn't have worried though - they sailed round without a slip or a trip.

Do what we did - wait and see!
 
I don't think it would increase concussion at all and I think being barefoot would decrease the chance of a horse slipping on grass. My only concern would be the hoof cracking/becoming more 'splayed' if jumping regularly on firm surfaces.

I do not have experience of horses being barefoot. My horse cannot bear to walk without shoes but no doubt that's cos he's been shod all his life and yes, I s'pose his feet would probably improve if I left him barefoot for several months. However, his feet are v brittle and (although improved) I do not think they would take the amount of road work that we do hence why I will continue to shoe him and wear studs to jump.

There are some v top riders who do jump unshod. I have noticed when watching on TV some major competitions. Keep your eyes peeled next time when they are on!

Each horse is different. if yours is used to being barefoot then I would not be concerned jumping it.
 
Consussion is LESS with no shoes on - like someone said, the entire foot can work as it's meant to and the frog and sole callus takes weight. In shod feet (esp badly shod feet), only the wall takes the weight. Sometimes it can be so severe it leads to concussive laminitis.

I would however say their grip is worse with barefeet, on grass. Metal shoes cut into the ground and give them grip, which they don't have then barefoot. Their feel is usually better though. Plus you can't put studs into barefeet. Grip barefoot on roads is much better though!

My lot are all barefoot and jump just fine on grass. At the show the previous weekend there were quite a few horses slipping and sliding. My lot didn't miss a footfall.
 
See I always thought grip was better barefoot, as the sharp edge of the feet cut into the ground better than flat metal.

If you were only going to show centres on a surface, there would be no need to shoe.


However if its a sure footed nibble type you may never need studs on grass.Depending on the height I wouldn't want to jump on grass without studs (1.10m+), I generally just use 2 in the back, but got farrier to put 2 in front as we did not have grip at the w/e which was quite scary.
 
I agree that concussion will be less in the barefoot horse.

My mares are both barefoot and jump and XC on surfaces and grass and are far more sure footed than the shod horses I see competing. As someone mentioned the foot is free to move and absorb the pressure, whereas a shod hoof is restricted.

Try it and see, you will know your horse best and you will feel how he is coping
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Concussion less definitely.

My friend jumps her 17hh chunky Dutch warmblood over big tracks on arenas and grass with no problems. In fact she has less slipping then the studded horses often, as barefoot horses do seem to develop more of an awareness (develop though, it doesn't miraculously appear overnight when the shoes come off like many people think).

In fact she was jumping in the RC teams at Hickstead last week on grass, and her boy didn't slip once at the biggest height, yet her team mate doing the next height down had multiple slips with her studded horse.

Friend also does open HT and ODE's and is often in the placings. Only reason she isn't affiliated at the moment is money.

My own mare was far more confident jumping once the shoes came off - she used to hate slipping even with studs on - although we don't really count, as we aren't jumpers and so don't do the heights being talked about here.
 
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See I always thought grip was better barefoot, as the sharp edge of the feet cut into the ground better than flat metal.

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Barefoot horses don't have sharp edges, unless they have long, flared feet. In fact, their feet are pretty rounded and smooth. They should have concavity but it's only a cm or so - their feet are otherwise pretty flat.

They do. as other have said, seem to have much better awareness of their feet, which can count for a lot.
 
I have a horse staying with me on full livery at the moment that is a barefoot BSJA show jumper, he jumps 1.20 tracks too!! the owner says he never slips and always finds his own stride to the fence. He also hacks out on the roads at 90 miles an hour.
 
Definitely less concussion, I had shoes taken off my boy last year at the age of 13 - he had always "felt" the hard ground but now positively powers over short grass on hard ground!

He used to slip on grass with shoes on unless I put studs in, and now never slips barefoot!

As you are barefoot now I would say if it aint broke don't fix it!

Good luck with the jumping
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