Downsides of barefoot (slipping/thrush/cut frogs?) & what else?

[canteron]

The thread that ridden hunters have to be shod got me thinking. The advantages of being barefoot are well documented on here, but what about the downsides (apart from occasionally being mocked by fellow riders!).

Are barefoot horses that much more prone to slipping on wet grass? Do you have to adapt your riding style?

And what are the other less discussed downsides of being barefoot both ridden and how they are cared for. For example, are barefoot horses more prone to thrush, or does it just affect them more obviously when they have it?

Do you have to have different/more products in your first aid kit for barefoot horses?

 

[FairyLights]

I may be wrong but I do think that barefoot horses are more prone to abcesses.
They are most definately in danger of grit entering up the white line and causing seedy toe or white line disease. Also in wet weather the hooves are softer so wear more quickly.

 

[ellie11987]

I think the long term benefits of being BF far outweigh any downsides. There are more downsides to shoeing than being BF IMO.

My BF TB has never slipped on any surface. I can't say the same for the shod horses on the yard, who slide down the concrete hill on the way to the field. My riding has stayed the same, with the exception of being booted for hacking.

She isn't more prone to thrush, but I am more aware of it and more thorough with disinfecting weekly to keep on top of it. I don't have anything different in my first aid kit.

The only downside for me is the faffing around with diet/turnout/work routines as she is a very sugar sensitive poor do-er so I am constantly reviewing and tweaking her managment to keep her 100% happy which can be a it of a PITA but it works and she is 100% happy and sound now.

 

[FairyLights]

No one asked if one was better then t'other. Please lets not start that debate! They asked for downsides. There are positives and negatives to everything in life.

 

[ellie11987]

No one asked if one was better then t'other. Please lets not start that debate! They asked for downsides. There are positives and negatives to everything in life.

I wasn't starting that debate? And I wouldn't want to lol! I've answered the questions asked, giving both positives and negatives from personal experience

 

[MerrySherryRider]

From the owners point of view, you can't turn a blind eye to things like thrush and too much sugar because it affects performance. A shod hoof won't appear footie like the naked hoof. It is a pain if the horse is uncomfortable on stony tracks, you can't just tack up and go like the shod horse unless you keep the feet conditioned or put boots on.

The horse needs to be exercised on dry ground to help the to hoof self trim and you have to watch out for a stretched white line, which with a shod horse you wouldn't see, but it can get grit in it and while it isn't generally a problem, in the right conditions, it can be.

I haven't found slipping a problem, quite the reverse, they seem more sure footed on wet grass and slippery surfaces.

I don't really think having horses without shoes has a downside from the horses' point of view. Feet are the window to the health of the horse, an early warning system that something could be wrong and shoes hide the indicators.

The biggest advantage is that the foot has room to compensate from a less than perfect balancing trim, the hoof encased in a shoe has no way to adapt until the shoe is removed without putting stress on the foot, leg and muscles.

And you never have a loose shoe before a competition.

 

[serenityjane]

I may be wrong but I do think that barefoot horses are more prone to abcesses.
They are most definately in danger of grit entering up the white line and causing seedy toe or white line disease. Also in wet weather the hooves are softer so wear more quickly.

My three would disagree-never had seedytoe or white line disease or thrush, and wear= exercise regardless of weather/wetness.
Found riding on steep short dry sheep grass slippy though-especially downhill, but then trotted past shod horses (who were slipping) on steep tarmac.

 

[Gloi]

I may be wrong but I do think that barefoot horses are more prone to abcesses.
They are most definately in danger of grit entering up the white line and causing seedy toe or white line disease. Also in wet weather the hooves are softer so wear more quickly.

Mine had abscesses and white line disease when he was shod and abscesses at first when he was bare as the WLD grew out. However once his feet recovered from the shoe damage he's never had another abscess since.

I use boots which can be a faff on muddy legs and slippery in mud, but I no longer have to worry about slippery tarmac which evens it out.

 

[StoptheCavalry]

I had mine barefoot for 2 years and have recently had fronts put on him.
The downsides for me were:
Having to consider where I was riding, if he was a little footy I would have to pick a route that was comfortable for him.
Spending SO much time thinking were his feet ok, do they look different, is he sore, should that look like that etc etc
Grit in his white line
Thrush
Separation of white line
And in the end the breaking point for me was a humongous abscess

There were obviously benefits being barefoot, riding out in the snow and not worrying about balling in his feet, but for me now the pros out weigh the cons, I may have his shoes off for the winter but will have to see how we get on

 

[wyrdsister]

Well, I've never had thrush or cut frogs with any of mine and the one who did have recurring abscesses didn't as soon as I moved her away from the place she grew up (land management there was a joke!). The downsides I've found are a) having to be a bit picky about which fields to turn out in - clover is a real nuisance in large quantities and b) disagreements with one or two vets over barefoot versus remedial shoeing during treatment programmes. (Having gone that route once, I'd be hugely reluctant to do it again; it caused way more problems *for us* than it solved). Otherwise, once I got the right feed sorted out and my head around the mechanics/requirements of it, I've found it fairly simple, interesting, and better for my horses.

 

[AngieandBen]

Downsides are time, can't just grab them/tack them and go if they are booted like mine; ( not that I mind ) Never had either of them abscess whether they were shod or not.

Can't think of any other downsides!

 

[Clava]

Downside would definitely be slipping in some conditions (not roads), my tb has smooth small feet and on hard short grass she slips all over the place on the lunge, but with fronts on she really steps out with confidence and the same goes for going over chalk and clay. However, with my haflinger I hardly notice this, so every horse is different.

The other downsides are dependant on how you view things - spending more time caring about diet and thrush etc. to keep a barefoot happy some might call a downside, but you get a healthier horse and hooves at the end of it so totally worth it :0

 

[Leg_end]

The only downside for me has been horribly negative people! Old school, naive viewpoints and people who refused to believe that it was a viable rehab option that works. Luckily my vet is fab and sees total value in what I'm doing and I've removed the negative people from my life (who I don't think realised quite how bad they were but it was awful worrying about what they thought all the time)

It's more inconvenient as you can't just pop to the local tack shop to get the supplements you need (and you need to mineral balance to some degree) and grass has become the devil!

I've not had any issues with slipping and I've jumped combinations on curving lines on damp grass with no issues but as another poster said, this seems to be down to the horse. Same with thrush, abscesses and WLD - that seems iet related or some horses and luckily I've not had an issue with mine.

Positives for me are a sound horse who is proving navicular is not a degenerative disease. He is happy, I've made some fab new friends and I'm constantly learning.

 

[ridefast]

I don't think there are any more downsides, maybe just different downsides, to being barefoot rather than shod. And as with everything in the horse world it's down to the individual, some people struggle more with shoeing issues and others struggle more with barefoot issues. Mine are all barefoot, all on a very basic diet that I don't have to faff around with, all happily rock crunching in spite of 2 of them getting hardly any exercise/foot conditioning. If there is any issues with general health I get early warnings as the feet will be the first to show it, but I only have issues with one of mine who has liver problems. So nothing to do with barefoot

 

[Brightbay]

I'm lucky enough to have a control group - my horse's companion is a fully shod mare who lives in the same conditions with him all year round

He came to me shod, 7 years ago. He immediately developed an abscess, vet arrived, pulled shoe and said "my goodness, there's a lot of WLD here".

I arranged for all shoes to be pulled and started work fixing his feet

Since then, he has had no WLD. It took a long time (and a lot of abscesses) to fix the problems he had developed while shod, and it's unlikely his feet will ever be what they would if he hadn't been shod as a developing youngster. He doesn't get stones in his white line, because I spend a heck of a lot of time making sure he doesn't have stretched white line to get stones in!

However, he is incredibly surefooted on roads - we happily trot down hills and then wait for the shod horses to catch up with us He is surefooted in snow - we get out while our friends can't leave the yard. He has never slipped on grass, but we don't do anything spectacular that would result in slips to be honest!

He has thrush, and it has been a problem. His mare friend who is shod has also had thrush - so it would appear to be a problem with the field, rather than shod vs bare. I have finally got the thrush under control (and the abscesses) by getting his grass analysed. This will also benefit the shod horse and the other horses in the field though Shod mare has just blown the biggest abscess I have ever seen out her coronary band - so abscesses aren't just the province of the unshod, and again seem more likely to be due to the grass conditions. She also has rampant WLD, with her shoes just about held on with loads of filler. It will be interesting to see if her owner starts feeding her minerals, will her hooves improve the way my horse's have?

I have never had cut frogs? Why would this be more likely bare than shod? We also don't have to deal with overreach injuries or speedicuts.

In terms of time, sometimes we use boots. It doesn't take any longer to apply boots than it does to pick out hooves - I am usually tacked up and waiting around for my friends who are drying off legs in order to apply brushing boots and knee pads (or maybe it's just me - I always seem to be ready first!).

I do spend a bit of time thinking about diet, supplements, how much exercise/stimulation to give hooves, but I also think I'd want to do that with a shod horse too?

So there are pros and cons, and for me they balance out fine

 

[ShowjumpingPrincess]

you cant put in studs, you cant have remadial shoeing, you have to put in a lot more time and effort to ensure they are healthy barefoot, you have to use hoof boots which i have heard rub and annoy the horse, you have to carefully select where you ride, cyclists,pedestrians and other horses cant hear you coming as shoes are noisier and it helps the horse develop a rhythm as he can hear his natural rhythm easier.

 

[skint1]

I had my Tb mare barefoot for a while, she now is shod in front. I was sad that it didn't work out for her but I was not willing to keep her off grass for most of the year, it seemed too high a price to pay (for her as well as me) just to say I had a barefoot horse.

 

[canteron]

A huge thanks to everyone for their considered and helpful replies.

It is really great to have helpful hints, to understand the reality of the barefoot situation. One of my horses has just come back into work after 6 months of lameness and I have decided, at least over the Winter to keep it unshod and see how it goes, so thanks for all the great replies and keep them coming!

 

[Leg_end]

you cant put in studs, you cant have remadial shoeing, you have to put in a lot more time and effort to ensure they are healthy barefoot, you have to use hoof boots which i have heard rub and annoy the horse, you have to carefully select where you ride, cyclists,pedestrians and other horses cant hear you coming as shoes are noisier and it helps the horse develop a rhythm as he can hear his natural rhythm easier.

I'm sorry but this post is grossly misinformed!!

ou cant put in studs - This is true
you cant have remadial shoeing - again, true but my navicular horse was going downhill in remedial shoes and is back competing barefoot (wi new bone growth on this years xrays) so I'm not too fussed that he can't have a remedial shoe
you have to put in a lot more time and effort to ensure they are healthy barefoot - true to an extent... I certainly think about feet a lot more than I ever did when shod
you have to use hoof boots which i have heard rub and annoy the horse - firstly no, you don't HAVE to use hoof boots. I don't and go over all types of terrain. I couldn't say if they annoy the horse as I've never asked an opinion from the horse Who's to say that having a heavy, clunky bit of metal nailed to your foot doesn't cause some annoyance
you have to carefully select where you ride - incorrect. I ride of all types of terrain including very stoney tracks. As long as the diet is right this is possible.
cyclists,pedestrians and other horses cant hear you coming as shoes are noisier and it helps the horse develop a rhythm as he can hear his natural rhythm easier - Again, incorrect I'm afraid. I'll give you that they aren't as noisy but I can assure you that a healthy, concave barefoot horse has a lovely sound coming down the road and I've never surprised anyone. Unfortunately it isn't possible to have a stealth barefoot pony, they are also noisy As for your point that they need to hear their feet for a natural rhythm... Er that makes no sense to me - how do you think horses cope on grass?! But anyway, point above should help clarify that is a mute point (no pun intended )

 

[nikkimariet]

as shoes are noisier and it helps the horse develop a rhythm as he can hear his natural rhythm easier.

My eyebrows are so raised they have gone around the back of my head and are wiggling on top of my ponytail.

ETS the rest of your post is complete rubbish also.

 

[Auslander]

My eyebrows are so raised they have gone around the back of my head and are wiggling on top of my ponytail.

ETS the rest of your post is complete rubbish also.

Took the words right out of my mouth!

 

[FfionWinnie]

They aren't going to be more prone to thrush lami etc, its just you notice it if they have it even mildly.

I don't find mine slip at all other than I do wonder about jumping on very dry short grass on hard ground. Softer/wet grass their feet will get a grip.

The only possible problem I for see is I can't stud up for jumping.

Touch wood haven't had thrush or abscesses in any of my three.

 

[HashRouge]

My eyebrows are so raised they have gone around the back of my head and are wiggling on top of my ponytail.

ETS the rest of your post is complete rubbish also.

Haha what a brilliant response!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The only downside for me has been horribly negative people! Old school, naive viewpoints and people who refused to believe that it was a viable rehab option that works.

Sadly this.

I'm really hoping that the tide is turning and that more people begin to see that if a horse is sound and happy without shoes, that leaving them unshod is a genuine option (and you aren't being cruel by doing so).

 

[FairyLights]

My eyebrows are so raised they have gone around the back of my head and are wiggling on top of my ponytail.

ETS the rest of your post is complete rubbish also.

How Rude! there are better ways of saying you dont agree.

 

[Kenzo]

People can't hear you coming down the road as there is no clip clop of shoes, sometimes this is a downside.

 

[twiggy2]

People can't hear you coming down the road as there is no clip clop of shoes, sometimes this is a downside.

my horse clip clops without shoes

 

[jessieblue]

Doesnt clip clop?? This is a genuine reason for choosing the hammering on of a metal cast the the foot?? Lol, thats funny. My horse also clip clops, its a lovely sound and I have to admit he has only been bare for 2 months and the change in the sound of his feet are amazing as is the difference in the conformation. Initially his feet did sound flabby and soft. Now there is a distinct clip clop hollowness and tbh its not that different to a shod horse. Very misinformed if you havent heard a healthy unshod hoof on the road. The trouble is hearing a hoof which has just lost a shoe will not sound the same as the hoof will be shoesick. I have yet to find any downsides of barefoot as my horse is in rehab for navicular type injury. Its a long road, but what I have seen in 2 months with my own eyes has proven to me there is no option if horses best interest is to be considered. Simple as that! Yes no studs, yes lots of time reading and learning, and I mean LOTS. More time spent on managing diet and grass and even the putting on and taking off of hoofboots! Lots of time commiting to exercising the horse as you have to do this to stimulate the hoof and to trim, but then horses NEED exercise shod or unshod. Aside from all these inconveniences, the horses needs should come first, not ours! No argument from me what is best but inconvenient, yes it can be, but so is lameness.

 

[Holly Hocks]

Downside - I do have to watch for the random stones on the road, but do have hoofboots although haven't used them now for about a year. I have one abscess, not had thrush and not had any cut frogs (in fact never heard of them!)
Upside - navicular hasn't deteriorated, and never have to trawl round the field looking for lost shoes!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

never had an abscess in my lot-even last year in all the wet. my vet said 90% of their calls at one point was for abscesses and when I asked him how many were shod, he replied that they all were. don't think thrush is more of a problem either-did get a stone bruise on my bigger horse one time, in the field.

boots can be a fiddle to get the right ones but once you do, have had no problems with rubbing and because I have them, I don't have to pay huge attention to where I go-after such a long wet summer/winter last year I would have without them. They don't take long to put on/take off once you're used to them. They never slip on roads (although smooth concrete can be slippy for bare footers when wet), grass etc but then I have ponies atm, I never expect them to slip. I never worry about them being out in the snow.

I had a shod horse on loan this summer-awful, slipped on the roads after the first week of shoeing, was paranoid about infection in nail holes, couldn't believe how much crud he could pack into a shod foot and £80 every 6 weeks.