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

lurcherlu

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Thinking about what to feed, and GRASS is evil now lol, I'm totally new to my barefoot journey, but am luckily starting with good foundations.... A 3 year old filly I've just broken in, I've had her 2 years and one day to be precise, I've always been interested in the barefoot side of things. I'm giving this bf thing our very best shot, yesterday we trotted along gravel, crunched over stones and rode over 12 miles of Tarmac, she is getting to be self trimming she's not been trimmed for 4 months and has good solid hooves that clip clip up the road. Yesterday on my way into the yard at mums she rang ,my mobile and as we were on a private road I answered and straight away she said o I can hear you're riding how many of you are out ??? Why mum ?? It's really loud and sounds like you have a shod horse... In fact is was just i on stone cruncher horse. But I'll openly admit if it doesn't work out on my part cos the ground we rent is a flood plain and always wet and muddy then yes il admit defeat and put shoes on her. The only downside is not seeing all the gorgeous farriers ;)
 

thatsmygirl

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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.

Remedial shoeing is something I wouldn't do as there is enough evidence now which states it does more harm.
Hoof boots do not have to be used and I think your wording " I HAVE HEARD" says it all I'm afraid.

One of my lads makes as much noise as shod horses and with his feather covering his feet I get no negative comments. ;) as people prob think he's shod. The only horse iv got that has awful hoof condition despite being on the same diet is my shod mare!! ( or sorry bare as off yesterday)
 

cptrayes

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you cant put in studs,


I didnt need them for BE Novice

you cant have remadial shoeing,

You won't need them

you have to put in a lot more time and effort to ensure they are healthy barefoot,

I dont

You have to use hoof boots which i have heard rub and annoy the horse,

I don't

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.

You haven't heard mine. The only reason a shod horse would need to hear its feet hit the road is because it can't feel them properly.
 

nikkimariet

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

I second this, thank you Horsesforever1.

And to those of you who have posted less-than-polite responses to ShowjumpingPrincess - according to her profile she is still at school. So you're being rude to a child. :-(

Well then she should go and do her homework, shouldn't she.
 

Scarlett

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Are you kidding me ShowjumpingPrincess? You actually have no idea, do you?

Come back and answer this question whan you have an idea of what your talking about.
 

Scarlett

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I second this, thank you Horsesforever1.

And to those of you who have posted less-than-polite responses to ShowjumpingPrincess - according to her profile she is still at school. So you're being rude to a child. :-(

And? Maybe she will learn not to talk about things she has no idea about. Idiot!!
 

ATrueClassAct

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Both mine are barefoot.
Only down side is the worry over diet etc but neither of mine are ever booted. We don't have an outdoor arena and new boy is fine on the grass, sand track and stone track. He was barefoot before I bought him( TB too!)
Neither have had abscess/thrush or anything else whilst being barefoot.
 

Alyth

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I can only think of advantages!! For a start I have learned so much about hooves, feeding, movement etc since starting the journey!! Then again the ponies can have a quick rasp around at frequent intervals if their hooves need it. My ponies don't seem to slip even on wet ground. They can feel with their hooves and adjust their striding as required. Hooves are healthy as the frog gets stimulation and hoof mechanism is unhindered. The more road work they do the better the hoof wall grows!!!! It's much cheaper!!!
 

spookypony

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Hmm. Never had an abscess. White line disease is probably rampant among shod horses; just concealed by the shoes. Same with thrush; most shod horses I see have pretty badly developed frogs, often thrushy, and contracted heels, and are probably looking at problems down the line somewhere; you know, all those mystery lamenesses that seem to plague so many horses...My competition pony has had lameness problems this summer, but at least I know why! As for boots, it takes me less than a minute to apply Renegades, which don't budge, and even if they did fall off, we could merrily continue. Far more sure-footed on most terrain. And some boot types do allow for studs now, if you feel the advantages of studs outweigh the potential disadvantages in terms of soft tissue damage. And if you feel that looking after your horse's diet and health is so much more arduous bare, that you prefer to mask the problems (in the long term) by hammering shoes on, well, perhaps your priorities could do with re-examination.

As to SJPrincess...NM's response was so hilarious that I hope SJPrincess will take the put-down with a grin and perhaps learn something before jumping in. While it's possibly advisable to be gentle dealing with the ignorance of a child, she appears to be a teenager with very strong opinions, and I think can take care of herself!
 

Scarlett

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Really? A child expresses an opinion and you think it's acceptable for adults to call her names?

Yes. I was taught as a child to stay out of adult conversations when I didn't understand what they were talking about, and only speak when asked to contribute and ask questions later if I had them, it was called manners and showing respect, something the vast majority children these days know nothing of. She needs to learn this. Her comments were idiotic and ill informed, thus I stand by my comment.
 

Clava

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Really? A child expresses an opinion and you think it's acceptable for adults to call her names?

She posted as an anonymous member (without saying she was speaking as a child) so it is inevitable that she will be treated as everyone else is and unreasonable for others to know to treat her any different. She failed to mention she was speaking from an uneducated point of view, but her comments do rather imply this.
 

Buddy'sMum

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Yes. I was taught as a child to stay out of adult conversations when I didn't understand what they were talking about, and only speak when asked to contribute and ask questions later if I had them, it was called manners and showing respect, something the vast majority children these days know nothing of. She needs to learn this. Her comments were idiotic and ill informed, thus I stand by my comment.

This forum is open to users of all ages and levels of horsemanship. The point of this forum is to share experience, not mock the less experienced or misinformed. Or children.

ShowjumpingPrincess has not demonstrated any lack of respect or manners. Unlike you.

When you signed up to the forum you agreed to abide by its terms. It seems you need to be reminded of a couple:
4.3 Do not post rude or abusive messages - including personal attacks on other Users.
4.4 Do not post defamatory or other insulting or inappropriate messages.
 

Scarlett

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In answer to the original question I think the hardest bit is the attitudes and opinions of other folk, especially the attitude that to be barefoot means you're a 'hippy' or a 'bunny hugger' and can only be b/f becuase you never actually ride, just do NH. It saddens me that people don't make an effort to learn more about it, even if it's not something they want to do. It's our responsibility to our horses to educate ourselves as much as we can.

I already fed a b/f diet and have only added a good supplement to what they already had, my horses occasionally had thrush and abcesses before and they occasionally get them now, though it is probably less now they get the right minerals. I use hoofboots for really long hacks and find them easy to use and my horses have never had an issue with having them on, and the grip they have now on the road is amazing and I've had no problems out jumping or xc with grip, they never slip. My horses are sounder now than in shoes, and I'm happier because I feel like I'm doing the right thing.
 

Scarlett

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This forum is open to users of all ages and levels of horsemanship. The point of this forum is to share experience, not mock the less experienced or misinformed. Or children.

ShowjumpingPrincess has not demonstrated any lack of respect or manners. Unlike you.

When you signed up to the forum you agreed to abide by its terms. It seems you need to be reminded of a couple:
4.3 Do not post rude or abusive messages - including personal attacks on other Users.
4.4 Do not post defamatory or other insulting or inappropriate messages.

I'm sorry that I choose to stand up and say something when someone blatently posts something so wildly incorrect and lacking in fact, I said nothing here I wouldnt say to the poster face to face. Incorrect information when replying to a question asked MUST be pointed out, and if you or Showjumpingwhoever are too sensitive to deal with my reply I suggest you find the 'User Ignore' button and push it. The answer she posted was absurd as pointed out by folk other than me. There is nothing in the post to suggest it's a child, though I probably would have said the same thing had I known.
 

Buddy'sMum

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I'm sorry that I choose to stand up and say something when someone blatently posts something so wildly incorrect and lacking in fact, I said nothing here I wouldnt say to the poster face to face. Incorrect information when replying to a question asked MUST be pointed out, and if you or Showjumpingwhoever are too sensitive to deal with my reply I suggest you find the 'User Ignore' button and push it. The answer she posted was absurd as pointed out by folk other than me. There is nothing in the post to suggest it's a child, though I probably would have said the same thing had I known.

And as an adult you are incapable of correcting someone politely? And you'd call a 14-year old girl an idiot to her face when she said something you disagreed with, rather than explaining to her why you disagree and inviting further discussion?

Love the signature btw, I can see you endeavour to apply Mark Rashid's philosophy to your interactions with horses and humans.
 

cptrayes

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I think there are instances when riding on the roads where it's handy (for safey)that people hear them coming that's all.

I cannot imagine a situation where the difference between the clack of an unshod horse and that of a shod horse would affect anything.

Can you give me an example of what you mean?
 

Scarlett

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And as an adult you are incapable of correcting someone politely? And you'd call a 14-year old girl an idiot to her face when she said something you disagreed with, rather than explaining to her why you disagree and inviting further discussion?

Love the signature btw, I can see you endeavour to apply Mark Rashid's philosophy to your interactions with horses and humans.

In this instance, yes. Her post, in my opinion, deserved the severe reply I gave it, I wouldnt have said it otherwise.

I regularily have a 14yo girl help me with my horses, had she said the contents of that post either too me verbally or if she had written it and I had read it I would have called her an idiot, yes. However she wouldnt, because she isn't, she is very good at asking questions, reasearching stuff she doesnt know and then holding conversations to discuss the issue at hand.

Having read and watched a fair amount of Mark Rashid I think he would be the first person to call someone with a ill informed and incorrect opinion an idiot if he felt it was true. His honesty is one of the reasons he is so, so awesome. :)

Oh, and I'm much nicer to my horses than any person ;)
 
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Alyth

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Really? A child expresses an opinion and you think it's acceptable for adults to call her names?

IMO if a child is posting on a public forum she is treated like an adult and if the comments show a lack of understanding she will get responses that relate to the lack.......
 

Alyth

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I think there are instances when riding on the roads where it's handy (for safey)that people hear them coming that's all.

Riders have voices!! It's not hard to call out 'rider coming up' or something similar. I wish cyclists would do that!!
 

ester

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Trailing the field in the rain to cut the grazing sample?? :p

Used boots for a bit - got quite pro at them, could easily pop on or off as needed mid ride. Had thrush while frogs were improving but not since. No abscesses, I love the relative peace of our bf clip clip. During transition was a bit aware of surface/route planning but not any more.

I've also never met a bad opinion, everyone has just been interested if a little sceptical and as he has a certain fan base locally relieved to see him sound and out enjoying himself again :)
 

Kenzo

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Riders have voices!! It's not hard to call out 'rider coming up' or something similar. I wish cyclists would do that!!

I'm aware riders have voices.

But if don't see them or a potential situation,you wouldnt know to shout out (in some instances).

I'm not against BF horses, I've got one myself, I was simply saying it could be a downside at times because you can't hear them on the roads as much as shod horses.

Dog walkers for example, you may not see them but they would hear you coming sooner, in which case a loose excitable dog would be put on the lead sooner. People in gardens/children playing (that you can not see if behind a fence or might think I wont do that as it might frighten the horse that's coming, therefore wait until you've rode past.

I guess it depends where you ride however.
 
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