First experience with a shod horse - a few surprises...

[EQUIDAE]

The biggest one being how much he skids about on grass and tarmac/concrete! People sometimes use slipping as a reason to shoe but my barefoot horses are nimble and sound on all surfaces - this shod chap is on ice skates!! Despite having 'good' feet...

I really didn't expect such a difference

 

[ester]

There is one private road on an estate we hunt on, F can canter up and down it all day, everyone else goes into panic .
Shoes are good for studs, I think that's about it.

 

[serenityjane]

I have ridden both shod and unshod horses and neither is completely skidproof, although it does depend on the horse. I went on a fun ride unshod a few years ago and whilst I was zig-zagging slowly down a steep sheep grazed hill, shod horses were whizzing by, only for us to overtake them on the shiny tarmac road half a mile later!

 

[paddy555]

I haven't ridden a shod horse for so many years. I was offered a short ride on one a few years ago and had to go, at a walk down a hill on a road. I found it very scary. I was so used to my barefoot or even booted horses not slipping at all but the shod horse slipped (no studs) In the end I got off and walked. I just felt safer.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I have ridden both shod and unshod horses and neither is completely skidproof, although it does depend on the horse. I went on a fun ride unshod a few years ago and whilst I was zig-zagging slowly down a steep sheep grazed hill, shod horses were whizzing by, only for us to overtake them on the shiny tarmac road half a mile later!

Exactly, it all depends on what the horse is doing and where. I had an unshod maxi cob who hunted last season she was fine until it came to going down or across a steep hill on lush grass.

This will be controversial but I will risk it, a horse that is slipping on the road is likely to be unbalanced and being ridden out of his walk cadence. Some riders seem to hassle a horse in walk. This does not take away the fact that there is that 'special' surface that some councils use that resembles glass and that some people allow shoes to get paper thin and still wonder why the horse goes splat.

 

[serenityjane]

Controversial it may be- but totally true- I have experienced both those scenarios- sometimes unavoidable if for instance you are following a group of horses down a steep hill and it is difficult to keep your rhythm, or of course the farrier is overdue for some reason!

 

[Haz:)]

I have both. I have a barefoot Native X TB and he's fine and has the best feet I've ever seen. I also have a shod TB (not your typical pancake club foot crappy feet TB) although he has shoes on the back, he doesn't really need them (farrier said it was 50/50 if he'd be comfortable barefoot on back, although fronts are a must) and the difference isn't too noticeable IMO. The X TB was going fast in some SJ practice, nearly slipped over on his side but managed to find some good grip and what seemed a fifth leg. This was on good grass jumping ground and he was fine after. The TB seemed a little more slippy, sometimes scary in his corners, but this could be due to the fact it's a small field and he's 16hh+ trying to squish round on canter.

One thing I did notice is my shod TB seems far more comfortable on the roads than my barefoot, his feet seem to be sensitive and I'll be getting his front shoes on for summer (summer= hacks more frequent).

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

We have a road like glass by the yard. It fine when it is wet but it is lethal when it is dry. The horses never have their shoes run down to nothing they don't normally get pushed out of their walk either it just the road is so so very slippy!

A couple of the horses I have ridden there overly the years could have danced on ice they were that clever with their feet.

Give me an unsaid horse on that road any day of the week! It doesn't help that because we take up to 56 horses along it twice a day (out and back) we have worn the surface down. The council won't resurface as it was done 10 years ago and it is fine to drive on. The grass verges aren't great and are never cut so in summer they are totally over grown. We sit on our stupidly expensive horses hoping, praying and having heart palpitations over them slipping and hurting themselves.

 

[smellsofhorse]

t We sit on our stupidly expensive horses hoping, praying and having heart palpitations over them slipping and hurting themselves.

If so, wouldnt you come to a deal and pay for improvements to the road be made then?
56 horses a day.
Stupidly expensive.
then do something about the road instead of taking such risks!

 

[AdorableAlice]

If so, wouldnt you come to a deal and pay for improvements to the road be made then?
56 horses a day.
Stupidly expensive.
then do something about the road instead of taking such risks!

The Highways Department make decisions on our roads and will dress them with a topping suitable for the amount of traffic using them. I doubt they will factor the needs of a few horses into their budget planning. Newmarket would possibly be different with thousands of horses crossing roads daily.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

The Highways Department make decisions on our roads and will dress them with a topping suitable for the amount of traffic using them. I doubt they will factor the needs of a few horses into their budget planning. Newmarket would possibly be different with thousands of horses crossing roads daily.

All quite true but we, the RC and other locals, made representations to our local HD and got the top dressing of one of our local busy hills changed. It brings rush hour traffic to the Mway but does have a bridleway off it and there was already a warning triangle along the road.

 

[Jericho]

I always feel it's a paradox. I always feel much more comfortable on unshod horses when on the road - less concussion, less slipping but neither of mine can actually go unshod as its too gritty and they find it very uncomfortable. Then when they are cantering and jumping on grass unshod they slip over. One of my bad falls involved cantering an unshod horse on wet heathland and she bucked and her feet just went from under her.

Given the choice I would rather have mine unshod (I took shoes off a horse with terrible feet last year and his feet are amazing now and changed shape completely but he still can't cope with our gritty roads so I boot him for the short ploddy slow hacks we go on) but the two real working ones can't cope without. I appreciate that with a lot of hard work, conditioning and a completely different style of management I might have different results but realistically they would hate that lifestyle as would like mean no grass!

 

[EQUIDAE]

Jericho - it's strange isn't it how different horses are different. I've never had unshod horses slip on grass (but shod have if they haven't been studded) and mine hack on really gravelly terrain and are never foot sore. Mine are turned out 24/7 on poor quality grass and it seems to suit them.

He's now had his backs off and is sound and next time the farrier comes we will try for fronts off too

This is our quarry hacking (mainly aimed and cyclists so all rough gravel)