first shoes....does my horse need to adjust to them???

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4redheadmares

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my8 yr old mare has always been barefoot and good feet however she feels the stones etc and now planning on doing alot more road work and cross country.. i had front shoes put on 2 days ago and the farrier was fantastic when watching her in arena after being shod she seemed to move fantastic and i was really pleased...however i rode for first time yesterday and she felt awful ...is there a settling in period?? would it be best just gentle hacking for time being so she can adjust to her new shoes...she is not lame at all just feels completely different to ride but not in a nice way atall...help meeee
 
Nope, I would discuss this with your farrier. It may be a light nail bind
Are you feeding a good mineral for barefoot, with her history one might think she would be good without shoes.
The other possibility is that being barefoot, her feet shape accomodated her stride, and the farrier has adjusted it too radically, so she may have tweaked something because she now has to walk in a different way.
Either way I would not do any work with her for two days and see what happens then. Its not impossible an abcess is brewing.
 
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i am going to ring him today..he has not changed the shape of foot or angle in my opinion he has done a fab job but you maybe right she may have a slight nail bind but would she not be trotting up lame?
 
We had front shoes put on our pony over the summer and her movement/forwardness/way of going didn't change at all. I would have a chat with your farrier.

However, as an aside, I wish we hadn't actually had shoes put on in the first place. We had them taken off again in November because she has been out of work with headshaking problems. The shoes/nails have definitely weakened her hooves and they are getting chipped in a big way, even though the nail holes have now grown out, so we are now working on strengthening them up again.
 
Well, if you've only had front shoes put on, her front is now half an inch higher than the hind. Even this small change is enough to change posture and cause muscle aches. Think of it, if you had been wearing flat shoes all your life, then one day started wearing something with a small heel, you'd feel it in your calves, back and possibly all the way up to your shoulders.
 
yes i totally get that just never known of such a difference...do you think she is just adjusting then its such a difficult one she is a sensitive mare im just frustrated now as i thought woukd help her out but looks like ive opened a can of worms would of maybe been better a full set?? or just non at all :(
 
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4redheadmares said:
yes i totally get that just never known of such a difference...do you think she is just adjusting then its such a difficult one she is a sensitive mare im just frustrated now as i thought woukd help her out but looks like ive opened a can of worms would of maybe been better a full set?? or just non at all :(
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I tried what you have done also with an unshod 8yo. I had to remove the shoes permanently after a week. He simply could not cope with them. Riding was dreadful, he kept tripping, clearly he had no idea where his feet where. (yet he had been fine in boots) He moved badly everywhere and it was just not worth it. I couldn't see him ever become my good riding horse again. I took them off and you could see he was mentally wriggling his toes. He was so happy and walked away sound and the next ride was perfect.
 
im glad someone else has had that experiance....im going to give her a few more days and see what happens..the farrier has done a fantastic job i think its just the horse either not liking them or just not being used to them as shes definitely sound..maybe i will be best going down the boot route with her. shes almost used to her feet naturally sliding but now it doesn't
 
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I have ridden a big mare who had previously been barefoot, but had been bought for trekking, and was shod, it was alarming to me that she was happy to let her front feet stride out and slide going downhill on the road, , so they might just learn to stride out barefoot, and never adapt.
 
I think part of the problem is proprioception, they know what is happening to their feet barefoot, they also seem to know booted but mine was at a total loss with shoes. I think the other thing may be they have had a hoof that has not been clenched before ie it is free to move as it wishes and then it becomes fastened into a shoe. I think you're also right she has used her feet naturally till now, slid where she wanted to and now cannot adapt.
i would bet if you remove them she will stride out quite happily again.
 
4redheadmares said:
do you mean she shouldn't be striding out? and she may prefer barefoot?
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What I mean is that it is not safe for her to stride out downhill on tarmac when steel shod, as she can't slip and fall when barefoot, but she can easily slip if in steel shoes, most horses realise this and proceed carefully downhill in steel shoes.
I would not medium/fast trot a steel shod horse downhill, but would do so, steadily of course, barefoot. I would never canter uphill on roads with a shod horse but would do so, occasionally, barefoot, as he is safer and there is no concussion.
The horse may prefer barefoot, but then again , she may prefer to live in a field with her friends, and never be ridden by humans.
I think, though I am not sure, that she would prefer to be unshod, and I suggest you look at the diet, to see if you can get her back on track.
 
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I had a mare who had never been shod behind, I was of the "shoes all round" at that time, and we got her shod, it was stupid, she was not comfortable and hated being shod behind.
I tendto agree with Paddy, one can never be 100% sure of anything with horses, and of course the grass is starting to grow , so more sugary, = more sensitivity.
 
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There are some theories (and research via venograms) that say that a shoe put on too 'tight' can restrict blood flow and potentially give horses a pins and needles type reaction ... i cant remember the paper i read on it but will try and find it out for you.

there are also theories (following on from this original one) that this is why shod feet are always cooler than barefoot, why low grade laminits doesnt show up in shod horses as early and why feet heat up once shoes are removed ... as i said theories.

On the topic of your mare, obviously something isnt right ... potentially nail bind or a hot nail. But could just be the extra weight (some trainers use weighted shoes to give horses a more exaggerated movement). If you are sure she needs shoes you could try aluminium and shee if it makes a difference .. or just give her a little more time to settle in
 
following on from my first post...4 days after being shod she bent a shoe slighlty so had to have it refitted (nightmare) i have just been hacking out to see if feet settle, she is still sound and turns etc perfectly fine yet on the left rein when asked to trot in arena she is so hollow and will not relax down the neck...i am now giving until the end of the week and if no improvement i am going to just have them removed. when walking out on a hack shes more than happy its very strange. the only other thing is she has quarter clips on the front and im wondering is it this she doesnt like, there was slight heat in the foot i had refitted so i am keeping a close eye on it but as i say still sound
 
I always used to have quarter clips on the front. It allows the shoes to be set back and allow a more natural breakover than with toe clips.

Having said that, if there was heat in the hoof, she may have had slight nailbind. Normally you know right away if they have been pricked!
 
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