Footsore barefoot

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Alana25

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Got our new pony 3 weeks ago, farrier visited this week and she's been cut so that her hoof Is completely flat and the wall is higher than the sole. She can't really walk on the path through footsore. It's been 4 days now, since this was done. I've seen boots mentioned a few times, would these help until it's frown back? Farrier said he would put shoes on her Wednesday (£60) but would rather not as she's always been barefoot. She's been stabled at moment with rubber matting and lots of bedding - I can't turn her out as I need to walk her 10 min on tarmac (which is stupidly hot)
 
I would find a new farrier!
Boots should help her until her hoof wall grows back - what on earth did the farrier think he was doing? I certainly wouldn't want to put shoes on a horse that has never needed them before, you will just need to check that the boots don't rub her but you could use them to lead her to and from the field, hopefully she won't need them in the field.
 
Farriers always say put shoes on - it kinda goes with the territory. Use boots instead until the foot grows back and then find a new person to do their feet.
 
Alana25 said:
Got our new pony 3 weeks ago, farrier visited this week and she's been cut so that her hoof Is completely flat and the wall is higher than the sole. She can't really walk on the path through footsore. It's been 4 days now, since this was done. I've seen boots mentioned a few times, would these help until it's frown back? Farrier said he would put shoes on her Wednesday (£60) but would rather not as she's always been barefoot. She's been stabled at moment with rubber matting and lots of bedding - I can't turn her out as I need to walk her 10 min on tarmac (which is stupidly hot)
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This is a perfect description of what people mean when they say that farriers don't know how to do a barefoot trim and only know how to trim to prepare for a shoe. That sounds just like a trim in preparation for a shoe. It's not true of all farriers, of course, but it seems to be of this one.
 
was she sound before the trim? If so I'd be asking farrier to reduce price of shoes to include the trim price. Yes boots may help you if its a temporary issue - up to you what is easier- shoes might be cheaper if just needed this one time.
 
SusieT said:
was she sound before the trim? If so I'd be asking farrier to reduce price of shoes to include the trim price. Yes boots may help you if its a temporary issue - up to you what is easier- shoes might be cheaper if just needed this one time.
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It's not that simple ST, shoeing now might prevent the regrowth of the callouses that the pony needs to be happy barefoot.
 
She was fine before the trim. Farrier was organised through yard (we're new owners) the YO and a friend have both said to shoe her rather than boots. She's fine on sand, it's just getting her to it. Was told it's because we hack but we hack out once a week and pony walks to/from main field once - rest of time she's in a paddock at yard.

Any boot recommendation?
 
I do wonder if these people saying that it’s because you hack are living under a rock?! Or some sort of different dimension than the rest of us!

If they were fine before the trim they will be fine again, and boots might not even be a long term thing. As such and because they are a forgiving fit and you can usually get a pair second hand for £40 I’d look at the cavallos. They wouldn’t be my pick for long term but would do the job while you work out how it will be longer term.
 
Ignore the dinosaurs saying shoe. There are loads of people (I'd say the majority still) who think shoeing is the only way but you need to start doing your research to better understand how and why barefoot works. The Rockley Farm blog is the best place to start. All your horse needs is some time, interim hoof boots, a new trimmer and a regime that optimises their feet (diet, movement, environment, trimming).
 
Between this morning and now I've managed to contact a few bare foot trimmers, spoke to a few and found a lady who I think knows her stuff, she's coming Wednesday to have a look and see what she thinks. Wish me luck
 
Alana25 said:
Between this morning and now I've managed to contact a few bare foot trimmers, spoke to a few and found a lady who I think knows her stuff, she's coming Wednesday to have a look and see what she thinks. Wish me luck
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Speak to her but certainly don't get any more taken off. Boots will do the job until the pony recovers from the farrier's trim. I have mine barefoot and the one that is ridden regularly hasn't needed any trimming this year and his feet are fab, the oldie who is retired gets trimmed by myself as needed. All being well your pony should recover quickly from the farrier and be fit to go again. We've hacked 100 miles barefoot on roads and tracks over the last two weeks and no surface has bothered him so don't let people tell you he needs shoes if he has never needed them before, he just needs to recover from being butchered.
 
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oh she definitely wont be taking any more off. I've sent her pictures of the hoof etc - she says it looks like the hoofs been trimmed too far back as pony is now walking on soles. She says it could be bruising.
Daughter is going to pony camp in 5 weeks, I'm praying our ponies feet will be better for that. I was told today by a yard member that if I didn't shoe the pony, I'd cripple her :( It seems to only be over cobbly ground that she doesn't like. We don't hack massively, once a week, so I really don't think se needs it but will see what the barefoot lady says - thanks for the replies, much apprechiated
 
Its stuff like this that give farriers a bad name and rep. I wouldn't change mine for the world, he trims great for the barefoot ones and gets the shoeing right for the other one.

But to answer you get someone to trim for barefoot most farriers can do it. Hacking once a week shouldn't need shoes my one cob hunts and hacks and is barefoot, her feet are like concrete.
 
I wouldn't shoe just now while she is sore you could pad out the feet and use boots while they grow a bit, one of my horses is barefoot and gets hacked occasionally but I have to walk down a very stony track to the school so I lead him when its really dry as the stones are worse as the track gets very hard, but I wouldn't shoe him just for that reason its pointless.
 
If he is walking round the hard ground in the field every day and has no underlying metabolic problems making him footsore I see no reason his feet will not have toughened up and grown enough for her to go to camp.
 
I think I'm going to try and turn our pony out into the paddock later. She's getting fed up in her stable and to be honest, I don't think she needs to be in it. She seems better today, I've popped her into a sandy arena to give her a bit of a leg stretch. I honestly think she's been trimmed too much. At camp they are riding 2-3 hours a day, mostly in school or in a field (jumping) - they will hack maybe once or twice in that whole week but I'm planning on giving the pony a week off after. I can't believe how many nasty comments I've had about going barefoot. Honestly you'd think I was abusing our pony with the way some people are!
 
Well I'm now 'cruel' and have been told that I'm wasting my time with bare foot because daughter now cannot ride her footsore pony until the feet grow back unless I shoe her (although they did admit the farrier might not even be able to put shoes on her now)

Getting really downbeaten
 
Alana25 said:
Well I'm now 'cruel' and have been told that I'm wasting my time with bare foot because daughter now cannot ride her footsore pony until the feet grow back unless I shoe her (although they did admit the farrier might not even be able to put shoes on her now)

Getting really downbeaten
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Just wait a week or two and I'll bet the pony will be running round like a good 'un. Is there an arena with a softer surface she can ride on for a while? All you can say to the people is what a useless farrier they have that will take a perfectly sound pony and lame it with their incompetence.
 
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It's worth looking at the ponies diet to help her regrow a good strong replacement for what has been removed.
The pony should not in my opinion be ridden till she is sound and ideally if the fields are really hard and dry I would limit turn out and protect the hooves when out, or she will potentially just be wearing away some of the growth everyday meaning it takes longer before the growth is such that she is sound again.
When she is sound increase work, but especially on hard ground slowly so the growth exceeds wear to start with
I do however wish people would not tar all farriers with the same brush, in over 30 years with horses I have found most farriers can keep a barefoot horse with good feet sound and my own farrier and the one I have been lucky enough to work most with over those years is great at barefoot maintainance and won't shoe unless there is a reason for shoeing unless owners really push for it.
 
Alana25 said:
Well I'm now 'cruel' and have been told that I'm wasting my time with bare foot because daughter now cannot ride her footsore pony until the feet grow back unless I shoe her (although they did admit the farrier might not even be able to put shoes on her now)

Getting really downbeaten
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is this other liveries giving you grief? if so tell them to mind there own business there are plenty of ridden hacked horses all over the world that don't have shoes and are fine, i would just turn her out for a while each day if she is coping on the grass just extend the time I think walking about a bit on them will do her more good as long as she is comfortable.
 
Yes it's other liveries and staff. we're new to owning so not 100% sure what we are doing but it seems everyone is giving us different opinions s and it's getting very confusing and I don't know who to listen too. It's really starting to upset me now, I've got a pony that's in pain, I'm getting the blame for this (apparently hacking out for an hour a weeks worn her feet...) I've got a kid whose upset that her pony's poorly and that they might now not be able to do camp (I have explained to her the ponys health comes first but even so, she's been so excited for this) and it's just never ending

The barefoot lady is coming tomorrow and I'm hoping she'll be able to give me some solid advice.
 
Alana25 said:
Between this morning and now I've managed to contact a few bare foot trimmers, spoke to a few and found a lady who I think knows her stuff, she's coming Wednesday to have a look and see what she thinks. Wish me luck
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Thank goodness. Poor pony must be so sore :(
 
Alana25 said:
Yes it's other liveries and staff. we're new to owning so not 100% sure what we are doing but it seems everyone is giving us different opinions s and it's getting very confusing and I don't know who to listen too. It's really starting to upset me now ... I'm getting the blame for this.
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So sorry to read this Alana25. In my non-expert view you have nothing to be uncomfortable about. You are doing all the right things. It is normal for well-intentioned liveries and staff to proffer their advice but it is often not well founded and is no more than personal opinion. It does not follow that they have any more expertise than you do. I really mean that. You should not expect to know a farrier's business better than they do so it is not your fault that they did not trim wisely. Don't blame yourself. Do your own research and use information from reputable sources.

I would ask the barefoot lady for a written assessment of the feet in case you want to make a complaint against the farrier. If they are popular or close to YO then it may create a bit of tension to do so. Hope that makes sense. Be nice to yourself. See if you can go to camp but with reduced activity perhaps. Maybe boots but I have no experience of them.

If you can get her to the field and it is soft - I think you said it was sandy - then can you leave her out 24/7? Will YO allow it?
 
The school's sandy so I've been letting her on there to stretch her legs but the fields rock hard so she can't go on.

Barefoot lady hasnt seen her yet but she spoke on phone to me earlier and said it might be better to shoe her for now and remove them after camp and start barefooting again in the winter when the riding is reduced to give her feet time to adjust again. Will see if she still thinks this later.

Thanks for the replies
 
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