Front shoes only. Why?

[goodtimes]

As title really. I've always had my horses shod all round because of the work I do. I can fully understand barefoot, but what are the advantages or disadvantages of only wearing front shoes.

Sorry if its a daft question. Just wondered.

 

[JillA]

I have mine shod in front because he has thin sensitive soles (barefoot Taliban keep off - it has been done to death lol). The weight of a horse is carried something like 60% on the front feet so they need to be more robust to take the weight. Hinds can manage fairly well in most circumstances because they take less weight.

 

[Regandal]

I always assumed it's because most of the weight (60 - 70 %?) is carried on the front legs/feet. If in light work, they don't all need 4 shoes. My one only ever had front shoes before I took them off, and his back feet coped well.

 

[StormyMoments]

the gait on my horse means he wears his fronts down very quickly and he gets sore especially as a lot of my work is on stony and rocky ground. his hinds however survive quite well they dont tend to wear their hinds down as fast as their fronts and i see no reason to have them shod all round when really hes fine without

 

[ladyt25]

I started my 4yo out barefoot for no other reason than I knew he wasn't going to be doing lots and so figured would see how he went. However, he started struggling on his fronts on any stoney ground out hacking so I thought only fair to shoe him to see if this helped. It did. I have not shod him behind because (a) he didn't seem to be having issues behind and (b) he is a bit too handy with his back feet in the field (he's bottom of the pecking order just about) so I thought was best for everyone to leave the hinds bare!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I have mine shod in front because he has thin sensitive soles (barefoot Taliban keep off - it has been done to death lol). The weight of a horse is carried something like 60% on the front feet so they need to be more robust to take the weight. Hinds can manage fairly well in most circumstances because they take less weight.

This^^^^^^^^^

My mare is a big girl, we have tried taking her front shoes off as well but she was just too uncomfortable. As her front feet are fed exactly the same as her back feet, we decided, in conjunction with the farrier, to put her front shoes back on.

 

[FionaM12]

I wish all the horses Mollie grazes with had their back shoes off. There are kicking incidents and injuries must surely be worse with shoes on?

 

[Kallibear]

Two reasons. Firstly front feet are more effected by diet and therefore LGL etc than backs (that's why most laminitic cases are in the front feet) so any issues with thin soles and sensitivity show in front and 'need' shoes to cover it.

And secondly horses carry more weight on the front so if they're going to wear them faster and show signs of discomfort quicker on the fronts.

 

[goodtimes]

Thank you for your replies. I have a four year old who was shod all round when I got him. My previous horses have been shod all round too.
My boy does have a massive over track and sometimes catches his front legs, even when out in the field. I do boot him with over reach boots, but now I have read your replies, I might chat with the farrier and take his back shoes off until we need them...if at all!

 

[ladyt25]

I had mine since he was 15 mths and his feet were in pretty good nick. However, one of his hinds did get a large vertical crack in it over a year ago that ran from the coronet down. I jut had the farrier put a staple in it and had it re-stapled each trim. I am really hoping I don't have to resort to shoes on him to hold it together though as we've removed the staples now.

If they have decent feet (presumably the horse hasn't been shod that often given it's age?) then they should be fine left shoeless behind. I have threatened my old horse and told him his hinds will come off if he keeps trying to kick my youngster though! He does not have good feet and is very sensitive footwise and after being shod for 18 of his 22 years I don not think it'd be fair to him whilst he's still in work. I think for youngsters though it's almost best to start barefoot and only shoe if needed

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I wish all the horses Mollie grazes with had their back shoes off. There are kicking incidents and injuries must surely be worse with shoes on?

We always take back shoes off any that usually wear them, for the introductory period.

 

[RainbowDash]

My pony was barefoot when I brought him - which suited their hacking. Our hacking is far more rocky and many of the hills in the woods 45/55 degrees so to help him and protect his front feet I had him shod fronts only which have helped x

 

[Elvis]

When I bought my boy he was shod all round and I kept it that way until he became ill and it was clear he wouldn't be back in work anytime soon so we took off his back shoes. And I've never looked back, he came back in to work quicker than thought and his feet are great. He manages to self trim/shape and they are so strong. I don't see the point in putting them back on when it's not necessary.

 

[*sprinkles*]

I don't what others will say about this but I was taught when I worked as a groom never to have horses that are turned out in group turnout shod on the back. Front shoes only, as horrific injuries can occur from a kick from a shod hoof. Not to say damage can't be done with a barefoot hoof but this was a rule I was taught and it has stuck with me! So my horses are only shod on the front. For the horses who had to be shod behind (which was only for competition reasons, for example when the eventers needed to be able to wear studs behind etc) then the horses were put on individual turnout, when the season was over or whatever the back shoes were removed and the horses could return to being turned out with the herd.

 

[mandwhy]

My mare came to me shod all round because her feet were poor but I had the backs taken off along with feeding her various extras, her backs look amazing! They are really how a 'barefoot person' would like them to develop I think, with their own unique shape and you can see the farrier has to put his back into it to trim them, they are thick and tough! I'll probably have the fronts off for a short time over winter so who knows, maybe those will be up to going without. I can hack her out on tarmac and school on grass etc no probs, its just the stones that pose a problem.

 

[risky business]

When I bought my last mare she was shod all round.

I didn't see it was needed so whipped the backs off, her feet coped fine and in the end I got her totally bare and able to handle any surface like it

However I did recently sell and I know she has fronts back on purely because they compete and need studs.

 

[NaeNae87]

MY TB was shod all round when he raced. He then spent 3 years in a paddock with no shoes and coped fine. When he was bought back into work, his fronts didn't cope well. His stride was always short when he was ridden on any thing other than sand or grass. I popped fronts on him and he has had them on ever since. His back feet are fine and the soles are not as flat as his fronts, they have always been like that which IMO is the reason his backs cope better unshod.

 

[OwnedbyJoe]

As others have said, 60% of the horse's weight is in the front legs/feet, so they need to absorb more of the impact. But also, AS A RULE, back feet are more upright, so less likely to have issues with toes getting too long/flare/underrun heels. IMO, back feet generally also have better sole concavity, meaning the sole is less likely to bear the full impact of a stone etc.
Many horses who can't go completely barefoot are happy in front shoes/boots only.

 

[night_mare]

Usually a horse is shod on the front only so it can be turned out with other horses. Then if it kicks another horse with its hindlegs (which is where the real power is) it won't severely injure the other horse. Horses shod behind are a real risk to other horses if turned out together - horses that are shod behind can inflict such horrific injuries to another horse that result in that horse having to be put to sleep. Hence why horses that are shod behind should really be kept in a field on their own and not with others.

Some livery yards will only allow horses that are unshod behind to be turned out together, and insist that horses shod behind have individual turnout.

Also as others have said horses are often more sensitive on their front feet. A mare I used to own was barefoot, however when she started work she became footsore on front (but not behind) and so was shod on front only so you also get some horses with stronger feet behind and more sensitive on front.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My daughters pony is shod in front only- as was my horse before he retired as its cheaper! They both got footy barefoot so we tried shoes in front only to see how they coped and they were both good like that so easy!

My Horse had his leg broken by a barefoot horse so imagine the damage had the little s*d had shoes on!
My ridden horse wears shoes all round as he does a lot of roadwork and I always had shoes on horses so it was just done without thinking! He would never ever kick anything though.

 

[Tobiano]

Yes I agree - main reason for not shoeing behind is if a shod horse kicks another it can break a leg very easily - much less likely with barefoot. Remember you dont have to be turned out in the field together for a horse to kick another one - though that is more common. It is easier to manage a horse shod in front and not behind because of the weight thing (most carried in front) though I found when I started doing road work and hunting I had to shoe my mare behind as well. Also it is a lot cheaper in farriers' bills! Finally we were advised to take Harry's back shoes off when he developed arthritis and this seemed to help him.

 

[Megibo]

As others have said, more of the horse's weight is on the front feet so they can sometimes suffer without shoes on. Back feet are usually better able to cope.
My mare was shod all round when we first got her 8 years back, then the farrier said she could cope fine without back shoes on so off they came, then he said try her without any shoes. So we did and she's been unshod since. When her workload is increased if her fore feet start to suffer she'll have fronts back on but I find the more work she does the tougher her feet get instead!

 

[hoggedmane]

I have had horses for 40 years now and have always had them shod behind. They have lived in groups where the majority of horses are shod behind.

I have known horses break legs but never through being kicked by another shod horse. The two I remember broke their legs when in a paddock by themselves. One kicked out over the fence and broke his cannon bone bringing it down on the fence. The other put his leg through the gate while pawing at it to get out.

There have been injuries from kicks and I appreciate that a shod horse will of course do more damage than an unshod horse but in a happy group of horses this risk is still low. I would not separate horses into individual paddocks just because they are shod as IMO this would be worse for their health and welfare.

So don't all rush out to electric fence your shod horses into separate paddocks!!

 

[Polos]

My 4yr old used to be shod only on the fronts purely because I was short of funds for a bit and he was coping with being barefoot at the back fine. As we began to do more roadwork he became a bit sore behind so I started shoeing behind.

 

[Persephone]

I don't like the damage hind shoes can do to another horse. I won't have hinds put on my mare unless I have no choice.

 

[Spot_On]

I've had horses shod all round, fronts only, and barefoot. Some coped better with being shod all round due to type of surface they were worked on, some did better being barefoot. Generally for the most part they just had fronts on, as they wore their hooves down a bit too quickly, and became footsore.

I hope to keep my next horse barefoot for as long as possible, providing they are comfortable.