mainpower
Well-Known Member
Two queries re going barefoot, any help/ideas much appreciated!
I have a ID/WD gelding, four in April, played about with and backed last summer but not actually ridden as very immature and croup high. Waiting for weather and light to improve to get cracking with him. Not shod,hoping to keep him that way, any tips? He has walked out on a variety of surfaces, never any "ouches" on stony or frozen ground.
Query 2! My other horse is 19 this year, I've owned him from birth, and he has been shod since 4 years of age. He is WD/Tb. About five years ago, due to me not riding for a few months, I had his shoes taken off, and when I started working him again I tried to leave him without shoes, but he seemed to get very sore in the sandschool, although was fine on flat roads and grass, so I had him reshod. Now like most people, finances are taking a battering, everything goes up bar my wages, so partly due to that but also because he's only going to be working lightly this year, I'd like to try again to have him barefoot. Due to myself having a hand operation,so time off riding, I had his shoes off three weeks ago, and I won't be riding for another 3/4 weeks. My farrier seems to think he will cope, he seems to have very hard and healthy feet, but he's definitely "wincing" at times, and this morning he was most unhappy about walking across the field after a hard frost in the night. What can I do to help him? Or has he been shod for too many years to be able to go barefoot now?
Both horses come in at night on shavings beds, I have very little grass in the winter field, so have overnight ad-lib hay,and two feeds of chaff, unmolassed sugar beet, hi-fi cubes and some oil.
Thanks for reading, and in advance for any help offered!
I have a ID/WD gelding, four in April, played about with and backed last summer but not actually ridden as very immature and croup high. Waiting for weather and light to improve to get cracking with him. Not shod,hoping to keep him that way, any tips? He has walked out on a variety of surfaces, never any "ouches" on stony or frozen ground.
Query 2! My other horse is 19 this year, I've owned him from birth, and he has been shod since 4 years of age. He is WD/Tb. About five years ago, due to me not riding for a few months, I had his shoes taken off, and when I started working him again I tried to leave him without shoes, but he seemed to get very sore in the sandschool, although was fine on flat roads and grass, so I had him reshod. Now like most people, finances are taking a battering, everything goes up bar my wages, so partly due to that but also because he's only going to be working lightly this year, I'd like to try again to have him barefoot. Due to myself having a hand operation,so time off riding, I had his shoes off three weeks ago, and I won't be riding for another 3/4 weeks. My farrier seems to think he will cope, he seems to have very hard and healthy feet, but he's definitely "wincing" at times, and this morning he was most unhappy about walking across the field after a hard frost in the night. What can I do to help him? Or has he been shod for too many years to be able to go barefoot now?
Both horses come in at night on shavings beds, I have very little grass in the winter field, so have overnight ad-lib hay,and two feeds of chaff, unmolassed sugar beet, hi-fi cubes and some oil.
Thanks for reading, and in advance for any help offered!