Going barefoot for a lami prone horse?

[Joeyjojo]

Hi all,

My sister is considering going barefoot with her Welsh Sec D gelding. He’s not in heavy work – probably 30 mins schooling or hacking 3 or 4 times a week, but the hacking does involve majority road work.

Anyway both of us are complete barefoot beginners – my knowledge is limited to barefoot = no shoes! So I was very much hoping that the wisdom of HHO would help us.

The plan would be to get hoof boots & regular trims for him and that overall going barefoot will cut the rather expensive shoeing costs (the South West appears to be particularly expensive). Does that sound sensible or will it be a false economy?

The other concern is that he’s prone to Laminitis and has had a couple of bouts over the last few years. These have always been caught at the very early stages and he has recovered in a few days (he’s still on a muzzle/chipping pen and hay diet), but would going barefoot be a bad idea for a laminetic horse?

General tips or recommendations for barefoot trimmers in the North Somerset (Nailsea/Clevedon) area would be much appreciated!

Thanks

PS Krispy Kreme's on offer for replys (I've eaten far too many today)

 

[Suffolkangel]

You will get many different replies to this question, but i will tell you my experience. My Welsh x Caspian is lammi prone, and after getting badly bruised feet from a poor farrier it was suggested by my vet and new farrier to put front shoes on to support her feet. I had them on her for a year and she was lame more often then not due to the shoes being hammered on, it brought on concussive lammi. I had her shoes removed and have kept her bare foot (still using the new farrier) again and (touch wood) she hasn't been lame since. I have bought some Old Mac's for her for when the ground is hard, but haven't actually used these for the last 2 years, and she's going strong. We do all sorts front hacking to jumping to endurance rides. I never have a problem.

 

[Oberon]

Going barefoot would be a great idea. Jaime Jackson's Founder: Prevention and Cure is book based on barefoot and lami - might be worth a read.

The main advantage you would have is that the Welshie would have an 'early warning system' if he were to come down with lami again. This would give your sis the chance to intervene before it becomes a full attack.

The disadvantage is that - if the Welshie will need his diet and management to be just so, in order to be successful.

She may need support from experienced barefooters if she hits a bump.
I am a member of the UKNHCP forum and it is a good place to go for advice if needed.

It does sound like she already has the management down to a T. It may be helpful to look into dietry support for a horse prone to lami - he may require more copper and magnesium in his diet etc - but that's something for the more exp barefooters to talk about

Please ensure the farrier knows not to pare the sole of frog of a barefoot horse and to appreciate that the hooves may rebalance during the first few months and to try and let them do their 'thing'.

 

[Joeyjojo]

Thanks everyone for the replies!! Looks like barefoot might be the way forward with him

I'll also suggest she looks at his diet to see if there is anything else she can do there.

I'm sure I'll be back soon for recommendations for hoof boots!

 

[tallyho!]

Mine is a barefoot lami-prone. Whoever you use, make sure they are used to trimming performance barefoot horses and not just pasture trims. Aswell as farriers, some are very pro-barefoot so see if you can find one that is. Alternatively, look to the UKAEP or UKNHCP trimmers. Both websites have a list of qualified persons to help you and if I were you, ask if they specialise in laminitis/metabolism. I find it the best option, however, this is my opinion and I have had a very good experience.

Mine has been out of shoes for over a year. I did a fun-ride in the Mendips recently with no boots for 6 hours and it was hot, dry and stony without a problem.

Diet is a huge part in barefoot. May I suggest a few books aswell as Jamie Jackson's Founder book, buy the Horse Owners Guide and Pete Ramey. Others worth reading are Nic Barkers Feet First.

Don't jump into it. I deliberated and researched for two years before trying and wished I'd done it sooner, but at least I knew what I was going into.

 

[Pale Rider]

I can only reiterate what other pro bare foot folk have said here. In my view it is the only way forward for lamanitic's but it has to be done properly taking into account all aspects of management.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

My pony has always been barefoot and recently she came down with lami, she became lame while I was out riding. There is no rotation of sinking of the pedal bone or white line problems, just very bruised soles at the toe and lameness. My vet said that she shows no signs of previous problems and that this first episode was picked up straight away because she is unshod and being ridden; if she'd been shod and in a field we probably would have not seen anything much amiss and that it might have been weeks or months before anything was apparent, during which the LGL could have wreaked its damage to her feet. Also barefoot means a more natural hoof usage with the frog pressure on the ground helping to maintain blood supply round the hoof. And no nail concussion

So I would say although it's a bit of work, it's going to give you a much better chance of spotting impending problems and nipping them in the bud.