Going barefoot today! What to expect?

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live2ride

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So as title says Im taking the plunge and taking all of my mares shoes off, well 3 cus she hasn't had a shoe on the one for 2 weeks now.

However, Im also wondering what I should expect the farrier to do, should he trim them or just take the shoe off? (they were only last done 3 weeks ago)

Any tips you can give me to make this transition easy for her please
 
My boys shoes came off yesterday. Farrier gave the a little file, trimmed the frogs a bit and gave him a slap on the bum and see you in 7 weeks time! Yay

But we did diuscss the fact that they might chip a bit round the nail holes and that I shouldnt let other people get to me and if they have to go back on they do, but at least his feet have time to rest.

Good luck - I have lots of pics in my album
 
Just be aware of different surfaces and that you may need to just let him pick his way over any stony ground - if done 3 weeks ago then shouldn't need anything done- good luck and don't forget know one can hear you coming down the road behind them!
 
Just whipping them off and hoping for the best is a recipe for disaster, esp if she'd been shod for years and has shoe sick feet.

You're best making adjustments to the diet before they come off. Cut out all sugar and carbs from the diet (which includes hard feeds and green grass) and put her in a good general supplement (and maybe look at a more specific mineral balance later if you're having issues). Go and do lots of research into barefoot and diet as diet diet diet is the key.

Treat her frogs for thrush just in case.

The farrier will tidy the feet up and no doubt tell you that 'she might not manage and may need shoes back on'. Id be amazed if he offers any other advise on diet, boots or dealing with any thrush but you might get lucky.

She needs to work her feet for them to recover. If she's comfortable then smooth tarmac is the best possible surface to build her feet up. Lots of walking on the roads is perfect. If you've not got the diet right, or do a little to much too fast or need to ride over stoney tracks right away, she might need hoof boots for a bit to keep her comfy.
 
coffeeandabagel said:
My boys shoes came off yesterday. Farrier gave the a little file, trimmed the frogs a bit and gave him a slap on the bum and see you in 7 weeks time! Yay

But we did diuscss the fact that they might chip a bit round the nail holes and that I shouldnt let other people get to me and if they have to go back on they do, but at least his feet have time to rest.

Good luck - I have lots of pics in my album
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ARGH!!! dont let the frogs be trimmed! This is when horses often end up foot sore - the frog should be in contact with the ground and should be tough like a big shock absorbing callous - trimming frogs is a HELL NO!!!
 
You can likely expect her to be the same than on the currently unshod foot. If she is hoping lame on it, you can expect hoping lame on all 4 and should look into boots/supplements/revised feed etc..., if she is perfectly fine, then you can likely expect perfectly fine and just enjoy and build up the work progressively if she is to do lots of work on potentially challenging surfaces.
For the trim, nothing to some tidying up of the wall (rounding) is advised, it is generally better to leave frog and sole well alone.
 
DON'T Let the farrier trim his frogs.
DON'T Let the farrier scrape his sole
DO ask him to file the edges of the hoof wall so that they are bevelled / rolled. This will help prevent flare and chipping and will start them on their way to healthy wear and growth.

As others have said, I hope you've adressed any basic potential diet issues - removed sugary feeds and cereals as a basic start...
 
I'd just like to add i have researched into this.. She is on a low sugar and starch diet, high in fibre with a good all round supplement

She is currently fine on the unshod hoof. And has been since day 3 after losing it, was just a bit sore on the frost ground when she lost it

Thanks for the advice so I can keep an eye on what the farrier will be doing and what I don't want done :)
 
he took a slice down edges - not huge but as you say to tidy it - but still oops! Hope it was OK - horse didnt seem bothered yesterday, we did 15 mins in sand school in hand, or this morning going out to field.

Farrier did say I might need boots but that foot shape would change so not to get new one. Made me laugh by saying dont do road work! And that horses had been shod for 200 years because of roads.......
Mind you he aid that he reccomenrds taking shoes off every horse for a period every year to let them rest.
 
coffeeandabagel said:
he took a slice down edges - not huge but as you say to tidy it - but still oops! Hope it was OK - horse didnt seem bothered yesterday, we did 15 mins in sand school in hand, or this morning going out to field.

Farrier did say I might need boots but that foot shape would change so not to get new one. Made me laugh by saying dont do road work! And that horses had been shod for 200 years because of roads.......
Mind you he aid that he reccomenrds taking shoes off every horse for a period every year to let them rest.
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That's quite common. I would personally not get too hung up on it but ask if he could leave frog alone next time and see how it is at next trim. It might or might not cause sensitivity, but it is generally not needed. It looks more tidy but you want as much as frog callous as you can get to support the horse. The sensitivity from frog trimming is more likely to show when your horse is crossing gravel, flint or stony surfaces during hacks. You will generally notice that horse was fine before trim to go across that surface but reluctant/hesitant after a trim.
 
coffeeandabagel said:
Farrier did say I might need boots but that foot shape would change so not to get new one. Made me laugh by saying dont do road work! And that horses had been shod for 200 years because of roads.......
Mind you he aid that he reccomenrds taking shoes off every horse for a period every year to let them rest.
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It's frightening that a professional, someone whom most people take to be gospel about feet, is advising that :eek: No wonder so many people need to use a barefoot trimmed instead. Farrier are doing themselves no favours!
 
My trimmer wouldnt even take the shoes off until at least 6 weeks after being last shod. I dont know the deep technicalities of it but basically horses foot needs trimming back way more for getting shoes on than for being ridden barefoot. Your horse may be out of action for a few weeks on hard ground, boots and pads might help. My new one went barefoot recently and trimmer recommended i walk him in hand on roads for 2 weeks first.
 
weebarney said:
My trimmer wouldnt even take the shoes off until at least 6 weeks after being last shod. I dont know the deep technicalities of it but basically horses foot needs trimming back way more for getting shoes on than for being ridden barefoot. Your horse may be out of action for a few weeks on hard ground, boots and pads might help. My new one went barefoot recently and trimmer recommended i walk him in hand on roads for 2 weeks first.
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Ok, this may have been the case for your horse but it is a HUGE generalisation... On this forum alone we have seen many cases of overgrown / stretched / misshapen hooves being put in shoes... including 'freshly shod' hooves...
 
CB fan: think what weebarney means is if they've recently been shod they will have been trimmed very very short (and prob had the soles and frogs trimmed)
to have the shoe on. That doesn't give them much foot left if the shoe comes off early. At least after 6weeks of shoeing there will be a bit of growth and some foot to play with for a barefoot trim.
 
CBFan said:
Ok, this may have been the case for your horse but it is a HUGE generalisation... On this forum alone we have seen many cases of overgrown / stretched / misshapen hooves being put in shoes... including 'freshly shod' hooves...
Click to expand...

I dont really understand your reply in reference to what i said. Leaving shod feet at least 6 weeks before removing shoes was not for just MY horse but any horse, its pretty standard practice as far as i know.
 
weebarney said:
My trimmer wouldnt even take the shoes off until at least 6 weeks after being last shod. I dont know the deep technicalities of it but basically horses foot needs trimming back way more for getting shoes on than for being ridden barefoot. Your horse may be out of action for a few weeks on hard ground, boots and pads might help. My new one went barefoot recently and trimmer recommended i walk him in hand on roads for 2 weeks first.
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Rockley also request that the shoes are kept on for 6 weeks after a diet change. It helps the sole be in the best shape that it can be before it is expected to bear additional weight on it.

Weebarney, I think what your trimmer was referring to was that some really good farriers try to get the frog as close to ground bearing as they can possibly manage, and to do that the trim is indeed a lot shorter than a trim for an unshod horse. Some also remove height at the toe on some horses to balance a low heel, and those toes will also be too short for an immediate removal of the shoes.
 
I did ask on here how long i should leave the shoes for and was recommended 6 weeks also but maybe i share the same trimmer as the person who recommended it to me?
 
And roadwork is brilliant for BARE hooves - I think it is one of the very best things you can do.

A long ribbon of black abrasive surface! I'm happy to trot and canter for short sections of road too. (not booted of course - boots and roads can be an interesting combination)
 
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