Going Barefoot

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ElliePippa

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This may be one of the most controvesial(sp) topics i have posted on here...
But,
Pippa has awful feet. I mean awful awful feet, she wont hold shoes, we go through at least a shoe a week.
So then i thought, what about shoeless. We only have our M&M shoeless, none of the big ones.
What are the pros and cons of going shoeless?
What should i do, just take of the shoes, wait a while etc?
And, Can i do all of the normal things a shod horse can do? XC, showing etc?
Thankyou
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I think you best speak to your farrier about this as he probably knows your horses feet best. A friend of mine has her horse barefoot and it is a chunky 16.1 type, I know she does all the things i do including xc and showing and doesn't seem to have any problems.
I'm not sure of all the pros and cons as my working horse has shoes.
 
It may take a while (up to a month?!) for your horse to adjust and he may struggle and be a bit foot sore for a while when you take the shoes off (you know how you make the shoes-to-flipflop transition in the summer and your feet are a bit soft so you hobble occasionally, it is the same for them
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) but ultimately once his feet have toughened up you can do practically everything a shod horse does (perhaps with the exception of crossing sharp gravel without whincing a bit?)
If you are struggling to keep shoes on your horse I would genuinely give barefoot a try as it is likely to prove a much more effective solution for you
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Good luck
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All of those questions are going to depend on the horse, Ellie. I've had/known horses that can have their shoes whipped off and not notice, but others, like my exmoor, can struggle according to the season.

If your reason for going shoeless is terrible feet, then why not consider hoofboots? I use Cavallo Simple Boots on Henry, but have also used Easyboot Epics and one day I might splash out on 'Hoofwings'.

Speak to your farrier about it as an option. You might find he breathes a huge sigh of relief if she's losing them all the time! The Cavallos can also be used to turn out in, so helping to prevent chipping where the nail holes are.

I know people who compete to advanced eventing, hunt, show, drive, compete endurance, all without shoes. I don't think size of horse is the issue - my big boy was 16hh and was absolutely fine on all terrain. My 'hardy' exmoor just cannot cope with the stony tracks round here, when it's damp in his field (so we lose conditioning).

Pros? Healthier feet (assuming trims are still carried out every 6-8 weeks), no loss of shoes, cheaper (if you use farrier!).

Cons? More attention normally required to environment. I have a field-kept pony, hence he struggles on stony tracks. You can't keep a horse in a muddy field and then expect them to cope with road planings/flint. You might also find that you spend as much on hoofboots as you do on shoes, especially at the beginning. You will also develop a paranoia as to whether horsey is footy or just not wanting to go a particular route (Henry is an expert at this!!) and an unhealthy obsession with hooves. I can't meet someone's horse without looking at the feet - it's like men and boobs!
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p.s. there are now hoofboot loan schemes, if you want to have some on standby in case she is sore without them, even on pasture. The Saddlery Shop does this and I'm sure others do it now, too. Get you AND your farrier to measure the feet according to the size charts (also on saddlery shop website), to make sure you're consistent in sizing.
 
I would advise having a talk with your farrier, to see what he thinks.
My have an anglo arab who'd always worn shoes until she was 16, she adapted very well. I have hunted her & taken her to fun rides with no problems, she was fine on grass & roads from day one but took a few months to be ok on stones.
I have done it for totally financial reasons, the last few months have been very tough for me (my partner has been out of work) & it has made the difference between being able to keep her & having to send her back (she's a Blue Cross horse).
She's had her shoes off for about 9 mths now & she's learnt to look out for stones & tip toes through them! She's fine on large stones but isn't too keen on the small sharp ones if I see them up ahead I give her her head & let her pick her way though. It works for us.
Some of the local roads are very slippery & she never slips, there are a couple of roads which a particulary bad which I avoid on a shod horse but can ride her along with no concerns.
Fortuately my farrier is sympathic to barefoot which has helped. It isn't for everybody but it's worth a try, you've got nothing to loose by giving it a go, if it doesn't work out just have her reshod. At least then you'll know it isn't for her.
 
She may need to go barefoot, and you may not be able to use her unless you get boots as if her feet are already in poor condition she may not cope well without shoes. The only thing to do is take them off and see how you get on. Talk to your farrier as he knows your horse and her feet.

A barefoot period may mean for her tha she gets the chance to grow nice healthy hooves that can then be reshod (depending on how she is coping and what use she has etc ect)
 
We took the shoes off my horse after he had them renailed on 9 times in 2 weeks :O
Once they were off we just only did small amounts of roadwork and kept on grass and I now event him and do exactly the same as before but without wworrying if he will still have his shoes!!
 
Hi,

My TB event horse has to winter barefoot to let his feet sort themselves out. He had terrible feet but now I have a amazing farrier (whos suggestion it was to get the shoes off)

My boy couldnt cope being barefoot in the summer, but it very much depends on the horse. He has them off in Oct/Nov at which point he is very footsore so I try to leave him out in the field to get used to it. After a month or so hes ok, altho does find walking on the stones a bit painfull.

He has some old macs (hoof boots) for when he comes back into work after his break. He gets compleatly fit in them, fast work, jumping etc (altho he does work barefoot if the ground is nice, he jumps, does fast work etc) then has shoes back on a few weeks before his first event. This routine has been a total godsend on his feet, nothing has done them more good.

It works with some horses and not with others tho and you do end up feeling a bit harsh when there footy for the first while.

My friend is a EP so that helps and I think having a farrier who is open to the idea of barefoot and a EP that isnt anti shoes in the right circumstance helps 100%

Having spells of being barefoot at the right time of year has helped his feet more than you would believe, esp with the hoof boots, which do look stupid but if it works it works lol
 
your horse sounds like it could do with a break from shoes in any case but I would recon that a break rather that forever would be the best thing for her... taking back the toes and giving her a bit more support at the back of her feet should give her alot more support and comfort, in my opinion from not seeing any pictures or as a fact the horse she should keep her shoes on. I just need to ask, does she trip alot? barefoot is lovely if your horse can do it but I stress that don't put your needs before your horses, if it needs shoes, put shoes on! plus I'm writing this using my other halves account, she asked me if I had any ideas for you...
 
PROS (These will only happen if the trim, the feeding, the foot conditioning and the environment are ALL right. They have all been documented many times over, for references PM me):

Beautiful, beautiful feet. You may become besotted with how beautiful a natural foot is. You'll never be able to look at a shod foot the same way again.

Never have to worry again about losing a shoe - this one benefit is HUGE.

Safer turnout, kicks without shoes cause a lot less damage.

Fewer overreaches and less injury when they do happen.

Never slip on a tarmac road again - and they love SMA!

Usually - better hind leg movement.

Usually - immediate reduction/cessation of front foot tripping.

Usually - rapid increase in topline, particularly behind the saddle.

Sometimes - behavioural changes to a calmer horse.

Probable - very unlikely to get navicular syndrome.

Case studies show mending of very severely cracked feet; recovery from navicular syndrome in horses recommended for shooting; joining of sheared heels, reshaping of flat or distorted feet, thickening of thin hoof walls and soles, rebuilding of underrun heels. Unmatched front feet often become much more of a pair .

Very early awareness of laminitic issues - you'd have to be seriously stoopid not to spot your horse has issues well before it goes into a laminitic stance or causes any serious foot damage.

A terribly smug feeling when you event in summer and hunt all day in winter and people can't understand why your horse is still sound at the end of the day and fit to start again the next week.



CONS:

You will discover just how many horses are sensitive to green grass intake (reckoned to be 4 in 5), resulting in sole sensitivity in summer unless removed from grass for at least half the day.

You will have to take personal responsibility for your horse's foot health and it will feel like very a big responsibility at first.

It can be difficult to find a competent trimmer (farrier or not) and you may even be forced to train to do it yourself. In which case - get a strong back!

They do better if they are not left in a wet field 24/7 or full time in a stable, but have access to a dry area where they can still get movement. That can be very difficult to achieve in a livery yard.

If you are in a livery yard, expect to be constantly assailed with negative comments in all but the best yards.

You cannot expect to hack out for 2 hours on roads at weekends if all you do is 20 minutes in a fibre arena during the week. Consistency of workload is usually required. You might get away with it, you might not.

Depending on foot quality, the transition period can take 2 years. Some go fine from day 1, some don't. Some need boots, some don't. Some abcess several times, some don't.

You can't use studs, and psychologically YOU may need them even though the horse doesn't.

I hope that helps. Don't go for it lightly. Do all the research you can do. Go and see people like me who can show you what it entails. If you start and don't see it through please don't go blaming "barefoot". It's not the shoeless bit that causes the issues, it's owners not being able to provide the work, environment, food etc that causes most "barefoot" failures. Not every owner can provide what it needs. It takes time, work and the right facilities, which many people don't have, so don't blame yourself either.
 
hi there ,i dont want to get into a shouting match, so i will just state the obvious did you,r horse ever have no problem feet in the past.[recent past] if so then he has fallen victim to constant shoeing, this happens to thousants of horses every year. the feet are tired, numb, unhealthy , poor blood supply. so this must stop, he must be given time to return to health in his feet. all sorts of suplaments are available both to feed an rub on the feet. they are fine, but his feet will not heal untill circulation is returned. there are plenty of things you can use to protect his feet. dont believe that he could go straight to barefoot, he has unhealthy feet and must be protected for now with urithane products or boots
 
I made the barefoot call a year ago for the very same problems. Not because i wanted to try barefoot but because i had been down every other avenue available to me. I understand how frustrating it is. My mare used to lose shoes regularly esp. when in straight bars. She was losing them all the time and it just got to the point where it was cr*p for her, cr*p for me and a ball ache for the farrier. I made the decision to retire her from work and go barefoot.
 
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