Going barefoot ?

T

Troyseph

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 October 2011
Messages
309
Visit site
Has anyone taken the plunge? How long did your pony/horse take to transise?...my boys shoes came off last friday and so far so good but I know were only at the beginning of this journey...do you feed seaweed and cider vinegar? I've been recommended those....x
 
Hi,

Loads of posts on here if you search 'barefoot' - though some turned into a bit of a bun fight!! UKNHCP also have a brilliant forum with loads of helpful and knowledgeable people on - just stick it in Google. By far the most useful resorce is Feet First by Nic Barker and Sarah Braithwaite - you can get it from amazon. Really helpful book that has so much useful info in I just wouldn't know where to start describing it all!

Taking any horse barefoot is firstly about diet, then correct movement over a range of surfaces, trim is only a v v small part of the whole thing (and alot of people do without as the work on abrasive surfaces keeps the hooves just right).

Diet is the same as a healthy diet for any horse - fibre (low sugar/starch) with any minerals needed to bolster what is short in the grazing/hay. You'll pretty much definatly want to add magox (Equimins are cheapest I have found, just email them for a price list as it isn't on their website), other things are dependant on your grazing.

Current thinking is not to add seaweed as although it contains alot of useful micronutrients, it is also very high in iodine so should be avoided (again, unless you know otherwise from analysing your forage source).

If your horse gets on fine with fibre and magox then you should be all set to go and start working his feet inline with what he is comfortable with, this will stimulate structures in the hoof to strengthen. If you are finding that after a period of improvement, he plateaus, then it might be worth getting your grazing analysed and a feed plan worked out. Some horses manage fine without, some need all the help they can get! Forage Plus do this, and it is so interesting!

If he goes through a sensitive stage then hoof boots can be really useful to keep the benefits of work without shoes and helping the foot to develop. Thesaddleryshop is best for them as they do anything and everything! All of the size charts are there too, and if you find the choice just too much then they are v helpful too. If the sizes suit your horse then easyboot gloves are pretty much universally liked (they do a new wide version too). Best bet is to go with what fits your horses shape of hoof the best. Don't forget pads with them too as these help increase blood flow to the area so you get the most benefit of movement without shoes. A pair in front is usually suficient for a footy horse, and often as the hoof develops you can do without, but they help you get over any tricky bits initially.

Good luck! (both ours are barefoot, both hack for miles over allsorts, do dressage, showjump and endurance - shoes off will def not hold you back!).
 
I did it over the winter when the ground was generally softer, took the backs off first and then a couple of months later the fronts. I was lucky as my horse has the best feet ever, he self trims now as well! I didnt alter his diet at all and didnt give him and special extras/supplements, I think all that tosh is hype! Your horse will tell you if he can cope with going unshod or not. At first I tried to avoid gravelly tracks and just kept to grass and smooth roads.

Good luck!
 
No-one should feed seaweed without a forage anaylsis. If you are high in iron, manganese or molybdenum, iodine or low in copper as many areas are, then seaweed is NOT a good supplement and may actually cause your horse problems from excess iron, excess iodine or low copper uptake.
 
Andalusianlover said:
I did it over the winter when the ground was generally softer, took the backs off first and then a couple of months later the fronts. I was lucky as my horse has the best feet ever, he self trims now as well! I didnt alter his diet at all and didnt give him and special extras/supplements, I think all that tosh is hype! Your horse will tell you if he can cope with going unshod or not. At first I tried to avoid gravelly tracks and just kept to grass and smooth roads.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

many people will agree with you that the tosh is hype. Until about 7 years ago I would have agreed as well. You see like you I just took the shoes off, no special feed, rode and that was it. Common sense and no problems.

However experience has taught me that people who think it is hype are lucky. You have horses that are easy to take barefoot.

The problems start with a horse that cannot cope with going unshod. What to do then?
Solutions are either to say he cannot manage and shoe or find out why he cannot manage, correct the problem and go unshod.

I suspect that many of the people who just take their shoes off and it all works out easily for them don't frequent barefoot threads that much. They're too busy riding! :D:D
The ones that do have had to learn from bitter experience that there can be problems and the solutions.
 
I took the plunge a few months ago after my pony had a tendon injury
Always hated shoes but was scared to take them off as they were the norm and everyone i knew had shod horses!

her feet went really hot and tender for a week or so, and chipped quite easily

Now they are very strong and never chip - bit sore on stoney ground still but improving
her paces have improved so much and she jumps with real scope unlike ever before

one of the best decisions i made
 
My arab mare has just had her shoes taken off for the winter. Due to being an arab she has extremly good feet, the only reason I put shoes on her is for the spring/ summer months when we are competing so 1) I can put studs in (we've had bad accidents where both she and me have gone down because of slippy surfaces), 2) I do alot more road work.

She has no problem with the transition at all, you dont even notice that she is barefoot and isnt sore or lame. She isnt fed any supplements as she has Spillers original balancer, Chaff Extra and haylage and the grass where we are is very good quality.

I think it depends on your horse though and how good a feet they have too but its worth a go to see how they cope with it.
 
Last edited:
cptrayes said:
No-one should feed seaweed without a forage anaylsis. If you are high in iron, manganese or molybdenum, iodine or low in copper as many areas are, then seaweed is NOT a good supplement and may actually cause your horse problems from excess iron, excess iodine or low copper uptake.
Click to expand...

Agree. Seaweed was recommended years ago, but barefooters have moved on now.
 
Has anyone taken the plunge?
Click to expand...

Yes!

How long did your pony/horse take to transise
Click to expand...

I approached it in two stages, 1st the backs and then the fronts. The fronts have taken longer than the backs did as they have taken 10 weeks before my mare was able to fully cope with all the surfaces on my Yard, this includes road plainings and random stony surfaces. Initially we were sound on tarmac, swept concrete and grass. I have a pair of cavello hoof boots for the fronts and use those if I am going for longer hacks in the forest.

do you feed seaweed and cider vinegar?
Click to expand...

nope, we have transitioned on economy cubes, haylage, hifi, speedybeet and pink powder, with a minimum of 12hrs turnout.

I have read all I can find, and weighed up the pro's and the cons and have tried to keep it simple. I found if I tried to complicate matters it went wrong. At the end of the day I listen to my horse and applied my newly aquired knowledge as applicable

I do take notice of the barefoot people on here as there is useful advice, but as with anything your horse is an individual and you have to find what works for you.
 
charleysummer said:
I took the plunge a few months ago after my pony had a tendon injury
Always hated shoes but was scared to take them off as they were the norm and everyone i knew had shod horses!

her feet went really hot and tender for a week or so, and chipped quite easily

Now they are very strong and never chip - bit sore on stoney ground still but improving
her paces have improved so much and she jumps with real scope unlike ever before

one of the best decisions i made
Click to expand...

SUPER AGREE!!
I took mine off a few years ago and NEVER looked back:)
My horse took a year to settle completely - he was always totally fine on grass and a surface of a school but was tender going over the hardcore to the stables and on the road. I hacked him in Old Mac boots to help but now his feet are rock solid and will walk, trot, canter over any surface.
His jumping improved massively - he never ever slips when the ground is soft (I secretly smile at people who painstakingly screw in studs as I leap on and get on with it)

So Do it Do it and dont look back! I also learnt to trim my all my horses feet so now i'm not a slave to a farrier! yipee!
 
Hi,

By other half is a barefoot trimmer and I took the plunge!!! My boy was fine but he did not have shoes no for very long at all but happy charging around the field and we are hoping to compete him jumping next year barefoot.

We will see how it goes!! GOOD LUCK!!
 
annunziata said:
Hi,

By other half is a barefoot trimmer and I took the plunge!!! My boy was fine but he did not have shoes no for very long at all but happy charging around the field and we are hoping to compete him jumping next year barefoot.

We will see how it goes!! GOOD LUCK!!
Click to expand...
This is what I don't get, if the horse is doing fine b/foot it does not need trimming
 
One week in, to my boy with no shoes, all four off. I have no intention of working him (other than in the arena) this winter, or a hack round fields.

His paddock at the moment is grass and pea gravel (don't ask). He has not shown any sign of footiness (early days I know).

He is 20 yrs old and shod for the last 17 years of his life. I will play it by ear and if he can't cope I will put front shoes back on.

I think when we get frosty ground will probably decide whether he can cope or not. I will not see him uncomfortable. I have been dying to go unshod for some time as he has small feet and dinky frogs. I am hoping that his feet will be the better for no shoes. If not, will rethink.

I have not changed his food. He is on Hi Fi Lite, Fast Fibre and Cider Vinegar as he is a good doer.

Jane
 
Both of mine are barefoot, Captain I never thought we'd do it but he was amazing and was very fast to adapt. Our farrier suggested it after he kept losing shoes and his hooves were cracked, Captain is on hoof supplement permanently as he seems to have issues without it. Fany has incredibly hard hooves and also hate having shoes nailed on so we tried her bare foot and she has never really looked back. Our farrier is happy too!
FDC
 
paddy555 said:
can you explain why you think it doesn't need trimming?
Click to expand...
I had my horse trimmed when it was needed when he was not in work, now he is in work he gets thirty mins per day on tarmac and the feet are fine, I have asked three farriers to look at him and they say he is perfect, I inspect them pretty much every day and rasp off very little every so often, nothing that alters his basic gait.
He had a bit of chipping at first so I rounded off the edges, but other than that he seems fine.
He has had no farrier trim since July, there are no barefoot trimmers round here.
 
MrsD123 said:
I had my horse trimmed when it was needed when he was not in work, now he is in work he gets thirty mins per day on tarmac and the feet are fine, I have asked three farriers to look at him and they say he is perfect, I inspect them pretty much every day and rasp off very little every so often, nothing that alters his basic gait.
He had a bit of chipping at first so I rounded off the edges, but other than that he seems fine.
He has had no farrier trim since July, there are no barefoot trimmers round here.[/QUOTE

thanks. It seems from your comments that you do in fact trim ie rasping every so often, dealing with chipping.
I asked in case anyone misread your earlier post which seemed to suggest to me that trimming barefoot horses was uncessary and thought this was the norm.
Click to expand...
 
MrsD123 said:
This is what I don't get, if the horse is doing fine b/foot it does not need trimming
Click to expand...

Hi!!

Some horses break their feet naturally and dont need a lot of trimming. Andy also sorts out dishing in horses that are barefoot with trimming. because most horses are now ridden on a surface most of the time their feet do grow and require trimming. You expecially need a trimmer when the shoes first come off to try to help level the horses feet out into their natual balance. As you can imagine farrier cut the feet level and stick shoes on, when barefoot they have a natural curve to help with balance. I hasten to add this is a passion of my BF and not a full time job but something he is very keen on. My horse was fine when we took his shoes off but he HATES hacking so most of his work is in the school so Andy checks his hooves every six weeks so far so good and the shoes came off in May!!
 
MrsD123 said:
This is what I don't get, if the horse is doing fine b/foot it does not need trimming
Click to expand...

A barefoot horse that doesn't need trimming is the barefoot holy grail - it is certainly ideal, but def not easy to achieve, and for some horse/owner combinations might not be possible at all. Like anything else, it is a matter of what is right for the horse, and having the diet/exercise/trim decisions being taken following what the horses performace tells you, rather than what everyone else is doing, or what people on a forum manage.

As it happens both of ours need only v v occasional trimming to take sharp edges off rather than anything else, just so happens that is what suits ours, not that it is the only way for people to have working happy barefoot horses.

Your horse will tell you what is needed, the trick is in understanding that and managing to achieve what is required - v much easier said than done in many cases.
 
Yes, I take the point, my horse has very good feet, though rich grass makes him loopy and footy, I do manage my riding and grazing to suit his needs as much as mine, I am fortunate in that he needs little or no rasping, and as I don't know anyone else who has their horse barefoot I have nothing to compare it with. I assumed this was the norm rather than the exception!
 
MrsD123 said:
Yes, I take the point, my horse has very good feet, though rich grass makes him loopy and footy, I do manage my riding and grazing to suit his needs as much as mine, I am fortunate in that he needs little or no rasping, and as I don't know anyone else who has their horse barefoot I have nothing to compare it with. I assumed this was the norm rather than the exception!
Click to expand...

Not the norm, but def the ideal!
 
OK, well I am having footy problems, as am unable to stabilise his sugar intake without stabling him, I have him outside on a stone track for three hours and three hours out on [too] rich grass, I am gong to try the Cavallo simple boots as they are half the price of Easyboots, and come with gel pads and liners.
Hacking is mostly roads, and a bit of soft grass, so I don't forsee many problems, he has been on his diet and work regime for ten weeks and things are not improving in the footy department.
Comments please.
He has been on Quick beet for a while, should I change over to Fast Fibre?. also gets a mix suited to barefoot including 100 gm linseed meal.
 
Last edited:
MrsD123 said:
OK, well I am having footy problems, as am unable to stabilise his sugar intake without stabling him, I have him outside on a stone track for three hours and three hours out on [too] rich grass, I am gong to try the Cavallo simple boots as they are half the price of Easyboots, and come with gel pads and liners.
Hacking is mostly roads, and a bit of soft grass, so I don't forsee many problems, he has been on his diet and work regime for ten weeks and things are not improving in the footy department.
Comments please.
He has been on Quick beet for a while, should I change over to Fast Fibre?. also gets a mix suited to barefoot including 100 gm linseed meal.
Click to expand...

any chance of a bit more info Mrs D?
Age of horse. Aso if he is on a track for 3 hours and 3 on grass what happens to the other 18 hours?
First thoughts are that if he is footy a stone track may not be helping. ie it is too much for his feet at the moment.
What about forage wise is he getting hay, haylage or what?
Presumably quick beet is unmolassed similar to speedibeet. You could try putting the soaked beet in a sieve and running water through it to make sure there is no molasses left in it.
What is a mix suited to BF? what make and what is in it?

is he on any supplements?
what sort of horse? underweight/overweight?

There are probably small things in your diet you can tweak to help but ultimately I suspect your solution will be to get him off the grass for longer periods. Are you going to be able to do that in your set up?

One suggestion would be to make your stoney track less sharp for him and to keep him on there longer with soaked hay. Do you have any way of stabling him with the door open leading to the track (or anywhere else) so you use the stable as a sort of field shelter?
 
paddy555 said:
any chance of a bit more info Mrs D?
Age of horse. Aso if he is on a track for 3 hours and 3 on grass what happens to the other 18 hours?
First thoughts are that if he is footy a stone track may not be helping. ie it is too much for his feet at the moment.
What about forage wise is he getting hay, haylage or what?
Presumably quick beet is unmolassed similar to speedibeet. You could try putting the soaked beet in a sieve and running water through it to make sure there is no molasses left in it.
What is a mix suited to BF? what make and what is in it?

is he on any supplements?
what sort of horse? underweight/overweight?

There are probably small things in your diet you can tweak to help but ultimately I suspect your solution will be to get him off the grass for longer periods. Are you going to be able to do that in your set up?

One suggestion would be to make your stoney track less sharp for him and to keep him on there longer with soaked hay. Do you have any way of stabling him with the door open leading to the track (or anywhere else) so you use the stable as a sort of field shelter?
Click to expand...
Sorry, he is stabled for 16-18hours with soaked haylage pretty much ad lib.
The stony track has smooth stones, not sharp and he can elect to pick his way down the muddy bits, I just let him pick at grass, herbs, hawthorn hedge, and some haylage. He is here to keep him out but cut grass intake and reduce time in muddy field.
The field is a bit muddy, and he has a touch of mud fever.
The quick beet is soaked , no molasses, he gets 500gm per day in two feeds:
100gm linseed meal
15 gm Feedmark Steady up ........[magnesium and yeast sac]
10gm limestone flour
12gm Biotin
10gm seaweed meal
400 gm Mare and Youngstock [oats, peas, barley, maize, vits & mins]
He is seven, does 40 mins walking on tarmac, is not overweight.
I really don't want to keep him stabled any more than now, he needs to go out to get rid of excess energy.
And I don't want him on the track any longer as he is on his own, and I like him to have a bit of a rough and tumble with his pals.
He has only been on the track this week as he was getting footy, and I thought it would help him to dry his feet out and harden his feet, he is fine walking up and down it.
He has some good days, but really, overall, he is not getting any better vis a vis hardening of the feet, they look fine, but I feel they are getting too much water in them, all fields are wet.
Hacking, I try to let him pick his way up a tarmac road, taking the easiest route and using grass verges, he dislikes loose gravel as it is too sharp.
 
Last edited:
I would def add magox as so many improve alot on it.
Do you have a video camera? It would be worth checking that he doesn't have a slight medial lateral imbalance infront as this can also give a 'footy' feeling.
If you can, get someone to walk him towards you and past you and video it (it is easier to tell if you can slow or pause the vid). Is he is landing anything other than heel first flat then that could be contributing to your probs.
If all looks good on the vid, and adding magox doesn't give enough of a change to make him more comfortable, then it would be worth a go getting your forage analysed and a feed plan done so that you can be sure he is getting a balanced diet - it is so hard to do 'blind' as it were.
Best of luck!
 
ThePony said:
I would def add magox as so many improve alot on it.
Do you have a video camera? It would be worth checking that he doesn't have a slight medial lateral imbalance infront as this can also give a 'footy' feeling.
If you can, get someone to walk him towards you and past you and video it (it is easier to tell if you can slow or pause the vid). Is he is landing anything other than heel first flat then that could be contributing to your probs.
If all looks good on the vid, and adding magox doesn't give enough of a change to make him more comfortable, then it would be worth a go getting your forage analysed and a feed plan done so that you can be sure he is getting a balanced diet - it is so hard to do 'blind' as it were.
Best of luck!
Click to expand...
Yes, I am in a DIY yard and he moves around from one field to another, according to the YO, also the haylage is off the same farm but varies in composition, I can't do much about it, and as he is occasionally fine, I feel there is no basic problem. I do not like his feet to be so wet, and feel this is the main problem.
Steady up is a magnesium based supplement, but am happy to add a bit more.
He has perfect gait in the walk , but I listen to him as he comes in from the field, and can tell if he is confident or footy. In fact, his hind hooves are the best they have ever been [three and a half years]
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top