Going barefoot!!! : /

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Hoofs&paws

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I've had my pony forever and I'm not riding her as much as I used to..

When I finished competing her, 8 years ago, I had her shoes taken off to save a little money however her hoofs were very soft and kept splitting, consequently I had to have her shod again. However I'm now thinking because I barely ride her I could do with saving the money. Is there anything I can do to make them better so I could take her shoes off?
 
She's stabled oct-April and I give her haylage hard feed she has a basic economy mix and apple chaff. She's out on grass during the day. Last time I took them off she had them off for about 5 months. They seemed to crack and split from the bottom of her hoof upwards. I did try putting a hoof ointment on them but that didn't do anything.
 
Are you able to have her 'out' 24/7? Can you check out her feeds as to the sugar content? What does your farrier say? Do you understand what a 'mustang roll' is? Do you have the time to research barefoot forums/Phoenix forum? As a general observation it is usually the owner who cannot go barefoot rather than the pony/horse!! Good luck....
 
Hoofs&paws said:
She's stabled oct-April and I give her haylage hard feed she has a basic economy mix and apple chaff. She's out on grass during the day. Last time I took them off she had them off for about 5 months. They seemed to crack and split from the bottom of her hoof upwards. I did try putting a hoof ointment on them but that didn't do anything.
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Apple chaff alone is around 17% sugar, you need to cut sugar from her diet and feed her something low sugar/starch like Fast Fibre. Magnesium and Linseed are good for feet
 
Hoofs&paws said:
She's stabled oct-April and I give her haylage hard feed she has a basic economy mix and apple chaff. She's out on grass during the day. Last time I took them off she had them off for about 5 months. They seemed to crack and split from the bottom of her hoof upwards. I did try putting a hoof ointment on them but that didn't do anything.
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Basic economy mixes are often contain molasses and can be as much as 20% sugar. Apple chaff is also usually molassed and is high in sugar. Haylage depending how made can be very acidic, so not good for the hind gut and this shows in the feet.

Recently deshod hooves often split/crack at the bottom. This is perfectly normal and will continue until the nail holes have grown out. Cracks which extend much beyond the nail holes should be reviewed by an experienced HCP.

Hoof dressings are rarely of any use and in some cases can do more harm than good.

Diet, appropriate exercise, environment and sympathetic trimming (only when necessary) are the order of importance in getting good hooves.

There are lots of threads on here re diet for barefoot horse, but low sugar, high fibre and a quality mineral mix covers the basics.

Hope you are more successful this time.
 
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