Going from barefoot to shod

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Allykat

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Not sure if this is the right section, but seeing as most people seem to be here.....

My 6 year old TB gelding has never had a set of shoes on. I didn't intend to keep him barefoot but my farrier has been so pleased with the state of his feet and has never suggested that I have him shod. My dilemma now is that if I want to compete over the summer months, I will be expected to ride on grass and will probably need studs.

Obviously I will discuss with my farrier, but would it be fair to just whack a set of shoes on and carry on as normal?? What are your opinions?

Thanks
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He has more grip on some surfaces but he doesn't seem to have much grip on longish grass. If I am to ride on ground as oppose to a surface it becomes weather dependent. Shod horses could have the option of studs for slippy ground where as I don't have that option. I personally would leave him now as he's had no problems *touch wood* with his feet and I am a sort of don't fix it if it isn't broken person. It was my instructor who put the thought in my head.

I need to invent some snap on shoes with fitted studs
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grass can be very slippy, i know i have been very glad of my stud on occaisions and my fella is very nimble footed , personally i would have a long discussion with your farrier regarding what type of work and how much of it you are planning
 
Why don't you try a set of Old Mac's/Boa boots before you dive in with nail on shoes, not cheap but if your horse has got nice bare feet I'd be loathe to stick nails in them.

The best X country round my barefoot arab ever did was in really slippy conditions, probably cos she would have hurt herself if she'd shoved the brakes on and she was much too good at looking after herself!
 
If I was planning to compete a lot then I would put shoes on. He will get used to them and once the season is over you can just have them taken off again.

I've had a couple of mine shod (only front shoes) for short periods even though neither of them had worn shoes before in their lives. They were a little quirky for the first week but then they settled into them and were fine. I had them taken off again 12 weeks later (obviously they were taken off and refitted at 6 weeks) and they just slotted straight back into being barefoot again.
 
Or try the Easy Boot Epic

for a while and see how you get on? They have good grip and I think there are some of them that can take studs

seems a pity to wreck your horse's whole frame and balance 24/7 for the relatively short duration of competing

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If your going to compete on grass a lot i would put shoes on. My 2 NFs had never had shoes on until they were 14 and 13 as they started doing a lot of roadwork due to being broken in to drive. I had no problems and they now have them off again as they are in-foal.
 
Are his feet very flat or concave? The more concave they are, the better grip you will get.

My mare is much happier jumping on grass barefoot then she ever was studded up to the hilt, you do have to make sure you ride them properly though and keep balanced.

I agree with the others above, I would be loathe to shoe him just in case - try competing barefoot first and see how he goes, he may surprise you. If you or him aren't happy after a trial period, then shoe him.

As for boots, the Epics are not remotely suitable for jumping on wet/long grass and can be very slippy. Old Mac G2's are much better, but personally I would prefer no boots.

You may find that the more work over different ground you do, the better concavity he gains too, which will aid traction (plus different trims can give different degrees of traction I believe)
 
Hi Ally, If I were you I would suck it and see.

Mine is shoeless and I keep umming and erring as to whether or not I will need to shoe him for competing. However, I find I have no problems with traction at home however my horse isn't the type to go hairing around a show jumping course.

I am going to go and hire some local cross country courses and see what happens there and also have a couple of show jumping lessons on grass and see how that goes. Perhaps you could do the same?

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Obviously I will discuss with my farrier, but would it be fair to just whack a set of shoes on and carry on as normal??

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Yep. I wouldn't hesitate.
 
My friend had a connemara gelding who had been unshod for about a year. She had him shod for hunting but said he didn't feel as confident on his feet as he had before. If I was in your position I would go xc schooling a few times to see how the horse coped without shoes.

I don't know what level of competition you are aiming at but I'm pretty sure hoof boots are listed in the probihibited items lists in the BE rule book. It caught my eye because our halfinger wears old mac g2s but I doubt he'll ever be doing BE.
 
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I don't know what level of competition you are aiming at but I'm pretty sure hoof boots are listed in the probihibited items lists in the BE rule book. It caught my eye because our halfinger wears old mac g2s but I doubt he'll ever be doing BE.

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Yes I noticed this in one of the magazines this week - its new rule for 2007 - mind you, it was listed as prohibited with tongue tieing down! Not sure that wearing hoof boots should be viewed in quite the same way!
 
Thank you all for your comments. Its nice to hear what you all think. I am more inclined to leave him and see how he goes. His feet are good...for a TB so I dont see why I should put that at risk.

We are only really going to be doing dressage and Jumping with a view to do BSJA by the next winter/indoor season, so I will see how he goes.

Thank you all again
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