Going unshod/barefoot

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rachm12

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Looking for information and people's experiences of going from shod to unshod. It's something I know very little about and have only ever dealt with shod horses and has always been the 'norm' for me. I have a Welsh D with great feet and was unshod when I bought him but he was just broken and in very little work. He's now had shoes on for 2 years. At the moment we just hack but looking to get going with jumping (and eventually low level competing/riding club/pleasure rides). My main concern about going unshod is how is feet will cope with roadwork and tracks.

Any information would be great. I'm a total novice when it comes to unshod or maybe I've been a bit ignorant to the idea!
 
I had major problems with my pony being shod due to a foot imbalance so went down the barefoot route. 15 months in and I cannot believe the difference in him, he no longer stumbles, is perfectly sound, is happy to hack out in summer without boots and self trims so the farrier needs to do very little each visit. He will never have rock crunching soles despite the extra supplements he has so I do boot all round in the winter when the ground is wet and yes it does take time to put all his boots on but you factor that time into tacking up. Would I do it for every horse, probably not but for this particular one it works and it works well. You will only know if you are brave enough to ditch the shoes but don't expect results overnight, transition takes time and patience but unless you try you will never know. If you need good solid advice talk to Liz Hapgood at the hoof boutique, she is an invaluable source of knowledge.
 
Yes I feel it's something I would just have to go for and see how it went. I know not to expect results over night. He does have good feet and I have no reason to think they wouldn't cope.
 
i got lucky with one of mine who just has good strong hooves and happily potters down the road barefoot on a basic diet with no special feeding or treatment. I have tried in the past to take some of the others barefoot, but they just weren't 100% with it at all.
 
Some are happy without shoes quite quickly, some not. Make sure your farrier is not trimming away the sole of the foot, like he would for a shod horse - a barefoot horse should have a lovely thick sole.

If horse is 'footy' during the transition, please consider hoof boots (usually only fronts are necessary) - not only because it's cruel to force a horse to work when it is uncomfortable, but also because he will take longer to come right if he has issues with remembered pain.
 
I hate shoes but I realise barefoot doesn't work for everyone, and as long as your farrier trims/tidies accordingly if it doesn't work out for you and the horse you can always put shoes back on.
I would be inclined to give it a try, if nothing else even it you don't decide to stay barefoot you'll know that it isn't for you and save you hours of wondering.
 
I had 2 horses, both with great feet and went barefoot. One horse was amazing, it was so much happier without shoes, moved more confidently, and I could very quickly build up the amount of time we spent on the roads - and we got a lovely 'clip clop' sound when on tarmac.

The other horse was horrible without shoes, actively searched out the softer ground, was almost lame over gravel. In retrospect, I feel that the fact this horse was 'overweight' was a large part of the problem and now I have sorted out her weight and have learnt a lot more about nutrition, I may try again.
 
Every horse is different not just foot-wise but metabolic-wise aswell so you can only arm yourself with good research, a decent hoofcare professional with lots of sound barefoot performing horses (this is really important imho) and give it a go.

Tracks are more of a problem than roads ime, as tarmac is smooth and perfect for barefeet. Tracks may need boots at first. But so many boots now you can have a lot of fun shopping.
 
I had mine less than a year ago, had his shoes off. It took months for them to harden, and in the summer they were prone to cracking - winter time they improved. He will go 2 months between trims, longer for the back. He gets a little sore for a week afterwards, but nothing drastic. I would thoroughly recommend it if you can, but remember it will take time and diet is very important! Mine is an ISH, quite a fine one and he is often ridden on the roads and worked most days. He is rarely moved on on the flat but always up hills - may explain how his hinds remain great! However with boots, if you use them all the time the hoof wont wear away naturally, something to consider. I also find he is more nimble footed on rough terrain and through water :-)
 
Rupertthebear said:
I had mine less than a year ago, had his shoes off. It took months for them to harden, and in the summer they were prone to cracking - winter time they improved. He will go 2 months between trims, longer for the back. He gets a little sore for a week afterwards, but nothing drastic. I would thoroughly recommend it if you can, but remember it will take time and diet is very important! Mine is an ISH, quite a fine one and he is often ridden on the roads and worked most days. He is rarely moved on on the flat but always up hills - may explain how his hinds remain great! However with boots, if you use them all the time the hoof wont wear away naturally, something to consider. I also find he is more nimble footed on rough terrain and through water :-)
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No horse should be more sore after a trim than it was before. If your trimmer knows, and does the same again, you have a VERY poor trimmer.
 
My mare was unshod her whole life until, at the age of ten her owner decided to sell her so she shod her. She has had shoes taken off and has had no problems. It is considerably cheaper too! She is much surer of foot now, she doesn't get stones stuck in her feet and the mud just doesn't cause the same problems it used too.
 
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