sturgo
Well-Known Member
If your only walking and its a short hack is it OK?
Hacking without shoes...
- Thread starter sturgo
- Start date
claire1976
Well-Known Member
Should be fine. Try and keep on softer ground if your horse is used to having shoes on all the time, feet might be a little tender on stony ground.
rascal
Well-Known Member
Our shire x mare always hacks without shoes, never had any. She goes out two or three times a week. Like Claire said just lookout for the stones.
ISHmad
Well-Known Member
There are endurance horses doing 100 miles without shoes, as their feet have been conditioned over time to cope with all terrain. Or they use boots for stoney conditions etc.
A short hack should be absolutely fine, have a great ride.
A short hack should be absolutely fine, have a great ride.
claire1976
Well-Known Member
My mare has bare back feet and my sisters horse has all 4 feet bare. We hack out 3-4 times a week for at least an hour and they are fine, but like ISH says - they have been conditioned over time.
D
Donkeymad
Guest
Our Shire X has always been shod but, due to the farrier being off work, he recently spent two months or so unshod. We still took him out and he was fine, but we did try to avoid stony/rough tracks.
kerilli
Well-Known Member
if you keep to verges/grass, and it's not stony, then yes, it should be. depends on the horse or pony's feet. a friend had a pony she used to ride out on the roads once a week, unshod, for about an hour, and its feet were so strong they stood up to it. others are crippled going barefoot in the fields when it's hard.
Ecila
Well-Known Member
i hack my mare without shoes, she doesnt like stoney bits but has no probs otherwise!
clipclop
Well-Known Member
If you start off steady and condition the feet you will be very surprised how far you can go.
Think of it a bit like if you did a days gardening but hadn't done any manual work for a long time. You will more than likely get blisters. However, if you build your work up slowly and look after your hands before you know it you will be able to garden all day long without knowing about it.
I started with 20 mins rides on hacks (nice tarmac) and then progressed from there. Eventually the feet become "rock crunching" and you can go anywhere. If of course you look after the feet and frogs correctly.
Try it, it'll either work for you or it won't.
Think of it a bit like if you did a days gardening but hadn't done any manual work for a long time. You will more than likely get blisters. However, if you build your work up slowly and look after your hands before you know it you will be able to garden all day long without knowing about it.
I started with 20 mins rides on hacks (nice tarmac) and then progressed from there. Eventually the feet become "rock crunching" and you can go anywhere. If of course you look after the feet and frogs correctly.
Try it, it'll either work for you or it won't.
Stacie_and_Jed
Well-Known Member
We were un-able to shoe my old pony and i had her for 4 years lots of hacking and her feet were fine. She still has no shoes and the owner still hacks her and she's never had a problem. Very hard feet. (never trimmed either which is amazing)!!
clipclop
Well-Known Member
I WANT THAT PONY!!
grandmaweloveyou
Well-Known Member
your horse will soon tell you if he/she cant cope, and if he/she doesnt, your farrier soon will when he comes to trim their feet
skewbaldpony
Well-Known Member
we have three with no shoes and they are also fine, we live in an area where there are lots of limestone tracks, put down to keep the cows' feet worn down, so that helps with farrier bills.