Hello barefoot peeps - views/info please

Bernster

Bernster

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Ok, so this is for a friend, which always sounds a bit dodgy I know but she's not online much and I think she's finding it hard to be objective/positive about this one so I said I'd help gather some info.

Long story short - she's just been told by farrier (normal, not barefoot/remedial) that her horse's feet are in a bad way and he should have a year off from riding, no shoes and out in the field to allow new hoof to grow. As he's a heavy type (16.1 chunky ID) she thinks he can only be walked in the school so can't be in regular work. She is therefore thinking of retiring him for a year.

Ok I thought, but I know HHO and I know there are lots of barefoot people here with masses of info and experience, so....

(1) Is it not a bit odd that a horse currently in regular work, shod all 4, sound and fit, should suddenly now be a horse that needs to have a year off with no shoes? Without prior notice/warning (so far as I am aware)? He has no special routine/feed etc for feet.

(2) Having a year off sounds fairly dramatic - does that sound right?

(3) Heavier horses can't do any work (other than walking in the school) without shoes on?

(4) Can you recommend a good source of info for managing a barefoot horse e.g. weblink, books, articles that you found helpful?

He's staying in work until early next year so it's not like he's an emergency case. It would be nice to get some helpful info for her so she can weigh up her options.

Thanks peeps - is it too early for chocolate hob nobs and ginger cake?
 
Never too early for hobnobs :D

Firstly take pics from the side, get on the floor so they are level, the front and sole of all 4 feet. Then post them here

http://phoenixhorse.myfastforum.org/forum2.php

1) yes seems very odd

2) If you dont know how to feed/ condition barefeet and the farrier is expecting him to be hopping lame possibly. However i think im right in saying 6-8 months to grow a new hoof capsule.

3) bull***** - I have a 16.3 friesian who is barefoot, has amazing feet according to my trimmer and stomps over every surface i find :D

4) Yep see my first link +

http://barefoothorseblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Books by Pete Ramey, Jamie Jackson, Sarah Braithewaite etc etc

Where is the horse kept? I can probably link you a trimmer who would be more informed and could do a consultation on the feet, as the farrier sounds a little out of his depth tbh

Hope this helps
 
Have a look at Rockley Farm's blogspot too, lots of info on there. My heavyweight cob has recently come back from there and is now totally barefoot and doing about 20 miles of roadwork hacks each week as well as schooling etc. Vet wanted to turn him away for a year too because of collateral ligament damage and navicular. Sound now lol! :)
 
I knew you guys would come up trumps. Photos at the weekend and sensitively handled discussions with friend methinks, so she knows there are some less drastic options to consider !!
 
Where is the horse kept? I can probably link you a trimmer who would be more informed and could do a consultation on the feet, as the farrier sounds a little out of his depth tbh

Sorry TT missed this bit - South Herts.
 
(1) Is it not a bit odd that a horse currently in regular work, shod all 4, sound and fit, should suddenly now be a horse that needs to have a year off with no shoes? Without prior notice/warning (so far as I am aware)? He has no special routine/feed etc for feet.

Yes Very Odd. There is no reason why, with a bit (or maybe a lot) of modification to his diet, perhaps the use of some hoof boots for some / all work initially, as well as some changes to his management (possibly) he can't perform some, if not all of his usual tasks. She will just have to listen to him and learn what he can and can't handle.

(2) Having a year off sounds fairly dramatic - does that sound right?

It does sound rather dramatic yes.

(3) Heavier horses can't do any work (other than walking in the school) without shoes on?

My Boy is 17.1 + so your friends horse is positively small in comparison. he performs most tasks comfortably but his feet have been conditioned to the work that I ask of them and he is fed accordingly. His waistline is strictly monitored too!

(4) Can you recommend a good source of info for managing a barefoot horse e.g. weblink, books, articles that you found helpful?

Just google 'barefoot horses' and a wealth of info comes up... but this forum is a pretty reliable source of knowledge :)

He's staying in work until early next year so it's not like he's an emergency case. It would be nice to get some helpful info for her so she can weigh up her options.

Thanks peeps - is it too early for chocolate hob nobs and ginger cake?

Never too early!
 
Bernster said:
Where is the horse kept? I can probably link you a trimmer who would be more informed and could do a consultation on the feet, as the farrier sounds a little out of his depth tbh

Sorry TT missed this bit - South Herts.
Click to expand...

I'm in herts and I would be happy to reccomend a trimmer if she wanted more information / support than perhaps her farrier can provide :)
 
Id def be getting a second opinion - and the trimmer should be able to explain exactly what is going on to reassure your friend :)

Eleanor Glaisher 07890 748895 UKNHCP qualified trimmer

Mark Johnson 0780 1106649 UKNHCP q.t v highly recommended, travels a lot but i think he covers that bit.
 
On the plus side while we might think there are other ways to approach this to keep the horse moving and rehab the feet, it's nice to see a farrier advocating a break from shoes to allow the foot to regrow rather than going down the remedial shoeing route.
A shod horse's foot will grow a bit slower so it takes about 9 months to grow from top to bottom so a year isn't miles out.

And it may be sudden to the owner but the farrier may have noticed that the foot as been deteriorating and the conditions this year mean that any horse with a dietary susceptibility has been struggling which could have caused further deterioration. You see alot of horses around with poor feet and it seems no one says anything or seems to be aware till they actually goes lame and then everyone is surprised.
 
Neither of the 2 trimmers Tigertail mentioned would come south or west as far as Radlett so I struggled for the first year I was barefoot to find someone but I can send you my trimmer's details if you need one.
 
It sounds as though the farrier's heart's in the right place. I think it is unneccessary for the horse to have a year off if it is not lame, however. Excercise (within the horse's comfort) is vital for growing better hoof.

The horse's size is not particularly relevant - on a healthy hoof the laminae cannot be torn apart by mechanical pressure, the connection is too strong. So the trick is to grow a healthy hoof. Virtually all of the problems encountered when people go barefoot are because the hoof is not healthy. So looking at it that way, shoeing as a solution doesn't make much sense ;). Diet, movement and environment are the key.
 
Yes pls - PMs for trimmers in Herts would be very welcome, thanks.

Criso - tis a fair point, he's never had great feet (tend to rot a bit in the winter and pulls shoes off when getting near the end of his 6 week cycle) and I suspect this weather is really putting them to the test.
 
buy her a copy of "Feet First - Barefoot Performance and Hoof Rehabilitation" as an early Christmas present ;)

I have just finished it and it is a really excellent and informative read. It has lots of useful pictures and case studies. The only downside of it as it seems to to suggest that you can never make it work barefoot without a track system which isn't necessarily true, but it's a really good starting point for getting a better understanding of the basics.

I'm by no means an expert, but according to the book it's actually important to exercise horses (provided they are comfortable) to stimulate hoof growth and speed recovery :)
 
Bernster said:
Ok, so this is for a friend, which always sounds a bit dodgy I know but she's not online much and I think she's finding it hard to be objective/positive about this one so I said I'd help gather some info.

Long story short - she's just been told by farrier (normal, not barefoot/remedial) that her horse's feet are in a bad way and he should have a year off from riding, no shoes and out in the field to allow new hoof to grow. As he's a heavy type (16.1 chunky ID) she thinks he can only be walked in the school so can't be in regular work. She is therefore thinking of retiring him for a year.

Ok I thought, but I know HHO and I know there are lots of barefoot people here with masses of info and experience, so....

(1) Is it not a bit odd that a horse currently in regular work, shod all 4, sound and fit, should suddenly now be a horse that needs to have a year off with no shoes? Without prior notice/warning (so far as I am aware)? He has no special routine/feed etc for feet.
Click to expand...

I think she needs to get more information from her farrier about what is going on with his hooves but I think it's amazing that the farrier is willing to swallow his pride and suggest a time out....rather than promoting a fancy shoe or magical pad to fix all ills.

Bernster said:
(2) Having a year off sounds fairly dramatic - does that sound right?
Click to expand...

Shod hooves replace their entire capsule in around 12 months. A barefoot one getting adequate stimulation will do so in around 9 months but can show dramatic changes within two months.

Bernster said:
(3) Heavier horses can't do any work (other than walking in the school) without shoes on?
Click to expand...

:D
indibw2.jpg

Bernster said:
(4) Can you recommend a good source of info for managing a barefoot horse e.g. weblink, books, articles that you found helpful?
Click to expand...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Barefoo...9874/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341938644&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feet-First-...9602/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341938644&sr=8-2

The difference between the farrier's approach and the BF approach is that we believe the horse can remain in work without the shoes, so a year out may not be necessary.

I will send you a Barefoot 101 pm :)
 
Thank you, you lovely people :)

Ghostie - that's a nice idea to get her a pressie.

Oberon - brilliant as always.

Photos/diet etc - I'l get her permission first. I think she's probably a bit down just now, so maybe a little bit of time and this information will help.
 
This good traditional advice that your friend has been given it what's used to be done with horses with foot trouble before invention by vets was possible a year on a bare hill I am old enough to remember people doing this when I was young.
I dont think for one moment that it will need to a year because if your friend is prepared to lead about in hand ,lunge in a school use boots the horse will be back to work much quicker however until the horse is happy barefoot your friend will be working to tolerance of the feet not working the amount she wants.
However it would be interesting to know why the farrier said this if the feet the feet are what they used to call in the old days nail sick a period without shoes is inevitable so she might as well get it over with.
 
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