horse boots

[westparc]

my friend doesnt know what to do

she brought her horse as a 3 year old who had been shod all around
his shoes fell off within a week

his feet were the size of plates flat and big allowed by the farrier

she couldnt afford to keep having the farrier out so decided to go barefoot and have a foot trimmer insted

hes been going well for a year but is struggleing again and doesnt know whether its better to try boots or put shoes back on

if you use boots which type and why

would his shoes fall off because of the size of his feet

opinions please

 

[cptrayes]

She needs to work out why he has been going well for a year but is now struggling. What do you mean by "struggling"? When did he start to stuggle? On what surfaces? Doing what level of work? What has changed? Has she changed his feed? His management? His level of work? Is he slightly laminitic because he has access to too many grass sugars or too much sugary/carbohydrate rich food but he doesn't need as much energy now he's almost full grown?

Boots would only mask her problem and she needs to cure it. If the horse has been fine without shoes for a year, something has gone wrong or he wouldn't need boots now.

She either needs to find a farrier or trimmer who knows about more than just trimming or learn a lot more herself about keeping a horse barefoot.

She would do well to read Performance Barefoot by Nic Barker and Sarah Braithwaite, available on Amazon.