Horses and their feet

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Victoria25

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OMG had a shock this week (only because it's new to me)...

My arab has never had shoes on (she's now 11) never been foot sore in the slightest and has wonderful hard feet and she thinks she's a mountain goat :D

My old Tb .... had no shoes on when I got him ... (been off for about 2 years) he was fine on roads but dare you take him anywhere with a little stone .. he'd be tripping up/sore - needless to say we stuck to roads/sand.

My new TB .... well we took her shoes off this week as she's having a few months off over winter from her racing career ... BUT wow, I thought she was going to keel over and die ... I mean literally couldnt walk around the barn - stood rooted to the spot, looked in agony walking on a plain surface ... needless to say farrier back out tomorrow - shoes back on :rolleyes:

I've always read posts about barefoot and wondered what all the commotion was about as I've had it quite easy up until now .... how naive I was :rolleyes:

Like I said, she's having shoes back on (trying just fronts at first) but out of curiosity, how long did it take your horses to 'harden' to become used to having no shoes on? x
 
I'm afraid imo it's not a question of just hardening the hooves. It depends on how weak (poorly developed/over trimmed) they are and if there are dietary issues and infection. Looking into diet and getting any changes in place a good few months before is a good start and having pads and boots/conforming surfaces at the ready along with provision for being able to avoid any rough, stony surfaces.
 
As an alternative you could try boots and pads. I've been very impressed with mine, and if your horse is that sore out of shoes it sounds like she might have problems that need investigating.

Boots would mean that you could gradually get her used to going bare on "easy surfaces" and use boots for surfaces she can't cope with.
 
I would get the diet looked at and then think about taking the shoes off. Like someone else said, its not about the feet hardening up there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration as suggested. Most of the time feed is key as to whether it will work or not. High fibre/low sugar. My girl is rock crunching at the moment but when the grass comes through again she will be back in boots for some of our rides because of the high amounts of sugar.
 
Sorry, I do realise it's more than just 'hardening' but typing quick as Im at work so couldnt go into too much detail ...

I may look at it in the future but at the moment, they'll be going back on - she came out of racing only a few weeks ago so she still had racing plates on ... so at the moment her entire life (turn out/feed/routine) is changing ... may look at it again in the future once she's a little more settled ...

Just being nosey about other peoples experiences with theirs :)
 
I wouldn't put shoes on such unhealthy hooves that she can't tolerate flat surfaces. I would want to get them strong and healthy first but improving diet, movement in boots if necessary and treating any thrush etc, then put shoes back on if you feel you need them.
 
If she's just out of racing definitely go for the low sugar high fibre diet and some gut support.

I took shoes off two cobs when I bought them and they were fine. I did it totally the wrong way round years ago before I knew anything much. They were lucky.
My tb came with horrendous hooves that are still very reactive to diet. Good levels of minerals seem to be really helping her these days along with a very low sugar diet.
 
Clava_Christmas said:
I wouldn't put shoes on such unhealthy hooves that she can't tolerate flat surfaces. I would want to get them strong and healthy first but improving diet, movement in boots if necessary and treating any thrush etc, then put shoes back on if you feel you need them.
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X 2

Also putting nails into feet that are already sore and changing isnt fair on the horse. Boots and pads, diet change etc.
 
Victoria25 said:
She was completely sound before they came off :)
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but a horse should be sound without shoes or else it has sick hooves. We are not talking about excess work causing footiness so shoes might be required, we are talking about hooves not coping with just being hooves.
 
Clava_Christmas said:
but a horse should be sound without shoes or else it has sick hooves. We are not talking about excess work causing footiness so shoes might be required, we are talking about hooves not coping with just being hooves.
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Exactly - if a horse isn't sound when not shod, they are not sound when shod either. They are just demonstrating what happens when you partially cut off the blood supply to the foot and as a consequence there is a numbing of the foot.

IMO, if a horse is to be shod, it should only be shod when the hoof is in good order and the horse is perfectly sound.

If this is not the case the horse would be better off with decent boots and padding so the hooves have a chance to heal.

And as others have said dietary changes may well be required.

Sick hooves are (wo)man made.
 
Maybe she just needs to get used to it a bit and get the circulation going again. I think most benefit from a break from shoes but I would probably want to put fronts on now, see how her hinds go and maybe think about taking the fronts off next time if you want to.

I shoe my horse because she lives out on grass, there is not much I can do about sugar without restricting her grazing excessively and I am not going to put her in a stable and feed her hay instead as that would make her unhappy. Plus we have miles of stony tracks for hacking once we get off the roads. If I had a horse that I rode in the school or on grass a lot and was stabled I would think about it.

I think your horse would just like to have feet that don't hurt, however you do it :-)
 
LucyPriory said:
Exactly - if a horse isn't sound when not shod, they are not sound when shod either. They are just demonstrating what happens when you partially cut off the blood supply to the foot and as a consequence there is a numbing of the foot.

IMO, if a horse is to be shod, it should only be shod when the hoof is in good order and the horse is perfectly sound.

If this is not the case the horse would be better off with decent boots and padding so the hooves have a chance to heal.

And as others have said dietary changes may well be required.

Sick hooves are (wo)man made.
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BEST POST EVER!!!

MandWhy - I have 2 horses living out 24.7 we hack everywhere on everything. Not having a stable is not an excuse :confused:
 
Tigertail - Unfortunately you can't always restrict grazing. Being on a yard and at the mercy of a YO can have its pitfalls and it can be very difficult (sometimes impossible) to find a yard that you can graze as you like.

I tried going barefoot, my horse was footsore, shoes went back on, I got weight off of her and got a suitable diet for her and when the shoes came back off, she was fine. I could have left the shoes off but we had to walk along a fair stretch of stony track and I'd prefer her not to be uncomfortable.

I chose the position that I felt was best for my horse at that moment in time.
I have a stable as part of my livery, but my horse hates to be stabled so its finding a balance and I'm dreading the spring with the sugars.
 
fidleyspromise said:
Tigertail - Unfortunately you can't always restrict grazing. Being on a yard and at the mercy of a YO can have its pitfalls and it can be very difficult (sometimes impossible) to find a yard that you can graze as you like.

I tried going barefoot, my horse was footsore, shoes went back on, I got weight off of her and got a suitable diet for her and when the shoes came back off, she was fine. I could have left the shoes off but we had to walk along a fair stretch of stony track and I'd prefer her not to be uncomfortable.

I chose the position that I felt was best for my horse at that moment in time.
I have a stable as part of my livery, but my horse hates to be stabled so its finding a balance and I'm dreading the spring with the sugars.
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You can restrict grass intake with a muzzle. I don't stable mine either. I use boots in the Spring if needed but during the winter even my flint tracks are ok for them.
 
I hate to stable my girl too so opt for boots rather than shoes. She's fine now there isn't much grass but when we first arrived where we are now she was footy on the stones. I had to make the decision do I boot or shoe and just couldn't bring myself to undo all the hard work we had done to get her hooves healthy again so I got hr some boots. She's happy so I'm happy.
 
I'm not surprised she rooted to the spot, the diet she would of been on would of been high cereal with plenty of starch and def not hoof friendly. I would also look into diet and set her up there. Boots/pads is the way to go but it's not always easy so I don't Blame you for re shoeing and once diet is sorted maybe try again when u have boots/pads at hand but doubt it will be easy. Tbh the only reason iv stuck with my lad is the fact he's always lame in shoes but sound barefoot so I'm trying my best with him but it isn't easy and I'm sure once they are shod at such a young age in racing their internal structure of the foot is very badly damaged and unable to devolop properly and I do feel that makes it so much harder and I'm not convienced that they will become as good barefoot as other horses due to the very early damage they receive early on in life.
 
Victoria25 said:
I've always read posts about barefoot and wondered what all the commotion was about as I've had it quite easy up until now .... how naive I was :rolleyes:
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:D:D:D

Victoria25 said:
Like I said, she's having shoes back on (trying just fronts at first) but out of curiosity, how long did it take your horses to 'harden' to become used to having no shoes on? x
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Diet, diet, diet :D.

If you want to try again at some point - we can help you with some tactics that can make the process painless for her.

If you want one to one, please feel free to pm :).
 
Whoah guys, some pretty extreme posts here.

1. While many horses do fine out 24/7 in this climate, mostly wet, some do not. I personally would not want to have to try to make it work where I live.

2. Not all sick hooves are man made, there are at least 4 diseases which will cause poor foot quality, and some of those horses need extreme diet restriction and drug treatment to manage without shoes.

3. Not all feet do well on inconsistent workloads and in the winter many, many people cannot give their horses a consistent workload.

There are more but I won't go on, but I am, to be honest, ashamed on behalf of the Barefoot Taliban at the accusatory tone of some of these posts :(

Are we forgetting that all horses are individuals and not all owners have the control of their own or their horse's lifestyle that the horse may need?
 
Thank you for your positive posts ... I wasnt going to come back on here as felt I was being shouted at for asking a question when I was just after a little advice. :o

Yes her diet does need to change but obviously this will be done over time - not something I can change overnight so this will be done but until then fronts are going back on today and we will take it from there. :)

Like I said I've had different horses with different circumstances but just not experienced this before (and thought thats what this forum was for - advice) - will just have to find the correct solution for this little lady ;)
 
Victoria, not shouting, just wanted to suggest that before you shoe you have a serious look at boots and pads. I am only just starting out but have been so impressed by the comfort they have given my thin soled flat footed bruised horse.

If you haven't used them before you wouldn't necessarily know, but in my very humble opinion if a horse has sore feet they are much kinder and much more comfortable and supportive than shoes. I had some advice from Lucy Priory and bought cavallo simples for about £70 a pair with EPS 4lb pads cut to shape inside the boots and my horse who was lame in shoes and very sore out of shoes all of a sudden was bouncing along, swinging out taking longer strides than ever before on any surface.

They give the whole sole protection, support and cushioning that a shoe just can't give. They can be put on and taken off whenever you need them and avoid the trauma of nailing on to a sore foot.

I'm not shouting at you, I just wanted to share my experience and share what a huge difference boots made to my girl. It broke my heart seeing her uncomfortable so the boots and pads were an absolute blessing.

Mine are just cheapo ones but I had no problems with fit, haven't had any rubs and the only time I've had one come off was when she was really having a hooley in the school, and DH conceeded that he probably hadn't really fastened it tightly enough. They also give great grip on tarmac and concrete even when it is a bit icey.
 
KristmasKat said:
I had some advice from Lucy Priory and bought cavallo simples for about £70 a pair with EPS 4lb pads cut to shape inside the boots and my horse who was lame in shoes and very sore out of shoes all of a sudden was bouncing along, swinging out taking longer strides than ever before on any surface.
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Just for reference for anyone reading these pads can be bought here and also can be cut to shape and taped on with duct tape in emergency. There is a knack. lol
http://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/Pads/
 
If diet and management don't help and the horse is comfortable with shoes on and can live a life like a normal horse then I think I would put shoes on, though I would guess it is very early days for that.

Recent events in my horsey life have made me think though that if say after 6 months of apparently expert barefoot management a horse is still gimping around on the yard not able to graze and in constant pain, worn down to a shadow of its former self and it was previously happily grazing and in full work with shoes on I would put the shoes on, but I guess that makes me evil and is going to get me shot down in flames, so be it

I should add that I'm not anti-barefoot in any way and have great respect for people who put a lot of effort into researching and implementing it, I am not trying tell you what you should do, and if boots can help keep your horse comfy that's brilliant. I was just sharing my personal thought on what i would do with my personal horse if all else failed and the horse had previously been ok with shoes on.
 
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OP, I hope you find a solution for your horse. One of mine had been fully shod all her working life (TB XWB) and the day her shoes came off, her face was a picture as she walked across the gravelled yard. She picked each hoof up as I would if i was wading barefoot through dog muck. :)
Fortunately, by the next day she trotted across the stones as if she'd never had a set of shoes on in her life. However, all horses, as you know react differently and I'd had her long enough for her diet to be already appropriate. I think what helped was that the paddock was soft which seemed to act like a cushion. I combined that with periods in her stable to dry her feet off and walking in hand on the roads, which she was fine with. I also used Keretex hoof hardener (don't know if it helped but it seemed to) along with a brilliant farrier who trimmed her feet just enough to let her find her own balance. She never needed boots.
However, as you've found, some horses are easy and some just aren't. The most important thing is that your horse is comfortable and you can reassess periodically. I like amandap suggestion of taping pads on, I bought a hoof wrap with pads when mine had an abscess. Its so quick (and cheap) to whack on and off,if you just want to get from stable to field across an unforgiving surface.
 
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