how long to leave horse before riding after having shoes off?

lincolnlady

lincolnlady

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Hi everyone, yesterday me and farrier both decided to have my boys front shoes off (he was only shod on front) as he isnt in much work (maybe a 2 hour hack a week). he was unshod when i bought him but had fronts put on when i was doing lots of roadwork with him.

After farrier had taken shoes off and trimmed a little off i walked him back to field which means walking down a stoney laneway and he was fine wasnt footy or taking tentative steps he was forward going head and ears forward and rushing to get back for his food lol.

Back to my question how long would you leave him before being ridden? the main routes we ride are off road but do have to ride down about a mile of a road and down a couple of stone lanes so dont want to make him sore :)
 
Roads are ideal for riding on, I never understood the logic of "we do a lot of roadwork so must have shoes" ............. given a regular routine [may need built up from 20 mins ], and daily feeding for feet, the hooves will grow in response to demand.
I find that the problem is loose sharp gravel on a track or a road, so I avoid forcing the horse to walk where he is not comfortable.
Build up the road work steadily, rasp off chipping edges. Lush grass [sugars] is contra indicated, a hi fibre diet is ideal, plus mins and vits plus micronised linseed meal.
 
Miss L Toe said:
Roads are ideal for riding on, I never understood the logic of "we do a lot of roadwork so must have shoes" ............. given a regular routine [may need built up from 20 mins ], and daily feeding for feet, the hooves will grow in response to demand.
I find that the problem is loose sharp gravel on a track or a road, so I avoid forcing the horse to walk where he is not comfortable.
Build up the road work steadily, rasp off chipping edges. Lush grass [sugars] is contra indicated, a hi fibre diet is ideal, plus mins and vits plus micronised linseed meal.
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thank you for replying! he wasnt having a hard feed as he has always been a good doer (even for a 16.3tb) but hes been having half a scoop of 16+ with his magnesium in i heard the linseed was really good so might give that a go thank you. he always had very solid feet before he was shod but old farrier said he ''needed'' shoes from doing so much roadwork but thankfully now hes had them off!
 
You'll be fine to carry on but a full 2 hours may be asking too much without boots to begin with. Saying that, many carry on regardless.

Just watch out for chips in the hoof wall as the nail holes grow out.

I can't tell what his foot looks like but his frog and sole may not be used to full contact with the ground fully yet, so just give his feet time to adjust to new sensations. His feet will change and develop fairly quickly, especially his heels and you'll probably enjoy seeing the change.

Most horses experience footiness at some point or another. A muzzle to wear during these periods to reduce intake of grass sugars may be necessary. But you will know if your horse is in need! Enjoy a quieter ride!! :)
 
tallyho! said:
You'll be fine to carry on but a full 2 hours may be asking too much without boots to begin with. Saying that, many carry on regardless.

Just watch out for chips in the hoof wall as the nail holes grow out.

I can't tell what his foot looks like but his frog and sole may not be used to full contact with the ground fully yet, so just give his feet time to adjust to new sensations. His feet will change and develop fairly quickly, especially his heels and you'll probably enjoy seeing the change.

Most horses experience footiness at some point or another. A muzzle to wear during these periods to reduce intake of grass sugars may be necessary. But you will know if your horse is in need! Enjoy a quieter ride!! :)
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thank you for replying i wont be doing a 2 hour ride with him was thinking of doing 20-30 min maybe even inhand round the block for a couple weeks see how we get on farrier is coming back out on 11th sept just to see how hes doing. x
 
Just to add, footiness can also be caused by other factors e.g. Thrush, bruises, etc so not just grass sometimes :)
 
tallyho! said:
Just to add, footiness can also be caused by other factors e.g. Thrush, bruises, etc so not just grass sometimes :)
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hes just recovering from a bruised sole (about 3 weeks ago) and also thrush :rolleyes: vet said with the way the weather has been this year theres thrush everywhere lol but hes cleared from thrush and bruised sole (for now) hes 21 but acts like hes 2! x
 
Miss L Toe said:
Roads are ideal for riding on, I never understood the logic of "we do a lot of roadwork so must have shoes" ............. given a regular routine [may need built up from 20 mins ], and daily feeding for feet, the hooves will grow in response to demand.
.
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Not always, road can wear feet down faster than they can grow. Not all horses can cope without shoes
 
It's true. Roadwork too much too quickly will erode hoof. Which is why it is important to let the feet get accustomed. As long as you are sound, working on the roads slowly, just like you would for conditioning tendons for roadwork, you will be fine.

If anything, the frog will most likely be the source of discomfort - it needs time to callous like a dog or cats paws callous to allow them to walk on roads. Also, the sole needs to callous too, as it will also be taking the load along with the frog, as it should, not just the hoof wall.

Hooves do adapt very quickly, even white ones! If you get it right, roads are really good for self- trimming. Mine grew so fast I actually had to trim every four weeks even though we did a lot of roadwork. It just wasn't enough abrasion for his alabaster hooves!
 
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thank you all for your replies just got back from turning him out and hes a bit sore this morning and theres a bit of heat in both hooves is this something i should worry about? once he was walking he was fine and went broncing down the field x
 
thank you miss l toe they isnt alot of heat just warmer than they usually are have farrier coming back on 11th so would have been without shoes for just over a week. a friend had her horses shoes taken off n the poor horse could hardly walk without them looked really lame but my boy isnt like that just walking slower than normally does. will see how he is over next few days x
 
I would suggest getting some boots to help along the way and do lots off research. Tbh I would change diet as well to something like fast fibre with a good vit/min supplement.
 
thanks guys just looking for some boots now for him (they are soooo expensive!!) will have to measure his feet tomorrow. thank you for that link its very helpful. im going to a nutritionist at a sale next sat so im going to have a good chat with her xx
 
Not actually that expensive when you think a pair will last you 2 years, maybe more.

You can get a pair of Cavallos - which are really decent, leather uppers, strong fastenings, for around the £80 and are highly thought of in barefoot/unshod circles. Check out the boot threads on here and there will be plenty of links.
 
tallyho! said:
Not actually that expensive when you think a pair will last you 2 years, maybe more.

You can get a pair of Cavallos - which are really decent, leather uppers, strong fastenings, for around the £80 and are highly thought of in barefoot/unshod circles. Check out the boot threads on here and there will be plenty of links.
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thank you xx
 
tallyho! said:
No problem lincolnlady. Your horse looks lovely in your avatar. Hope you find some nice boots! xx :)
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aww thank you hes my pride and joy! hes 21 (doesnt act it tho) always bombing round in the field and out hacking scared of leaves yet passes lorries tractors etc without batting and eye! lol xx
 
lincolnlady said:
thanks guys just looking for some boots now for him (they are soooo expensive!!) will have to measure his feet tomorrow. thank you for that link its very helpful. im going to a nutritionist at a sale next sat so im going to have a good chat with her xx
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this is a good site to join http://phoenixhorse.myfastforum.org/index.php ( its a uk forum for people interested in keeping their horses unshod) they also have a section where people are selling horse boots etc so you can buy some second hand or post a thread asking if anyone is selling any
 
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