Huge disadvantage with barefoot...

dominobrown

dominobrown

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The cob has gone barefoot/ unshod according to my mum, as the farrier says her feet are so good, and has a natural 'shoe' built in. His says it will also help sort the slight thrush in one foot as the frogs will be working properly (farrier's actual words!).

Super cob has been barefoot behind for years, and despite front shoes coming of on tuesday is fine on all surfaces today :)

HOWEVER... the major disadvantage is....
She sneaks up on you now... before you could hear her coming, not tonight. Got the fright of my life!
 
Haha - I scared the living daylights out of a jogger. Stealth ponies are all very well but I think I might need rhythm beads :D
 
Yep - last year I was minding my own business down a country lane just coming up to a P2P yard when a huge rug was flung over the gate just as we came level with it. My lovely girl did a little running on the spot and the trainer said "oh I didn't hear you; you should put shoes on your horse" :eek::eek::eek:
 
You do need to alert people you are approaching on a hack :D.

They don't hear you coming or have time to get their dogs under control......
 
I think the cob might go around sneaking up on people to steal polos from now on... she used to be like a very large baby elephant and you could definitely hear her coming.

Quite pleased there is no footiness even on hard surfaces, though she has been on a low sugar cereal free diet for over a year now anyways. I think that is the trick- fix the diet first (if possible) and get a good hoof built up so when the shoes come off the horse is comfortable for day 1 :)
 
I used to love sneaking up on people when I first took my mares shoes off :D
Thought it was hilarious!!!
Now her hooves are so tough they sound just like shoes so no more sneaking :(
 
Aaah yes, I love my barefoot ninja pony :D Although I think some walkers in the woods where I hack would disagree... We're forever sneaking up on people! His hooves are pretty hard though so still makes a nice soft clop on the tarmac roads. Plus, without shoes on I can hear the scuff of any stones stuck in his hooves. Makes me feel so much more in tune with him, knowing exactly what his feet should sound like when he's walking :)
 
I had to have fronts put back on one of mine, this was around five months ago and he's still wearing the same pair! He tiptoes around very carefully (not in a sore way, before I get jumped on!) but to keep the noise down!! Think he's been giving our baby cob ninja lessons-cob escaped from field without leaving a single hoofprint. Sneaky, eh?:D
 
Oh that'll change, Figs feet have become so rock hard he sounds shod on concrete and tarmac :)

P.S. One major advantage is that if they happen to clip your toe....your toenail lives to tell the tale!!
 
My lad still clip clops along, I thought he would be quieter but you can her his big clod hoppers above the noise of his shod friend as they walk together across the concrete.

My trimmer says she loves the noise his feet make though, theres a real 'solid' tone to it...! :)
 
I had coconut shells (a la monty python :D) suggested to me to solve the problem of causing innocent bystanders heart attacks.

After a year barefoot the TB's making a good clop sound now, though ;).
 
One of the most fun hacks I had was nearly two years ago, when we had an early heavy snowfall. Everybody else was stuck in their yards (shod horses), but we just went out and went for a great canter along what's normally a tarmac track - completely silently. It was just magical - cantering along, in the lovely snowy light, with almost no sound at all. Still have very happy vivid memories of that day :)
 
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