If you own a horse which is your horse; shoed, barefoot or trimmed?

Is your horse

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lisab said:
What's the difference between unshod and barefoot and trimmed by a farrier and done by a barefoot person? Not being funny, I really don't understand.
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This!

I tend to go with unshod being a horse that doesn't have shoes, but that isn't working either - so your retired horse or companion pony type senario. Barefoot to me means working in a 'normal' way without shoes. The professional that sees the horse doesn't really figure in my definitions so I am a bit confused by what to put ours down as!
 
Could have been an interesting poll if there was not the confusion over trimmed and barefoot.
Mine are barefoot,but they do get trimmed occasionally by a farrier who specialises in barefoot horses,so I don't know whether they qualify as barefoot or trimmed.:confused:
 
Not sure the about the difference between Barefoot and Trimmed..?

I trim my barefoot horse myself.. am not a barefoot trimmer or farrier

NB my horse has never been shod .. a concious decision that barefoot is a better for horses. (Not meaning to get at anyone who does shoe) just my personal conclusion from research and own observations.
 
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Someone said that they have theirs trimmed by a farrier that's taken a barefoot course. Maybe they leave the feet longer on a horse that works but doesn't wear shoes? It seems popular these days not to have them shod but I'd worry about the feet breaking up being ridden on the roads or being bruised by stones off-road. I have jumped mine on a surface when he's lost a shoe but he didn't go well. Was probably unbalanced. I'd love not to pay £70 every 5 wks for shoes and road nails but I'm worried his feet would fall to bits. And he gets thrush and maybe that would get worse with no shoes. Interesting subject.
 
ThePony said:
I tend to go with unshod being a horse that doesn't have shoes, but that isn't working either - so your retired horse or companion pony type senario. Barefoot to me means working in a 'normal' way without shoes.
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I use a different definition :)

I have unshod ones that are in work and unshod ones that arent. To me they are all unshod, because they dont need shoes.
barefoot seems to be a holistic lifestyle choice involving much more effort on on the owners part, which Im probably too lazy for.
 
25 horses on the place, all but one unshod, just trimmed, so in the literal sense of the term they are bare foot as far as I am concerned;)

I wouldn't let any of the 'barefoot' trimmers I know of near my horse with a 10' pole. A 2 week course does not a trimmer make.
 
Blitzenfys said:
A 2 week course does not a trimmer make.
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You are quite correct. No trimming organisation will give their name to any trimmer unless they have done lengthy study and practice.

There is a remedial referral farrier Moorman posting on this forum who said he would back the members of the trimming organisation that he is familiar with over Farriery training for a knowledge of the biomechanics of the horse's foot any day.
 
Snow Angel said:
I use a different definition :)

I have unshod ones that are in work and unshod ones that arent. To me they are all unshod, because they dont need shoes.
barefoot seems to be a holistic lifestyle choice involving much more effort on on the owners part, which Im probably too lazy for.
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lol! It does seem tricky to find a word that fits well! I must admit that for a working horse I prefer barefoot as often it does require a more involved approach to leaving a retired horse without shoes as any niggles with way of going are highlighted in a working horse, that a retired horse might be fine with. Though perhaps my choice of phrase is affected by one of ours needing quite a bit of work to get her diet right to enable her to be 110% comfy out of shoes! She would have had the niggles in shoes, but we weren't aware of them, and so were rather happily in the dark!
 
lisab said:
Someone said that they have theirs trimmed by a farrier that's taken a barefoot course. Maybe they leave the feet longer on a horse that works but doesn't wear shoes?
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Exactly the opposite LisaB, barefoot feet are a lot shorter than shod ones and that's part of the reason why they don't crack up.
 
Only a trim as he is retired shoes off but if I was riding him he always had shoes on due to the amount of flint in our clay soil etc and road work. I also like the shoeing option but would look at barefoot (as long as they will take a set of shoes in case).
 
Santa Paws said:
You are quite correct. No trimming organisation will give their name to any trimmer unless they have done lengthy study and practice.
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Trimmers don't have to be certified where I live, neither do farriers come to think of it. Anyone here can set up with a truck and some tools and sell their services as a farrier/barefoot trimmer.

Certified Farriers are like gold dust, I am very, very, nice to mine.
 
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