If your horse lost a shoe and was sound would you leave it off?

Kokopelli

Kokopelli

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Andy my little TB has cracking feet, in the summer he's shod all round as he needs studs but in the winter I take his backs off but now I no longer aim to compete him have been pondering about taking all his shoes off.

He currently has no back shoes and is fine with lots of hacking but yesterday he lost a shoe and is completely sound on tarmac and stones (just being led not ridden)

Is it worth me getting the farrier out to just take other shoe off rather than put lost one on?
 
I would take a lot of horses shoes off if I could :D.

You know him best and if you think he will manage go for it. It's not as if you can't put shoes back on or buy boots. It's not a life and death decision :D
 
My sons pony is only shod in front - copes fine with no backs. However twice over the last few mnths, probably due to the wet ground, he has pulled front shoes and equally wondered if he could just go without.

The answer is 'no' - like yours he appeared happy walking over the yard, but as soon as he was ridden went foot sore. I am sure with a little time and 'conditioning' he would adjust, but as he is hunted over the winter, can't risk him going lame atm.
 
I'd give it a try. If you trust your farrier I'm sure he'd say if he foresaw problems. My mare was always shod, with a small break each year, just because that's what everyone did back then. Until a good few years back, current farrier said to try her without. Like yours, if she ever lost one it made no difference. First month or so she was careful (not footy) over some of the really rough stony ground we hack on, but otherwise fine, & since has had real rock crunching feet.
 
Ellie has never had shoes on and she copes really well and we have really stoney track and she has four white feet :) the farrier says she has fantastic feet don`t think l will ever put shoes on her :)
 
Yep Id take it off.

Id leave off as well as horses have better traction left bf - they use the entire foot rather than just the rim of the shoe and dont need studs which cause massive shock to their joints.
 
I would. That's a surprize answer. :D As you have no competition pressures you can go with the flow. The break from shoes will do him good imo.
 
Think I'll go for it and see how we get on. :)

The most annoying thing is previously there would have been no doubt in my mind he would have gone barefoot but when he was under-fed out on loan his feet went krap then after a couple of months of food again they were a lot healthier.
 
I've got a pony who had poor feet when we first got him. He's always had fronts on. But in April they were taken off because we thought he wasn't going to be used much. He's actually being ridden lots more than I thought and was a little sore the first time we hacked out. But is absolutely fine without shoes now. Which is something I never imagined. Any sign that he may need them they will go back on ASAP.
 
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