I'm feeling better today, barefoot :)

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thatsmygirl

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After my down in the dumps post about barefoot I feel a bit more posative today. My lad has walked in really well after being in the field today in all that wet weather and my mare as soon as I brought her in I rode her out and was foot perfect on her hinds on the country lanes and I honestly thought stood in the mud all day her feet would be soft and I would have trouble. So the farrier is out thurs and I'm half tempted to take her fronts off and get front boots. That would be all 6 of mine bare than. It's just that final step that's scary.

Could I take her on a hunt with front boots? Our hunt is very slow and I could go round the jumps, only for a hr or 2?
 
Also my mare is on devil claw the herb, is this ok for barefoot horses or has it got bad reports? It's for ringbone in her hind legs and really does work.
 
Lots of horses on our farm barefoot... Feet have not melted. Incidentally, none of the cows are shod and they too still have feet. Be it cloven and weird looking...

Now, don't get me wrong footrot is still a big risk in field kept cows and sheep but the horses have managed so far.

Just watch out for thrush and get the diet spot on, the skin and hooves will be healthy and be able to look after themselves.
 
Glad you are feeling better , I have had ups and downs too but I dont recall how long you have had them BF but for me the six month mark seems to be when it just comes you are really seeing the benefits in the soles and concavity developing, frogs and heels are beefing up you can do more my TB is out and about at clinics and training courses just like a normal horse now and my first has been hunting ( he's at a year now) as well .
For me with both the hardest time was around four months .
 
Goldenstar yes I'm just coming to the 4 months mark, it's so hard when u get narky comments all the time from others when your trying your best which gets you down and wonder why you bother but tonight they were fine. :)
 
Well I'm pretty sure mine bruised her sole on Sunday when we were out, so she's not better yet. Gave her some bute last night in her feed which promptly got put on the floor and trodden into the shavings, so gave her another sachet in some high fibre cubes this morning. A few of the barefoot horses on our yard are struggling. A friend commented to me this morning that her horse which has never been shod struggled at weekend as well. Our fields really are disgustingly boggy. Back to hoof boots on the fronts for hacking for me through winter I think. Not going to make her uncomfortable when it's easy enough just to put the boots on!
 
thatsmygirl said:
Goldenstar yes I'm just coming to the 4 months mark, it's so hard when u get narky comments all the time from others when your trying your best which gets you down and wonder why you bother but tonight they were fine. :)
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I am lucky I am at home so I dont have to deal with narky comments on the yard but going out and about with them is interesting sometimes.
As by why you are bothering you know that ,it's up to you its not like you ignoring the fact they are senestive use boots step back examine everything see what you can tweak and improve .
I think four months is hard because you want to do more and in my case anyway they where not ready but two months further on the TB is really changing and I can see what I want developing .
And as for the other I think in my heart I did not believe they can hunt without shoes but ( and I am being careful and managing it ) it seems he can his feet look amazing ( still has some little flares which are breaking off now )BF takes time patience is the key and on a yard a thick waterproof hide so it will all run off you.
 
You will get to a point where you forget you don't have shoes on, I have had comment when my horse was out walking the group at a hunt on gravel tracks and you suddenly remember, or you get back from XC and you remember LOL
 
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