Is barefoot something to try ?

[Waxwing]

Hi new horse is still doing well and we have decided to stay on our current yard for the foreseeable future. The only potential issue we have is shoeing; we were told when we bought her she needed holding and reassuring she she was shod as she didn't like the smoke. I obviously shared this was the yard's usual farrier who shod a week after she arrived. He managed to shoe her but wasn't happy as she was bargy, snatched her feet and threatened to kick so understandably he wasn't happy (he recently sustained an injury when working elsewhere so is understandably more cautious.) I am going to speak to him to see if he is willing to shoe her again; as originally she was due to move to a new yard before she was due to be shod. If he won't I will need to find another farrier but I was wondering if going barefoot would be worth considering, or just having fronts on depending on how her feet are.

 

[Annagain]

It's an option if her feet are good enough and she's not going to need studs. Charlie was only shod in front as he was tricky with his back feet and coped fine with it. You'll only know by trying though.

How is she for normal day to day foot handling? If that needs working on too, practice, practice, practice. It'll all pay off with the shoeing. If she' ok with that and it's just shoeing, I'd maybe sedate her for the first few goes - enough to keep everyone safe but so that she still knows what's going on and has a chance to get used to it. You can give her a little less each time until she's ok without. Domosedan is really good as you don't need the vet to administer it.

A really tasty (probably full of sugar but it's only once every 6 weeks) lick that only comes out for shoeing could also help distract her. Talk to your farrier though as he's the one who needs to keep himself and the horse safe so if he wants to do something specific, go with what he says (within reason of course!).

 

[Waxwing]

Hi she is really good with day to day handling; very obliging when you pick her feet up and doesn't need to be tied up. She is a very calm friendly mare to handle; good to catch, tack up , lead to and from the field and will move over when asked in the stable. It's just the farrier she doesn't like.

I am going to speak with the farrier and see if wants to try sedation; the yard have understandably advised speaking with him before she is next due to be shod as if he doesn't want to do it I will need to find someone else. There are thankfully a number of farriers in the area; we are twenty minutes from Newmarket so lots of horses locally. I have looked on Facebook and found some recent posts asking for farrier recommendations locally,. some for difficult to shoe horses and there were a number of recommendations.

 

[Widgeon]

If it's the smoke she dislikes so much could you have her cold shod?

ETA - that's not meant to mean that barefoot is bad - but if shoeing otherwise works for you, continuing with it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

 

[Waxwing]

When we bought her we were told she needed holding and reassuring to be shod as she didn't like smoke; however the member of staff who held her when she was shod said she got cross before he heated any shoes up and was barging, stamping her feet and threatening to kick. The farrier did cold shoe her in the end; at least on her backs.

 

[soloequestrian]

Barefoot is always worth considering for any horse unless, as above, you need studs. Read about it first because I think it would be easy to get put off if for instance you have stoney hacking or the horse doesn't have the greatest feet and needs to be eased through the first while. It would be worth investing in a pair of boots early on - they seem expensive but because you generally only have to use them while hacking they last very much longer than shoes and they tend to be easy to sell on if you find you don't need them any more. As well as helping with the problem with the farrier bare is also much better for their feet and therefore longevity and also usually cheaper. It would be interesting to see how the horse reacts to a trimmer rather than a farrier - they won't smell the same so I suspect if there are no day to day problems handling feet a trimmer would be accepted. Maybe start there - find a trimmer who others trust and ask them to visit. They could take off shoes, measure for boots and give advice on general care. Many years ago I asked to shadow a trimmer for a day before I got her to come and do my horses feet and that was really interesting. I have since learned to trim myself making hoof care very straightforward.

 

[Xmasha]

If you are doing a lot of hacking i would persevere . My new mare who has never been shod isnt keen on the smoke either. Farrier came the first week she arrived, so she was in the stable right next to the smoke. It was obvious then she wasnt keen. With her its genuinely fear. So we didnt even attempt. I just wanted her to settle in and get to know us all before we asked anything scary. Shes been struggling a bit with hacking so we needed to pop some shoes on. Farrier came yesterday. he did say he was dreading it, as hes seen enough rude irish horses . So plan was if shes too upset we wont bother. Trimming this time was spot on, last time we had a bit of rude bargy behaviour, this time she stood like a lamb. The smoke /smell did upset her again, but once that bit was over popping the shoes on was no problem at all. As she had been so good, i decided to leave the backs until another day. farrier is back in 2 weeks, so again she will put in the stable right next her buddy who is being hotshod. If by then she needs backs on we will do them then.
Im not fond of sedating for routine stuff, i just think they need to be awake to understand whats happening and they can learn from that. ( unless it is dangerous of course )
So slowly slowly is the plan, and always try and leave on a good note.
Good luck

 

[MagicMelon]

Its funny but I find it surprising people think of it this way round, surely most horses should be barefoot and the question is if you should shoe. Id 100% make her barefoot if you have no real reason to shoe. So many people shoe out of routine/tradition I dont know, but seems crazy to me. Personally though, Id still be practicing like mad with getting her feed handled so she's ok for the trimmer.

 

[Gloi]

You can take the shoes off and put her in boots to begin with so it is no drastic transition. The horses who benefit from shoes off the most are the ones with poorer feet.
The only reason I'd prefer shoes than boots or barefoot is if studs were needed for competing on grass.

 

[Melody Grey]

Barefoot is always a consideration in my opinion. All of mine are barefoot with hoof boots as and where required. Smaller bills, happier horses and no missed rides with shoes thrown/ waiting for he farrier. It’s been an absolute game changer for me.

 

[sbloom]

Barefoot is worth trying for nearly all horses, I'm with @MagicMelon. it's the how that matters - the diet, the ground they need to move on, movement in turnout, building up roadwork (which is brilliant for bare feet ultimately) gradually, in fact all work. Hoof boots have come on leaps and bounds, there are boutiques/libraries that lend them out and some brands are really easily available second hand.

 

[Red-1]

I'm all for barefoot but, IMO, is is sure about the nutrition etc, but also some part is your willingness to adapt your plans.

The feet take time to condition to either being bare or having boots, or both. There will likely be some compromises for the first year or so.