Is it at all possible to discuss Shod/Barefoot?

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dressagecrazy

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Just been looking through all the recent posts on Shod/Barefoot & im actually very surprised at how heated these threads get.

Why does it cause such emotion??
 
Heaven knows, I run a mix of shod and unshod horses and don't have lameness problems - I just go with what works for the horses, with the assistance of my farrier. I can't see what there is to get so excited about.
 
It always seems to get a bit hysterical. Both sides accusing the other of making stuff up and not knowing whT they're talking about.
 
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No idea. I haven't been involved or read any apart from this one.

I've had shod and unshod. My unshods were shoeless as they didn't jump on grass so no need for studs, their feet were that solid that no shoes required. And based on farrier advice. My shod horses are shod as they need it as have the need (TB feet).

I shoe as and when required. No big deal to me!
 
i think its because both sides of the arguement can feel like they're getting at you - "you're damaging your horse if you do this" "only good owners would do....". people then feelo they're being personally got at.

our 2 are shoed, my youngster isnt, it works for us.
 
All my horses are barefoot because I feel it is better for them, bar one who is shod and out on loan and it is better for him to be shod. When he comes home he will go bare.

However I have a 6 year old who if she goes eventing will wear shoes for the competition season so she can have studs for her and the riders safety. Only problem is that the only decent farrier I would be happy to shoe her lives 2 hours away!
 
dressagecrazy said:
Just been looking through all the recent posts on Shod/Barefoot & im actually very surprised at how heated these threads get.

Why does it cause such emotion??
Click to expand...


I think its because the posts end up more like barefoot trimmers versus farriers rather than barefoot versus shod.

It would appear that the views towards either of the above are different to the extreme!
 
dressagecrazy said:
Just been looking through all the recent posts on Shod/Barefoot & im actually very surprised at how heated these threads get.

Why does it cause such emotion??
Click to expand...


I think its because the posts end up more like barefoot trimmers versus farriers rather than unshod versus shod.

It would appear that the views towards either of the above are different to the extreme!
 
Well, I have one who is barefoot (but trimmed by my farrier) and one who is shod. I never read any of the other discussions, but can't understand why this subject would cause arguments?
If farrier should ever advise that Starla needs shoes... Starla shall have shoes. Simples.
 
I think it is because farriers feel that they have had to study for 4 years to become farriers, therefore they are well trained and they feel a bit threatened that the trimmers (they consider) have done insufficient training and might steal their clients. And their clients can feel the same, and that most horses have shoes on for work, and it is accepted practice that if you are working a horse hard, hunting, eventing, showing, etc. they must need shoes and not to shoe them might be cruel as the horse might have painful feet.

Trimmers on the other hand often see the work of these "well trained farriers". Virtually all will have had their horses routinely shod in the past, and then come up against some problems - navicular, large cracks, unable to keep shoes on, hoof infections, etc. etc. that vets, farriers and lots of insurance money hasn't resolved. In final desperation, on the bring of PTS, many of these horses have been brought back to health and soundness by being worked barefoot (or at least with hoofboots). So many are questioning why horses need shoes in the first place.

As I posted - I don't want a cure for navicular, I don't want my horse to get it in the first place.

So there are heated feelings on both sides of the fence. I admit when I first came across "barefoot" my initial reaction was that I was talking to a bunny-hugger and that it was OK if you had an arena, plenty of nice soft moorland to hack out on and didn't do any competiting. I have found out different since!

My horse has shoes on incidentally, at the moment.
 
quirky said:
I don't know why but the barefoot lot seem to be on a par with the Parelli lot.

It's their way or no way!!
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Ooh you touched THE nerve... :eek:

Nah, they don't think that quirky, well not the 'barefoot' people I know anyway. They just think there may be another way as well as shoes if shoes aren't working for whatever reason at that moment.

What people refuse to believe is that these barefoot experts WERE or still ARE farriers. They were just conscientious enough to think outside of the shoe... :D
 
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But one of my horses has been Barefoot for 6 years now & one of my others an Oldie has been shod all his life & will continue to be for his health. Im not heated over the subject.
Is it because i balance shoeing & Barefoot with my horses?? Most of which i might add are now Barefoot.
 
I have read a lot of the barefoot/shod threads and they do always seem to get incredibly heated. Some of the barefoot brigade seem quite evangelical and this is bound to rub people up the wrong way. Actually, I think some of them could start an argument in an empty room;)

None of mine are shod at the moment btw - but they have been in the past and some may well be in the future :D
 
dressagecrazy said:
Just been looking through all the recent posts on Shod/Barefoot & im actually very surprised at how heated these threads get.

Why does it cause such emotion??
Click to expand...

Because barefoot trimmers are cowboys with little or no qualifications who don't know what they are doing and overcharge and change the shape of your horses feet so rapidly they go lame.

Because farriers are clearly biased because they want to shoe your horse because that way they get more money, and are of the old fashioned belief that if you want to work your horse you have to have it shod. They also spend too much time at farriery school working on how to work iron that they don't actually learn anything about the optimal shape and structure for horses' feet, and even more concerningly, confuse a digital cushion with a pin cushion, and think a frog is an amphibias (sp!) being.

Because, whilst both will grudgingly admit that there are examples of the other which do not fit the stereotype, they are few and far between and not worth mentioning.

....Because these are the sorts of ill-informed generalisations people make :rolleyes:
 
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I think I must have the best farrier in the world (and cute!). Mine will always let me know if they need shoes or dont need shoes. As said my old horse was unshod and my farrier was quite happy to come and trim for me. I always asked if his feet were ok and if they needed shoes and he always said no, so hey - saved me pennies!

My new horse is an ex racer with flat feet, so he looked at her feet and we both agreed shoes. Her feet are soooooo much better now.

I like my farrier, I hope he never retires!!! And he is never late!
 
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