Iv just shod my horse after 2 yrs bare foot and he's a different horse

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thatsmygirl

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Iv tried bare foot with one off mine for 2 years now and it doesn't work for him. My other lad is fine bare foot but this horse just can't cope. He's a cob and everybody knows him as a lazy bugger with no get up and go. He's always walked in from the field very carefully and plods out on our rides even with boots on and just don't seem 100% happy on his feet. His feet are stumps by the way as he's worm them right down. He's on a low sugar/starch and high fibre diet with seaweed mag and linseed included. Anyway a couple off days ago I said no iv had enough so had him shod. WOW what a change he's forward going out riding actually jogging alone. Walking out nice and actually cantered up the field. It's like he has a whole new Leese off life. There will be no looking back now for my lad, he will stay shod. I just think some horses do cope better shod and he's one off them
 
I am going to be joining you in a couple of weeks. My mare has always been barefoot due to being a broodmare but she keeps going intermittently lame in front and is like your's lazy and very backward thinking.

Am going to try fronts and see what happens.
 
Glad you've aknowledged that he needs to be shod!! Some people just carry on regardless! We have a NH yard near us, and a few of their horses aren't really made for going barefoot either, it's so sad to see their horses slowly picking their way along the road, they say they're lazy but they're obviously uncomfortable in the feet. When I tried out my last horse, he didn't have any shoes on and was very slow and steady, got him home, shod him, and what a difference!
 
It's swings and roundabouts.

Soon the 'Barefoot is Best' contingent will swing in and tell you how bad and evil you are for giving it up, but as the more sensible of us realise.....EACH HORSE IS AN INDIVIDUAL!!!

Some of mine are barefoot, some shod, all depends on t'oss.....
 
Thank heavens for common sense. I've just had fronts on one of mine this morning so we can do what she's being trained for- riding. Like you, tried to keep shoes off her, but she can't cope with all the road work she needs to do.
I keep shoes off mine wherever possible, but some just can't cope with the work load. I have a cob who does 8-10 miles a day, 80% on roads and gravel tracks and he's fine without shoes, but I won't see a horse struggle and hobble when it can be avoided.
 
My 28 Welsh C goes bare foot and has amazing feet, my old Connie (RIP) went bare on the back but was always shod on the front and my new boy, 17hh ISH has flatter feet plus a scarred wall on one foot so will always be shod.

Each was different but each is/was happy. Their all individuals and i knew them well enough to figure out what worked for them along with a darn good farrier!
 
I tried it and when I found myself under said hooves while trying to mount one day we had to take another look. Indy was too footsore to continue so next week the shoes were back on. Suddenly all those issues with mounting went away!
 
Glad your boy is feeling better. Barefoot is great, I keep mine without as much as poss, but it's also good to see when it would help some.

Currently I have youngsters unshod (walk on on roads in hand), broodmare shod behind as it prevents her getting an abcess over the winter, will have them removed when the ground dries up, & horse coming back into work shod in front but not behind, so when I egt back on her after 6 months off (she pulled a muscle) & she di*ks about she is less likelyy to slip on the road. In full work she will be shod alround.
 
I,m pleased i read this thread... It's one of the things I,m always made to feel guilty about. When I first got NAS, I had his shoes off but he just didnt like it.. Everyone said I should of tried it for longer. But how long?




www.diet2ride.com
 
Yey for common sense. I would love all mine to be barefoot. But one is shod all round, work or no work (elderly) theother is barefoot at the mo, but will need fronts at least when the summer comes due to increase in work. His feet just wear away and he gets sore.

Pony is barefoot whatever comes her way!
 
I don't know why but there is a huge difference depending on horse. My 5 yo was barefoot and amazing, now reshod and actually I think shorter. But the rest... forget it they just hobble around like arthritic donkeys when they have no shoes (stone yard, big woodchip school). Perhaps its due to depth of foot?
 
Ssssh, dont let the Barefoot Brigade hear you in Vets, they will be here lecturing you all.... Very true, suits some horses and not others. Each animal is an individual and my mare wouldnt cope without her shoes for sure.
 
Hi thanks guys, rode him again yeserday and has never moved so well so really pleased. He's always been kind off un level to ride but back person found no problems and that's gone as well and really stright. I think it was where he was trying to keep weight off his feet at times. I'm so glade he's shod now can work on getting him fit. :D
 
We have a little arab who's never had a trim let alone shoes. His hooves are like iron and an a perfect shape. But he's the only one. We have an Icelandic that grows hoof like you wouldn't believe. We have tried to have our Connemara X go barefoot but have given up and he's now got front shoes he just gets foot sore of they wear down too fast otherwise. It was worth a try though. Our big Normandy cob has to have a full set,You have to know when to give up and do what's best for the horse. Indeed they are all different and have their individual needs.
 
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thatsmygirl said:
Iv tried bare foot with one off mine for 2 years now and it doesn't work for him. My other lad is fine bare foot but this horse just can't cope. He's a cob and everybody knows him as a lazy bugger with no get up and go. He's always walked in from the field very carefully and plods out on our rides even with boots on and just don't seem 100% happy on his feet. His feet are stumps by the way as he's worm them right down. He's on a low sugar/starch and high fibre diet with seaweed mag and linseed included. Anyway a couple off days ago I said no iv had enough so had him shod. WOW what a change he's forward going out riding actually jogging alone. Walking out nice and actually cantered up the field. It's like he has a whole new Leese off life. There will be no looking back now for my lad, he will stay shod. I just think some horses do cope better shod and he's one off them
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I can't believe you made him put up with that for two years. Poor chap. I have a mixture of shod, part shod and unshod horses. There is no way I would make any of mine put up with being so uncomfortable for that length of time. I have them shod (or not) according to the feet, not any principles.

At least you've done the right thing by him now. I'm also shocked that whoever you use to trim his feet hasn't commented before and suggested a change - unless of course it was a barefoot diehard in which case I suppose I'm not at all shocked.
 
My cob needs shoes too, pottery and reluctant without them, forward going and full of it with!! yet I also have a TBx who doesn't need them at all despite the fact we are on flint - work that out!!
 
jemima_too said:
I can't believe you made him put up with that for two years. Poor chap. I have a mixture of shod, part shod and unshod horses. There is no way I would make any of mine put up with being so uncomfortable for that length of time. I have them shod (or not) according to the feet, not any principles.

At least you've done the right thing by him now. I'm also shocked that whoever you use to trim his feet hasn't commented before and suggested a change - unless of course it was a barefoot diehard in which case I suppose I'm not at all shocked.
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Some horses are very stoic and the degree of discomfort isn't always apparent until you make the change. Its easy to dismiss a sluggish horse as lazy, cobs have a reputation for it, unfairly, I agree. I am concerned by the pressure the barefoot zealots put on people to keep their horses unshod, dismissing owners of shod horses as uncommited or ignorant. Just look at some of the posts in Vet section, they make the term barefoot a dirty word. I now use the term unshod.
 
To Jemima-too we are human beings not God.We fail and make mistakes along the way.All of us.I too have had one horse that coped well bare foot and another who just didn't like it.He looked happier the minute he was shod.Just being led back to the stable from the farrier you could see he was happier.
 
horserider said:
Some horses are very stoic and the degree of discomfort isn't always apparent until you make the change. Its easy to dismiss a sluggish horse as lazy, cobs have a reputation for it, unfairly, I agree. I am concerned by the pressure the barefoot zealots put on people to keep their horses unshod, dismissing owners of shod horses as uncommited or ignorant. Just look at some of the posts in Vet section, they make the term barefoot a dirty word. I now use the term unshod.
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I agree that being a zealot about barefoot is probably unhelpful. As in this case where the OP has tried for 2 years to go barefoot, assuming from what has been said that the diet, exercise is right for that horse, yet she is still having problems. The fact that the horse is markedly improved by shoeing leads me, at least, to suspect that there is in fact a more fundimental problem with this horse.

The choice then has to be made, whether or not to try and discover what is actually wrong, or carry on shoeing. Personally, I think in this case I would carry on shoeing, though accepting the fact that if a horse is lame barefoot, then it is still lame shod, you just don't see it.
 
Another one who has a mixture of shod and unshod - according to what each horse needs.

Would like to say though that not all barefoot people are zealots. Asked the trimmer on the UKNHCP stand at Your Horse Live for any ideas on keeping one of mine in more work without shoes as her hooves were wearing down too much and she can't wear boots on the hinds because they twist with her action - he checked diet etc, then said tbh I was better off shoeing for now and not worrying about it as I'd done all I could, and she'd be healthier with the increased work so just go for it.
 
Again, YEY for common sense. Soooo many posts about barefoot being the only way and it isnt! Mine are both barefoot, I compete my 7yo at PN and SJ barefoot and he's great so it wont change, but if I ever thought I needed to, I would without hesitation!
 
AndySpooner said:
I agree that being a zealot about barefoot is probably unhelpful. As in this case where the OP has tried for 2 years to go barefoot, assuming from what has been said that the diet, exercise is right for that horse, yet she is still having problems. The fact that the horse is markedly improved by shoeing leads me, at least, to suspect that there is in fact a more fundimental problem with this horse.

The choice then has to be made, whether or not to try and discover what is actually wrong, or carry on shoeing. Personally, I think in this case I would carry on shoeing, though accepting the fact that if a horse is lame barefoot, then it is still lame shod, you just don't see it.
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Problem is though, that if a horse is uncomfortable without shoes, getting the right amount of exercise is difficult. A horse that is reluctant to go forwards and move correctly wont be as fit as a comfortable, active, shod horse. Why would one assume that the problem was any more than being able to match the horse's workload to its diet ? If shoes enable the horse to work better and burn excess calories, why would you consider it to remain unsound ?
 
horserider said:
Problem is though, that if a horse is uncomfortable without shoes, getting the right amount of exercise is difficult. A horse that is reluctant to go forwards and move correctly wont be as fit as a comfortable, active, shod horse. Why would one assume that the problem was any more than being able to match the horse's workload to its diet ? If shoes enable the horse to work better and burn excess calories, why would you consider it to remain unsound ?
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The horse should be sound barefoot, shoeing has the effect of removing the sensitivity of the foot, hence appears sound when shod. You have to accept that some horses have lameness or sensitivity problems which may not or cannot be identified without extensive investigatory work which even then though costly may be inconclusive. In these circumstances some owners may prefer just to keep it shod and be content with that. It may well be that a problem even when identified cannot be cured, in which case shoeing may be the only option for the owner.

If you are in the position of having to burn off excess calories then the argument has to be the diet is wrong.
 
He has never been lame just carefully off where he puts his feet and when you have a trimmer saying " keep trying" in the mean time he's getting fatter as I can't get the work into him, the farrier stuggled to get shoes on it as he's got no foot left but all ok now and can get the work going and weight off. He was trotting a treat this morning unlike his normal slow try and I don't think the boots were good for him either.
 
thatsmygirl said:
He has never been lame just carefully off where he puts his feet and when you have a trimmer saying " keep trying" in the mean time he's getting fatter as I can't get the work into him, the farrier stuggled to get shoes on it as he's got no foot left but all ok now and can get the work going and weight off. He was trotting a treat this morning unlike his normal slow try and I don't think the boots were good for him either.
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I've shod my barefoot Tb when I needed to so I'm not a zealot and it's good your horse is now happy, but if your horse was getting fatter then it does sound like diet was causing the footiness (getting fatter) which is a shame. Some horses are just very hard to manage barefoot which is why shoeing solves the problem, when my TB became footy following a dose of Pramox I couldn't get her sound again until the drugs had gone out of her system, so I put fronts on and all was fine. Come winter I took them off and she's back to rock crunching again. I personally couldn't manage a barefoot horse that could not cope with grass as some can't, but other more determined people do.
 
AndySpooner said:
If you are in the position of having to burn off excess calories then the argument has to be the diet is wrong.
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If the horse is too uncomfortable to exercise adequately without shoes, then the diet is wrong, I agree. Options are; restrict grazing, stable or muzzle or turnout on a bare paddock, soak hay etc..
Alternatively, put shoes on and exercise to balance diet and allow the horse a better quality of life.

I have a good doer, a H/W cob who grows fat just smelling grass. He was starved literally to the point of death before being rescued. I vowed he would never be denied food again, be muzzled or turned out on a bare paddock as this would make him miserable, stressed and even more food obsessed.
He is not shod, always sound and forward going. He is turned out with a herd 24/7 on many acres, having the freedom to roam and play. The deal is this, he gets to live like a horse as long as he does the work. About 10 miles a day mostly on roads, gravel tracks, bridlepaths and hills at different paces.

How can having to burn off excess calories be wrong ? According to your argument, my horse is sick/lame.
If he had time off work and carried on eating as he does he most likely would be.
 
Cadfael&Coffee said:
Now that's an interesting observation, you may have something there!
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Well, if they are shod at 3 or 4 then the internal structures don't get a chance to develop properly so I think there could be something in that (in particular with tbs), however my 17 year old was shod from 4 to 15, I removed his shoes and he has rock crinching hooves and would have never needed shoes (what a waste of time, engery and resources shoeing him!)
 
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