jumping barefoot horses on grass

Firehorse

Firehorse

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my pony is barefoot and i want to keep her that way, however, she loves jumping and i have recently started enjoying it again. i only have a grass paddock to jump her in and she has been finding it a bit slippery after rain. i only pop her over small jumps for fun and variety in her schooling, but does anyone have any ideas to stop her slipping?

are there any types of stud you can use for barefoot horses? or is that a totally numpty question!!
 
Not that I know of, however my boy has been barefoot now for 18 months and he is far more sure footed than he ever was with shoes on!
 
You can boot and stud the boots - take a look at teh Easycare website.

When my boy is listening and balanced we're fine, its only when he gets excited, stops listening and motorbikes that we've ever had a slip and not anything that really felt out of control
smile.gif
 
i have had my boy for nearly 10years and have never had him shod, i find that he is better balanced without shoes i have a pony that has shoe but only because she gets really foot sore
 
Not a numpty question at all! I think it's quite sensible to ask about grip before jumping, safer than finding out by trial and error! Your boy should be fine jumping without shoes, if the going is muddy then I would put boots on the front. Personally I wouldn't stud the boots up...maybe have a read at this website regarding studs and injuries.

http://www.performancebarefoot.co.uk/studs.html
 
The two horses in my sig are both barefoot and event at the lower levels (and have hunted) without shoes. However, I do find in certain conditions - on rare occasions they will find the going slippy. For example, when it has been dry for a long period of time and then rains hard. The people I ride with who have shod horses often have the same problem so I don't think it is just about being without shoes.

Does your pony often slip or is it just on rare occasions?
 
Henry is shod in the summer and unshod in the winter, and I can tell you that after rain he is definitely less sure footed in the field when he's shod! If you buy James Rooney's 'The Lame Horse', there's a really nice description of how the hoof wedge shape is compromised by adding a shoe, blunting the lead edge (toe!). This means that a shod foot slides further before gaining purchase.

You can stud certain Easycare boots, though, as said above.
 
she's only slipped the once. it had been raining and i popped her over a tiny jump after a hack. it may have been a combination of a little tiredness plus the wet ground. i've never ridden barefoot horses before and am just a bit wary about the jumping till we get used to it! she's absolutely fine out hacking or schooling, just the usual if its wet.
 
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