Let's Talk Bare Besides Rehab

[Equilibrium Ireland]

Most of our discussions are centered around diet for non growing stock and rehabbing previously shod horses.

Feed for young ones. I have a 3yo who I won't be putting shoes on. Plenty of fine arenas not on grass for future jumping. Not heading to the olympics so can't see this being an issue. As a foal she got foal pellets and I did use an evil balancer for her as a weanling. This was mixed with beet and oats as needed. This was before my foray into bare. I know in the winter of her yearling year her feet got worn away a bit in the abrasive mud. I know this was probably mostly down to diet. She had no issues with grass as a youngster but this year at 3 she's only grazing at night but still out during thr day. Not ideal. Yes she will be doing about 5 weeks work this summer. Since getting the minerals better we don't have the wearing issues. She is rock crunching and happily and smoothly goes over any hard ground. She has been trimmed maybe 7 times her whole life. For the most part she keeps them very well. She is very correct too. So I forsee no issues with work as long as conditioning is appropriate. But what about young ones growing wonky in which shoes are recommended? What really should be an ideal diet for a growing horse, mine wasn't I don't think. Making sure the extra calories and vit and min needs are met?

I also have 2 ponies here for a client. They grew up with very little hard food. But they also grazed on lush cattle pastures til they came to us. So they look not great in the winter and then way too fat in summer. They come in with event lines that make me panic and yet are rock crunching sound. We've been doing little shows and I keep getting asked why no shoes. I'm walking across the horrible sharp stone parking lot and not a miss. Quite how they've managed to pull it off puzzles me. Can't say I'm not a wee bit jealous that with no special anything and lethal grass they manage to thrive. They would not be pretty feet yet they really get the job done. One of the ponies will be for sale and I'm sure they will think us clueless and cheap. I get that impression when people see the ponies out jumping. Mind you I'm looking at the shod ones thinking yikes, look at those contracted heels or whoa those are seriously underrun. But when you have shoes at least people don't think "well aren't you cheap".

Anyway, just general musings and some insight to bare beyond rehab.

Terri

 

[Aarrghimpossiblepony]

Good thread.

Mines off the forest, never been shod, doubt if she has ever had a trim.
But her frogs are horrible, no two ways about it compared to some pictures posted here.

I am treating for thrush but there's little improvement but she's sound on all surfaces.

It's as if she says, "yeah well feet, what's the big deal".

I've finally managed to get someone to come in a few weeks time to give a thorough assessment and will take it from there and what they advise.

 

[Holly Hocks]

Mine's off the forest as well - just turned 4. Trimmer said she has superb feet. I got her aged two and a half and she has been fed a low sugar/starch diet since I got her - basically Fast Fibre with Pro Balance and hay. She has been backed and lightly ridden away, and is now having time off as she is bum high. I'm hoping she'll be just be a nice all rounder. I'm hoping to keep her unshod.

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

My 3yo is a warmblood/TB cross so am pleased with her pretty good feet! Mind you I just turned out for the night and loved watching my older warmblood/TB cross take off with the 3yo across the rock hard ground looking pretty good. I've been on and off with her and finally have things going the right way so it seems.

Thanks for sharing because these stories are great and all part of the puzzle.

Terri

 

[FfionWinnie]

Mine is now 5 and was only shod once for 6 weeks when she was backed (before I owned her). She did a 24km endurance ride on concrete like forest tracks yesterday and someone actually said "it's nice to see one barefoot". The farrier checking feet said "I'll just run a rasp round them so they don't chip away" and I think he was a bit put out when I said no thanks her feet don't chip, she has just had a bit more growth than work the last few weeks, but she will sort it out herself. There was absolutely no way I was letting an unknown farrier "run a rasp" anywhere near her immediately before an endurance ride - she is completely sound, if it ain't broke don't fix it!!

She is getting unrestricted grass and a chelated rockie currently. Winter diet is more hi tech as she lives out and works hard but she won't eat bucket feeds when there is grass but it seems to be working currently!

My other one who has even tougher feet has only marginally restricted grass in summer/ hay in winter and a rockie. No special diet, she's never been shod and rarely been trimmed in her 8 years (both are self trimming with me). She has event lines and her feet aren't quite as pretty but they are very functional. I've had her longer tho and she has been barefoot and in some work, for 2 years compared to the other ones 8 months.

 

[fabscd]

My youngster has never had shoes on and won't have them on unless she really needs them. She is walking on grass, concrete, hardcore track and arena surface every day and is sound, only occasionally unhappy on a sharp stone. She has good quality feet, and at this stage the only reason i would need to put shoes on her would be if she started getting sore when we go hacking, or if she needs studs (I event at a low level). I'm not keen on hoof boots, but i don't see the need to shoe her 'just because'. She is on a low sugar/starch diet anyway, and seems happy!

I have two others who are shod and happy in shoes, and similarly, i don't see the need to try and get them barefoot 'just because'. If any of them had issues which would be helped by shoes/barefoot i would go down that route. I am not keen on this blindness of 'shoeing is the only way' or 'barefoot is the only way' I think horses are all individual!!

 

[Nudibranch]

Interesting thread.
I have a 2yo sports horse, bought him at 6 months old and he had only just seen a farrier - breeder was nervy about trimming him until the vet put her foot down (we had the same vet at that point). He had long heels and toes as a result, and had been fed a high sugar foal mix. You could see it in the shape of the hoof - or so I believe anyway!

Since coming to us he's had nothing but Suregrow, a red Rockies lick and mag ox. I walk him out now and then in-hand on tarmac and tracks. He has the hardest hoof I have ever seen, it is unbelievably hard. Lovely, big fat frogs and good sole. He will never wear a shoe. If we have issues I will change his management accordingly. Will be really interesting to see how he does once he's in work but his field has several stony paths and he's 100% on them at present.

I also have an 18 yo CB mare who arrived in the new year. She has been shoe-less for 4 years after a check ligament injury. She was also on a very sugary molasses mix with ad-lib hay, quite heavily rugged over winter so my first task was to get some weight off. Her fronts had a little flare and stretched white lines. She had thrush and there was also a crack in one which her previous owner said never went, but caused no problems. So she is now on exactly the same diet as the youngster, and has more regular trims than him which has reduced the crack and I am hoping in the next trim or so it will be gone. I've worked hard to get rid of the thrush and hopefully it will stay away.

Unfortunately limiting grazing is quite problematic here, I would love to have a proper track or bare turnout but they seem to be coping. I really think the magnesium helps with spring grass. However it is also very "poor" grazing; we are on the edge of fells with old mixed pasture only good for sheep. I am thankful for that because I am not sure they would do so well elsewhere. There are a wide variety of shrubs, trees, rushes, nettles, herbs, etc for them to browse which can only be a good thing.