Lost a shoe...always just before Christmas

[Jesstickle]

Not a huge surprise Jess! I got bit by a cat once and had to stay in hospital for a week!!!

Umm, no I suppose it isn't

Bloody filly is a walking disaster!! Good job I love her isn't it?!

 

[TigerTail]

At moments like this I always remember the phrase "why is it the man who wants to tell you about his religion, never wants to hear about yours?"

Unless you know exactly who I am, what I weight, what pony I ride, his weight, workload and whereabouts. I really don't think you are in a position to tell me how I should look after my ponies feet.

I have actually looked into 'barefoot'. But the books and articles I read sold it so hard, and jammed the subject so far down my throat without actually giving me the information I required, that I decided it was in the same neighbourhood as Parelli.

You and Solo made me giggle so much on this

Just out of interest what makes you think we need to know your weight and who u are to advise on barefoot? Just wondering if youve had the misfortune to read some complete crap and been really put off by it?

 

[DH1]

That's why I booked my farrier for this afternoon so new shoes for For Christmas I need to get inas much riding as possible this next week and a half before I go back to work so am not taking risks with lost shoes etc!

Me too Got up at the crack of bird s**t this morning and Megamare now has new shoes for Christmas. They weren't due for another week or so, but I would have be mortified had she lost one over the holidays.

 

[NeilM]

You and Solo made me giggle so much on this

Just out of interest what makes you think we need to know your weight and who u are to advise on barefoot? Just wondering if youve had the misfortune to read some complete crap and been really put off by it?

I have read a number of online articles and also struggled to battle my way through 'Feet First'. I am an avid reader, but have yet to get to the point of that book, despite getting about two thirds of the way through.

Logically, and using my engineers brain, unless you know the weight of my pony, my weight, the type of riding we do and the frequency of our riding, how can anyone possibly advise whether barefoot, or anything else, is appropriate.

What if I use a shire to pull a cart full of scrap metal around city streets ten hours a day, six days a week? Or if I ride exclusively in schools and on soft surfaces? Or, as is actually the case that I hack out up to six hours per ride, a large part of which could be on the roads.

I am extremely open minded and will always consider what is best for the welfare of my pony, but a blanket 'you should do this' statement is guaranteed to go right up my back like a roller blind.

 

[MrsMozart]

Maybe ask Santa for a hoof boot for Christmas, then next time one pops off you'll have something to stick on?

I remember the saga of lost shoes only too well - Tiggy used to lose them like it was the latest fashion to be odd shod . The Dizz and Co. are currently barefoot, so we just have the usual 'Have they been arguing and are they lame or sound?' discussion . Given this blasted cold I'm sidelined anyway, watching D1 Pessoa the Dizz in the cold and rain today

 

[soloequestrian]

using my engineers brain

Aha, the source of the problem!
You need to start thinking like a biologist (difficult, I know, given the extent of the affliction mentioned above). Wolff's Law states that '(biological) structures will develop according to how they are used'. Apply this to the (bizarre) practice of shoeing horses - you nail a solid metal object to a structure that has evolved to be constantly flexing, ie you effectively splint the hoof, and so the internal structures develop in a way that is consistent with being held in a splint - they atrophy, at least to a degree.
If you don't shoe, but allow the hoof to build up to the level of work required of it (you get it fit, just like all other body structures), the internal structures will develop to cope with that work.
If you take shoes off, there should be some expectation that the workload will need to be altered to allow the development of the hoof, even if the rest of the horse is fit for the work required.
In some situations, the horse will require extra protection to cope with the work expected, and this is where hoof boots come in - use them only when needed, and the hoof gets the benefit of being bare for the rest of the time. I use hoof boots a lot because my hacking is very stony forest tracks and I haven't got two of the horses to the point that they can cope with these completely bare. Check out EasyCare for the most comprehensive range of hoof boots - they should appeal to the 'engineer's brain' as there is still definitely room for improvement.
Many barefooters would tell you that roadwork is the best thing for conditioning bare feet.
In terms of weight of rider, a barefoot horse should have a better base of support because in a correctly functioning hoof, the pedal bone is supported directly by the solar callous and not indirectly via the laminae.
The only time I think a horse would need nailed-on metal shoes in this day and age is if they required studs - I don't think there is a satisfactory boot solution for this yet.