more roadwork - what should i do with her hooves?!

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missy99

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hi
as the spring/summer is approaching and the weather's getting better, i'm starting to go out hacking a bit more.
where i keep my horse we have lovely hacking with nice woods, but there's usually a fair amount of roadwork along the way and i'm wondering what i should do with her hooves!
when i first got her i tried to make her barefoot, the farrier was sure she would be okay because she'd only been shod a couple of times on the fronts (never at the back) and had good strong cob feet, but she seemed to get bruised front soles and stiff back legs (dont know whether the stiff back legs had anything to do with it or if she'd just slip in a field and hurt herself or something similar). so next time i saw him we talked about this and he then said we should put the fronts back on.
so a few months later and after no problems with feet, i'm starting to wonder whether with more roadwork, should i get back shoes? i really don't want her hooves getting worn away! or is there another option?
i know sand can also wear away the feet so as i wont be in the school as much do the more roadwork + less school work cancel each other out?

sorry about all the questions, but would really like peoples opinions and experiences on this.

thanks a lot:)

sophie
 
My pony has always been barefoot and has never had shoes in his life as he has good strong feet. If your horses feet become bruised I would say put shoes on to save her feet! It sounds as if she has pulled muscles in her back legs thats why she is stiff.
 
Hi - I don't do a huge amount of road work, but do endurance ride barefoot and don't use boots. I have done up to 160 km rides and had to trim three days later.

I also ride dressage in crusher dust arenas and train a lot on the beach.

Recently spent the weekend trekking in LoR country (high country to us Kiwi's) on mostly shale and shingle.

I have never, ever run out of hoof.

The more work you do, the more they grow.

And my horses still get trimmed every four weeks.
 
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Just get yourself some boots you can pop on if you are going to be doing a longer ride than usual or if you feel her feet are getting worn.
It would be worth having her back legs looked at to see what the reason for her stiffness is, you might be able to treat it and make her more comfortable.
 
My two are currently doing 20-30 miles per week on the road completely barefoot. This will increase as they get fitter, though.

ETA: Actually, a few miles of that is on the bridle paths, but they're rougher than the roads :D.
 
As others have said, the more you do the better they get, you should never run out of hoof so long as the changes are gradual and build up is slow.

Boots are great for helping make the changes. You don't need to use them all the time, equally you can use boots if the feet get a bit tender for whatever reason.
 
ok, thanks a lot for the replies guys! i will definitely get some boots for her back hooves then, and might get her legs checked out. thanks again!:)
 
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