New Pony CC and a little advise re unshod back feet please?

nikCscott

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Wow not been on here for months so will be ploughing through and catching up...

So a year after losing my gorgeous Z i decided it was time to get something again, so we sold one of the 11.2hh's to a lovely new home and spent ages looking for the right pony for me to ride an enjoy, but also bring on as future pony for daughter.

So at new year we found Poncho a handsome 14.2hh 6yo reg Sec D, not really done anything apart from hacking and SJ, and they were selling him as they openly admitted they weren't experienced enough to cope with his napping.
This is the day he came
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He's now been with us almost 2 months and has settle in a dream, he's lovely to have a round (a bit head shy but this is so much better and continues to do so every day), we've been mostly hacking and he will now walk out on a loose rein without a hint of wanting to nap, he's learning some laterals and how to bend and is incredibly switched on.
This is him last week
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I took him hunting (only the second time in a trailer and loaded both end and travelled beautifully), he was fab with hounds, stood beautifuly at meet, we were up front with master and Huntsman and I also held him back to see how that worked- perfect! Jumped a few ditches a small hedge and stile all amazingly!
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My 8yo DD has been hacking him too on lead rein although I'm literally on the end of the rope he's fabulous - she adores him!
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Can you tell i'm a bit smitten?!

He's unshod on the rear as this is his 1st set of fronts and i've never had a non shod horse myself how often do you normal ride on lanes? He's not given me any sign of being sore but I was just wondering if there was a bench mark?

Sorry for the gushing long rambling post but after such a terrible time with Z then a year without my own - I couldn't be happier. Aiming to do some dressage next month x
 

Clodagh

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He looks absolutely fantastic! What a star. I had my pony shod behind when she wasn't tracking up properly on hard surfaces, she wasn't lame but she stopped going foward so nicely, if that makes sense. If he is doing OK just keep on.
 

picolenicole

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He is lovely, a cannot believe it's the same pony!!!

My pony (King) is unshod all round we hack every day on lanes sometimes 30 mins to hours, has his hooves trimed 6 - 8 weeks depending on grass growth. King is schooled once a week but we have to hack to get there, best thing to do is just keep your eye on him see how he manages. Was he shod behind when you got him? or is it something you have done?

Good luck at dressage I'm sure he'll do well :)
 

ester

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He's smart (not that I like a welsh obv :p), you need to get DD some shorter leathers ;) Don't worry re feet unless he seems footy - there is no benchmark. My older welshie is currently doing 15-20 miles a week unshod and still needs his feet trimming every 6 weeks :p.
 

twiggy2

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over the summer my mare was doing in excess of 10 hrs per week unshod with at least half of it being trotting fitness work-if he is sound and covering the ground well then he is fine
 

TigerTail

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Both of mine are barefoot and work on the roads fine :)

Keep the diet sugar free and low starch, watch the spring grass as its v out of balance in minerals which can send them footy - this is not a reason to shoe as shoeing covers up the problems! Work towards getting the fronts off :D

PS love his fluffy pj legs
 

nikCscott

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Thank you- he's still tracking up well in fact I've never had anything that tracks up so naturally- but I'll keep an eye on it, guess he's doing about 15+ miles a week atm but there is a lot of trot work and I'm very careful over stones where we've had flooding.

DD now has a new saddle with short flaps for her little legs which also has her diddy leathers and peacock irons on :p

Mr Tumnus (sp?) legs haha
 

cambrica

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Wow, What a difference, I can see why you would be smitten - he is lovely! Although I am already smitten with a bay Welsh D of my own ;) (see sig photo)
Mine is also unshod and never had shoes on. He copes with roadwork fine and has hooves like little rocks of granite!
Well done - he is a real diamond :)
 

lula

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Darling Daughter!

oh. does that originate in Mumsnet?
my nearest and dearest are only 'darling' to me about 1% of the time. The rest, they're 'bloody daughter' (has nicked my make up...) bloody husband (has rolled in drunk again...) !
 

Spring Feather

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He's really quite lovely and you seem totally enamoured with him (as well you should!) :smile3: nothing to add about the no shoes as none of my horses wear shoes and they all work/compete same as any other horse.
 

hairyhighland

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He's lovely op, what a difference from the first photo!
As for the shoes mine is unshod at the moment, he done roadwork etc. no problem, I won't have him shod unless he really needs to be in the future.
 

nikCscott

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Wow, What a difference, I can see why you would be smitten - he is lovely! Although I am already smitten with a bay Welsh D of my own ;) (see sig photo)
Mine is also unshod and never had shoes on. He copes with roadwork fine and has hooves like little rocks of granite!
Well done - he is a real diamond :)

Ohhh yours is very smart, not sure Poncho (or Ponkey as we call him) will ever look like that but hoping being slightly finer DD can get her legs on him.

They will only hack and ride at home this year as she has our amazing sec a which she is loving hunting atm but no reason why she can't start doing a few rallies and things when they've got together more (BUT WERE IN NOT RUSH as he's a lot of pony for her) but she's no smaller on him than I was on Z :p
 

dreamcometrue

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He's very lovely. My sec D is totally unshod and at first I worried that her feet would not cope with the amount of hacking and road work that I do. I took her on a 17 mile endurance ride and then fretted that I had worn her feet away so called the farrier to have a look and put fronts on if necessary. Hoever he said absolutely no need, her feet are fine and hard as rock.

It is one of the great plus points of a sec D.
 

putasocinit

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they will wear their feet down to natural break over, and as long as they continue exercise this break over will remain and the sole will just harden up, believe it or not the foot will grow more to replace the hoof which is being lost because of the terrain but you wont see that growth because it will be worn away just as quickly, try to give him a break on a grass verge when you can but otherwise he should be fine, monitor his diet and watch if he gets footy then really add boots rather than shoe. sad to spoil good feet with a shoe
 

AmieeT

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What a handsome chap!! He looks adorable :)

I too have a 14.2 Sec D that I currently hack out twice/week (hopefully will increase once lighter nights are here, stuck with days off atm) and he's also unshod on the back. So far he's been fine and no hint of being footsore.

I had a week off in Nov though and took him out 5 of the 7 days, farrier came 2 weeks later and said if they went much shorter he'd prob get footsore.

He did say that Welshies generally have good strong feet, but because Red's only recently come back into any kind of work (was basically a field ornament for 5 yrs) his feet aren't used to it. x
 

nikCscott

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Thank you so much for all the lovely comments I'm glad you can see what i'm seeing too. Thought maybe it was my rose tinted specs (with heart shaped frames) I seem to have on for him.

Off to give Ponkey a hug now and tell him all that you think he's as handsome as I do :)
 
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