Newly barefoot top tips

[motherof2beasts!]

Apollo threw a shoe last week , then the other so has been unplanned barefoot this week. Anyhow seeing how much less poaching he’s caused to the field , I’m going to give it a go, farrier due tomorrow but going to ask for a trim.

Can people give me tips on the first few weeks, Is it kinder to avoid hacking/stoney tracks and stick to school to begin ?!

 

[ester]

Some step straight out for some it's a process. Mine was fine for the first 6 weeks then went footy (was doing rehab, started 5 min walk on road daily, upped slightly every week). At 6 weeks went into front boots. I should have given him more bodywork at that point too.
Arena work you have to be a bit careful if you don't have a good enough foot to support it and depending on the surface as sand can be very abrasive (ie worse than tarmac) and can take more wall than the horse can cope with at that stage.

 

[motherof2beasts!]

Some step straight out for some it's a process. Mine was fine for the first 6 weeks then went footy (was doing rehab, started 5 min walk on road daily, upped slightly every week). At 6 weeks went into front boots. I should have given him more bodywork at that point too.
Arena work you have to be a bit careful if you don't have a good enough foot to support it and depending on the surface as sand can be very abrasive (ie worse than tarmac) and can take more wall than the horse can cope with at that stage.

I didn’t really think this through as wasn’t a planned thing as such but something I’ve thought about often.

My concern is he won’t get enough exercise , he is an incredibly good doer and although we don’t do loads , we do need to do 30 mins to an hour 5 days a week. Would you steer clear on hacking tomorrow ? Is about 15 min on road 40 min on tracks .

 

[ester]

mine was a welsh cob who I'd always relied on work to keep slimmer but circumstances conspired against that.

It really depends what feet you have now, how long have they been in shoes etc. The trad cob I steal for driving was shod over the summer and stepped out of them again no bother come autumn but he had only been shod in the spring which probably made it easier.
It is very easy to do too much too soon, as often the hooves tend to 'wake up' a few weeks down the line and then they are sore. Boots are the compromise then (for 6 months I used them for road walk and took them off when we hit grass, moving to somewhere with more gravelly tracks a couple of years later was another transition again so the boots came back out for a bit)

 

[paddy555]

I would get some boots and ride in those rather than barefoot. That way the horse can get his exercise without any worries about his feet. If he is a good doer and it will soon be spring and grass season to my mind work/fat is far more important. If he becomes sore you won't be able to exercise unless you boot so try to avoid it.

Having got the exercise sorted then you can start leading him out on smooth tarmac to start to condition his feet. Smooth tarmac is a kind surface, gravel on roads causes pin point pressure, stony tracks good at this stage, grass OK, school depends on surface. Sand is abrasive and nice sand does wonders for trimming and feet but you probably don't want that at this stage.

I would steer clear of hacking until you get boots sorted or stick to grass if you must.

As for the farrier then the most minimal trim just to round the edges. Don't let him take anything off, the horse will start to wear them down himself.

most important job now is his frogs. Inspect them very closely for thrush before the farrier comes tomorrow (if any frog needs trimming to deal with thrush he will be able to do it for you) Then sort the thrush. Unsorted thrush will make him sore as his frogs will not be raised off the ground by shoes.

Measure his feet after the farrier has been for boots.

 

[ycbm]

I didn’t really think this through as wasn’t a planned thing as such but something I’ve thought about often.

My concern is he won’t get enough exercise , he is an incredibly good doer and although we don’t do loads , we do need to do 30 mins to an hour 5 days a week. Would you steer clear on hacking tomorrow ? Is about 15 min on road 40 min on tracks .

You definitely don't want to go from shoes off day 1 to an hour work day 2, no meter what surfaces you have available.

If he has to work for his weight, then he should work in boots in case he is not up to an hour straight away. And then test his ability to go without them by increasing the time without them gradually and backing off if he starts to find things difficult.
.

 

[ester]

Even when frogs not appearing particularly thrushy I've always got better ones by treating for thrush anyway.

 

[black and brown]

If your farrier is coming tomorrow maybe ask him/her to just put fronts on and leave barefoot behind. I transitioned this way rather than taking off all four at the same time. If you can, measure the front feet to give you an idea of what boots might work. There a a few online retailers with guidance on how to measure.

 

[motherof2beasts!]

Yes I would love him in boots , but the reason I originally didn’t go barefoot is the hood boutique said my options were very limited, as he has very wide feet. I have just ordered the test box with Cavallo and skoot boots in the sizes they said “may” fit. Fingers crossed

 

[motherof2beasts!]

If your farrier is coming tomorrow maybe ask him/her to just put fronts on and leave barefoot behind. I transitioned this way rather than taking off all four at the same time. If you can measure the front feet to give you an idea of what boots might work. There a a few online retailers with guidance on how to measure.

He’s been barefoot behind for 2 years, just kept fronts as we do love to hack.

 

[motherof2beasts!]

Typo “hoof bootique”

 

[motherof2beasts!]

Even when frogs not appearing particularly thrushy I've always got better ones by treating for thrush anyway.

I use red horse sole spray weekly and thankfully he’s never had thrush .

 

[ester]

fab, you've already got that box ticked then

 

[Gloi]

You may find the front hooves change shape when he has been bare for a while and the boots fit better. Don't do too much until the nail holes have grown out.
I use Hoof Armour on mine now instead of boots.

 

[motherof2beasts!]

You may find the front hooves change shape when he has been bare for a while and the boots fit better. Don't do too much until the nail holes have grown out.
I use Hoof Armour on mine now instead of boots.

I have just looked that up , looks interesting. Is it easy to do ?!

 

[Gloi]

I have just looked that up , looks interesting. Is it easy to do ?!

Yes , though it might take a couple of tries to get used to doing it.

 

[motherof2beasts!]

Update and advice needed - the hoof boots did not fit sadly, had a choice of 2 based on measurements but one the heel was way too tight , the other far too long/wide. I’ve ordered some hoof armour so will give that a go. No thrush phew using sole spray daily.

Anyhow when grooming this Eve ahead of a ride he appeared a bit backsore, twitching when I brushed his back and a couple of spasms. Can this be related to transitioning to being barefoot?! I know one can say yes or no with certainty but is it a thing ?!

 

[paddy555]

Update and advice needed - the hoof boots did not fit sadly, had a choice of 2 based on measurements but one the heel was way too tight , the other far too long/wide. I’ve ordered some hoof armour so will give that a go. No thrush phew using sole spray daily.

Anyhow when grooming this Eve ahead of a ride he appeared a bit backsore, twitching when I brushed his back and a couple of spasms. Can this be related to transitioning to being barefoot?! I know one can say yes or no with certainty but is it a thing ?!

sore feet have a knock on effect in the way the horse stands and moves. That has a knock on effect to the rest of the body. If you have a sore foot you find that before long your knee/hip etc is sore as you start to walk badly to protect your foot. Has this happened to your horse is anyone's guess.

I'm afraid with hoof boots measurements mean little. It is how a particular make fits. For example if I measure a foot I always buy 3 pairs of boots ie the correct size by measurements and the ones below and above. (and return 2 pairs)

 

[motherof2beasts!]

sore feet have a knock on effect in the way the horse stands and moves. That has a knock on effect to the rest of the body. If you have a sore foot you find that before long your knee/hip etc is sore as you start to walk badly to protect your foot. Has this happened to your horse is anyone's guess.

I'm afraid with hoof boots measurements mean little. It is how a particular make fits. For example if I measure a foot I always buy 3 pairs of boots ie the correct size by measurements and the ones below and above. (and return 2 pairs)

That’s what I did with hoof boots , hoof boutique suggested only Cavallo or scoots for him , had 2 sizes of each , Cavallo was a definitive no. The size 7 scoots were too tight on heel and size 8s too wide/long.

 

[Noble]

The heels on scoot boots can be stretched to fit by holding that area in simmering water for 5 minutes and molding them to the shape required as they cool down. Obviously if you try this and you are still not happy you can't return them so you would have to be very happy with the rest of the fit, also stretch them a little at a time until the fit is perfect.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Is your farrier on board with barefoot trimming? Only asking because some pick up a foot, switch on autopilot, and file away all the growth, slice the frog off, scour out the sole etc.. Are you able to ask for the bare minimum to be removed from the frog and a mustang roll/bevel edge applied to the hoof without your farrier taking the huff? Good luck with the transition, I hope you can stick with it.