Probably been done to death but barefoot?

Denbob

Denbob

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D pulled a shoe halfway off this morning, luckily we had another farrier due so he sorted him out but he raised a point about how D has pretty good feet and was a prime candidate for barefoot. He's currently only shod in front (done this week) and still needs a fair bit trimming off behind at six weekly intervals.

When I got him his feet chipped very easily (he digs a lot, especially when stressed) but it has been a year and he's changed a lot, working a lot more evenly and been on a much better diet. I wasn't there to ask and as he's not my regular farrier would feel a bit cheeky ringing up to ask him! So will turn to the lovely people of the forum. At the moment he's coming off box rest and doing hacking only on fairly rough ground with a bit of long-reining in the school which will gradually increase to a couple of hours schooling a week when he's fit.

What are the costs involved in going barefoot? Do I need to let them grow out/change shape at all or is it really as simple as taking the shoes off and cracking on?
 
It can be as simple as taking the shoes off and cracking on, albeit at a sensible pace which could mean this is the ideal time to start although you may need to be a little careful on rough ground and try to do some exercise on tarmac roads to condition them a little on a decent level surface.

Some are fine with very little input or change to diet or routine, others seem to be far more complex, I have taken shoes off of a fair few and had no real issues, having a farrier on board who is pro barefoot makes a great difference, I think mine would be more than happy if he never shod another horse.
 
I would advise employing the services of a barefoot trimmer, who can advise on diet and exercise. As he already has good feet, chances are he is on a good diet suitable for going barefoot (low sugar, low starch and as natural as possible). The barefoot performance trim is quite different from a pasture trim, so it is a good idea to employ the right person for the job, although I may get shot down for this. A regular trim is around £30, the diet required is usually more expensive than for a shod horse, since you don't have the shoes to mask any foot issues that may arise from feeding less natural feed. In addition, you may need to buy hoof boots which are expensive but last years and years, but it sounds as tho you probably wouldn't. Good luck. There are lots of helpful peeps on here with lots of foot knowledge, and make sure you find a decent trimmer. :)
 
I took shoes off my showjumper about 3 years ago as a last ditch effort against tendon/navicular issues and crushed heels. After the initial adjustment period of a few months (lots of hand walking on various surfaces with and without boots until she got comfortable) I started riding, and noticed the biggest change from 12-18 months when the heels started to stand up and the soles got thicker. I now have no issues taking her out hacking and competing- she will still feel a big stone here and there, but that's mostly because I don't have gravel for her to live out on or ride her on gravel enough, no issues from it- I just don't trot or gallop over stones. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The main drawbacks are as above- you won't have perfection without a lot of work. Like you can't pull them out once a month to ride hard over rough ground and expect them to not get sore. If you build up time/intensity over rough terrain it's usually fine. You also need to watch their diets a bit more- no sugary crap feeds, mostly stick to rough forage with a balancer. I found adding magnesium, copper, and zinc helped loads. It doesn't have to be expensive. And if the grass gets rich after a rain or a freeze, just work them a bit more to USE the sugar they're ingesting.

For positives- I've not had a foot or leg related lameness in 3 years after I started riding again. (One exception very recently, a hind foot abcess from wall kicking- they were being kept in a lot and she was cranky all winter) No more stocking up, no mud fever, no slipping on pavement, no pulled shoes, cheaper farrier/vet bills. HAPPIER HORSE- I think this is because of the diet/lifestyle changes that I did for her feet but they've proven to be good for the rest of her too.

Another thing is that everyone natters on about "barefoot trimmers" but honestly some of my worst experiences have been with UK barefoot trimmers. I brought my horse from the US In 2016, and I was all about BFF's in the states because US farriers can't trim for crap-they trim the foot flat like they're begging for a shoe, dig out all the sole, peel away the frog and wonder why the horse is tender. So naturally I was terrified of "farriers" here, then went through 2 incompetent barefoot trimmers out of 3 (couldn't keep using the good one because I moved again), now use a "normal farrier" and he does a brilliant job. What you want to look for is they roll the toe back to the white line (this keeps a lot of cracking and chipping at bay unless there's something internal going on with white line separation), AND they'll mostly leave the sole and frog alone. :)
 
Trim isn't radically different - just as omb says. Diet wise it depends massively on the horse but ime the biggest factor is keeping their weight down and limiting sugary grass, which come to much the same thing. You can easily use boots, even if just in front, if they're slightly ouchy over stones. My Fell has boots in front for rough going but I don't use them now on tarmac or regular fields. I've had a couple like that. I used to religiously feed PE balancer as I know our grazing is low in magnesium but recently I've cut it out and there's not a jot of difference in their hooves so I wonder how much is in the owner's mind tbh! They do have access to a red Rockies and I add linseed to their token feed (a handful of nuts to keep them easy to catch). My vet believes a good healthy weight is the biggest factor and I'm inclined to agree.
 
That's all really interesting thank you! He pulled another one off today and it's only a matter of time before he does it and stands on a nail or does himself an injury. I
brought him in over gravel and he didn't seem tender on it at all, was supposed to be riding tonight but if I can get the other shoe taken off will do a walk along the road and see how he fares!
 
I’ve just had the back shoes taken off my horse. I’m just going to crack on and see how it goes. However if he doesn’t adjust then I’ll get them back on but fingers crossed.

My friend has four tb’s and she had the backs removed (one had all removed as she kept losing them) and just got on with it, she’s had no problems...

Im not going to mess around with diet, just going to let nature take its course..
 
Diet can be the difference between it working and it not, the effects are there, in the body, if the diet isn't right, but the shoes disguise it, that's all. You might be fine, you might not.
 
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