Removing shoes

[Purplerain123]

Hi,
I am about to go on maternity and my 17yr old IDxTB horse is about to have a few months off so i was wondering if its best to take shoes off.
He has never had shoes off before, and use to be a hunter before i got him a year ago and did have lameness issues from hunting. Since having him I mainly hack him and haven't had any problems with feet.
His old owner seems to think if I took shoes of he is at risk of abscess's forming in his feet which would mean vet visits and more money and hassle then i have now with shoes on. But if i can save money by not having shoes on and hes ok its a bonus.
He is also very good at getting stuck in fences and catches the wire between front hoof and shoe so taking shoes off means we don't have to worry about electric fencing every inch of the field and it opens him up to being allowed in more fields which would be ideal.

Any ideas
Thanks

 

[Gloi]

It will be good for his feet. In my experience, if they are going to get abscesses it will be early on when the nail holes are breaking away , if they are kept in wet conditions at that time, but after that they are fine.

 

[Red-1]

I have never found barefoot to me much cheaper, TBH, but you would return to your horse having better feet, if it is done correctly.

I also find it takes more time.

I would start with correct nutrition. Make sure the frog is free of thrush. Then pull shoes and do very little for a month other than take off any obviously raggy bits and be stringent with cleaning. It is ideal right now as the ground is still soft.

After that, it is like going down a rabbit hole. I prefer to trim little and often.

 

[splashgirl45]

The hunters I know round here get the summer off and have their shoes off , my old farrier was very in favour as when hunting some of them had to be shod much more frequently and he said it gave their feet a good rest

 

[ycbm]

It was normal to turn hunters away for the summer with no shoes when I first owned horses.

It will do his feet good, but there is an abscess risk in my experience,
particularly if he has flat feet.
.

 

[Carrottom]

I would ask the farrier for advice on this as he should know your horse's feet best. I have found the first few months out of shoes can lead to abcesses, but shod horses can get them too. If he struggles out of shoes you can always get them put back on.