seriously thinking about barefoot... feed advice pls

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showaddy1

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My 2 mares both have shoes, one fronts and one all four. I cant lie, the shoeing every 6 weeks is crippling my bank account, and from seeing the recent thread about poor shoeing, I am more convinced to start the barefoot journey.
I am under no illusions that I may not succeed, but I am going to give it a try.
They are currently fed speedibeet, happy hoof and scoop of top spec balancer. Where do I start??
Plus, my hw mare is shod with short toes, advised by vet as she was dragging her toes... can this be achieved when bf?
Thankyou, Bec
 
I will bump this up for you.

Research is a must, I done loads of it and now it's working for me as I learn more.

Tbh I would swap the whole diet around, fast fibre, pro hoof, calmag, salt and linseed and go from there.

Hopefully the bump will get more people to help
 
Depending on the type of horse you have, and what shoes theyre in currently bf may not be cheaper I hate to tell you!

For a start lose the happy hoof and top spec as both are molassed.

FF is great, if they need weight + micronised linseed, if footy Pro Balance (ebay) + salt.

The other thing you need is either a farrier who is happy to put a roll on but not trim sole and frog of a br trimmer.

Pics of hooves are useful too :)
 
I feed Topspec Light to my BF lad, and it's fantastic. Healthy Hooves is a very good feed.

I would do searching on here, as I think a lot of peeps don't want to repeat what's already on here.
 
Sorry shysmum but I wouldn't feed either to mine.

Your right thought I think people have had enough of going through the same things. Maybe a search would be a good idea
 
Thankyou... just had a fab pm from oberon... And its not solely being done for saving money... my hw has never looked good in shoes - I know that sounds stupid, she slips and slides like Bambi and reminds me of a kid in her mothers high heels. I'd post a pic but I am embarrassed by the shape on her feet. Her shoes are due next Monday and for the past week they look crap. I have rung the farrier to come earlier but he's abroad!
The feed advice from Oberon I'd be making a saving (just) and my farrier has said he does barefoot trimming.. the hardest part will be to stop him chopping at the frogs!
 
I would copy if I knew how!! high fibre, no sugar, linseed, salt and she recommended a few supplements. I'm sure she would send you the pm if you asked x
 
My 13.3 is barefoot. She had been for 2 years, then had fronts back on and then shoes back off earlier this year. Footie to start with but changed her diet to fast fibre, linseed and a hoof supplement as suggested to me by a few on here and I noticed that when I took her for a hack she was still footie but alot less than she had been.
My 14.3 has fronts on, and I want to try her barefoot too. She is on the same diet, and am hoping with some inhand walking on firm surfaces she will be able to stay barefoot. Obviously if she is continuously footie she will have to have shoes back on!
 
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