Shod or barefoot?

Shod, partially shod or barefoot?

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I honestly think this is a huge subject which a lot off people don't understand or not willing to understand what a horses hoof is actually capable of achiving without shoes put on there feet.
6 months ago I was totally anti bare foot, a load off crap, horses need shoes etc etc but I think it's lack off understanding for the subject that makes people that way. The only horses I ever saw was ones who had lost a shoe and couldn't walk. So we put a shoe back on and all was fine!!! Not once did I stand back and think why can't my horse walk without his shoe. But as you look into it more and diet being so important, I wonder how many people who actually think bare foot is rubbish have horses on
unsuitable diets.
The whole bare foot, working horses bare foot, diet, trimming etc is a complete mine field but one iv now taken a keen interest in and now how 3 horses bare foot, and 3 bare behinds which fronts coming off soon. All the diets had to be changed and I'm learning everyday but it's not total rubbish as I first though months ago and those who think it is..... Go and do some research you may be shocked at how unsuitable your horses diet is and learn a lot to make you question things and wonder why iv shod for 30 odd years.
 
thatsmygirl said:
I honestly think this is a huge subject which a lot off people don't understand or not willing to understand what a horses hoof is actually capable of achiving without shoes put on there feet.
6 months ago I was totally anti bare foot, a load off crap, horses need shoes etc etc but I think it's lack off understanding for the subject that makes people that way. The only horses I ever saw was ones who had lost a shoe and couldn't walk. So we put a shoe back on and all was fine!!! Not once did I stand back and think why can't my horse walk without his shoe. But as you look into it more and diet being so important, I wonder how many people who actually think bare foot is rubbish have horses on
unsuitable diets.
The whole bare foot, working horses bare foot, diet, trimming etc is a complete mine field but one iv now taken a keen interest in and now how 3 horses bare foot, and 3 bare behinds which fronts coming off soon. All the diets had to be changed and I'm learning everyday but it's not total rubbish as I first though months ago and those who think it is..... Go and do some research you may be shocked at how unsuitable your horses diet is and learn a lot to make you question things and wonder why iv shod for 30 odd years.
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And that's all anyone could ask.

I wish other people could follow your example and take the time to learn and make decisions based on knowledge, not fear and superstition.
 
thatsmygirl said:
I honestly think this is a huge subject which a lot off people don't understand or not willing to understand what a horses hoof is actually capable of achiving without shoes put on there feet.
6 months ago I was totally anti bare foot, a load off crap, horses need shoes etc etc but I think it's lack off understanding for the subject that makes people that way. The only horses I ever saw was ones who had lost a shoe and couldn't walk. So we put a shoe back on and all was fine!!! Not once did I stand back and think why can't my horse walk without his shoe. But as you look into it more and diet being so important, I wonder how many people who actually think bare foot is rubbish have horses on
unsuitable diets.
The whole bare foot, working horses bare foot, diet, trimming etc is a complete mine field but one iv now taken a keen interest in and now how 3 horses bare foot, and 3 bare behinds which fronts coming off soon. All the diets had to be changed and I'm learning everyday but it's not total rubbish as I first though months ago and those who think it is..... Go and do some research you may be shocked at how unsuitable your horses diet is and learn a lot to make you question things and wonder why iv shod for 30 odd years.
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Exactly!!! :):):):):):)

It's when you ask the right questions, you start to succeed.
 
Both bare foot. Captain because he is semi-retired and does no road work anyway! Fany because I took pity on the farrier, her feet are extremely tough and she really does not need shoes and poor farrier was getting a bad back with all her leaning!
FDC
 
this is a very interesting subject. i have just , three weeks ago, taken back shoes off both of mine for the winter as a bit of an experiment, both have excellent feet and live out mostly 24/7, good well drained ground, which helps i am sure. no problems at all at the moment, in fact a huge improvement when going downhill on some of the slippery tarmac country lanes round here, no longer slipping with back feet! will be intersting to see if they can go year round without them, especially in summer when ground becomes harder and we doing more cross country etc??
 
sheep said:
What is the split between shod / partially shod / barefoot horses here? Just interested to see.
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We currently have 6 Welsh Cobs in work at the moment, 2 youngsters, 3 older and 1 stallion and 5 are unshod (reguarly trimmed every 8 weeks) with varying workloads from schoolwork, dressage tests, jumping, hacking even county showing all without shoes....

The only one that has shoes is my horse as he has the softest horn, it separates from the white line down and then just folds under but he can keep a set of front shoes on for 8 weeks and that looks after his feet..... All the others seem to have relatively hard horn which doesn't wear excessively with the work given....
 
Maybe there will come a time in the future when not having shoes on is such a normal state of affairs for horses that there will only be 'a horse' and 'a shod horse' and the worries about 'barefoot' and 'unshod' will all disappear!
 
soloequestrian said:
Maybe there will come a time in the future when not having shoes on is such a normal state of affairs for horses that there will only be 'a horse' and 'a shod horse' and the worries about 'barefoot' and 'unshod' will all disappear!
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Hmmm... theres a thought!!! :D:D:D:D
 
1 round pony, barefoot.
Yard has 30+ horses, about a dozen of whom are barefoot. No-one is a Parelli-ite. :p The barefoot horses include a driving pony, 2 TBs, a Clydie, a TBx, an Andalusian, a Percheron. Ages range from yearling to 23yo. Activities range from nothing (yearling), through light schooling and long hacks (youngsters), to endurance and jumping. Some of the horses have Easyboots, but don't use them often.

I agree that the survey in itself is flawed---there is no way to check that the sample is representative of the general horse-owning population, and there is no accommodation for multiple-horse owners. I don't think this matters, particularly, since I'm assuming that the OP isn't actually trying to be terribly scientific. I also suspect that the high proportion of people answering "barefoot" is due to a reluctance of others to open the thread/get drawn into yet another debate.

It is the time of year, however, when we suddenly see wads of surveys appearing from dissertation students...I see this sort of phenomenon among uni students, and the problem is that some of the surveys are not well-designed, and the students concerned generally lack the statistical knowledge to really be able to evaluate their data. I do wish their supervisors would encourage them to find slightly more robust ways of researching their areas of interest.
 
Mines shod on all four hooves. Have tried to take backs off, she has strong healthy feet & coped ok untill the ground went hard & refused to walk on anything but grass. Her shoes also help the balance as she has long toes. Eventually would like to wean her off back shoes. Purely its cheaper, but wouldnt hesitate to put them back on again
 
ilvpippa said:
Mines shod on all four hooves. Have tried to take backs off, she has strong healthy feet & coped ok untill the ground went hard & refused to walk on anything but grass. Her shoes also help the balance as she has long toes. Eventually would like to wean her off back shoes. Purely its cheaper, but wouldnt hesitate to put them back on again
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Did the ground go hard in winter, causing this problem? If not, could I suggest that your more likely problem was that she coped OK until the spring grass came through? This is so common it's almost epidemic, especially in horses on old cow pasture or who are good doer types.

You would probably also find her long toes rapidly correct themselves without shoes on - it's extremely unusual for properly trimmed barefooter to have long toes, I've never seen one myself. They seem almost always to be caused by shoes, not the horse's natural foot conformation.
 
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I havnt read the replies and have always wondered about, I just do what works for the horse and my routine which is shoeing I honestly dont have the facilities to try other methods (still spend over an hour a day treating his bleeding feet!).

I only wonder as obviously people who are barefoot bother speaking up and advocating it if you like. But I know I have shod horses so I am sure there are others that dont really need to say anything and so the replies to threads are skewed and appear everyone is barefoot! I have worked on a lot of yards all over the country and kept horses/have friends on lots of yards and the only barefoot ones I have known were retired or didnt hack at all but then most of their owners are not on forums either :p! Would love to one day try it with the horse with awful feet but he literally grows no foot at all and nothing is helping so darent as I have to do a lot of roadwork to get anywhere from my yard!
 
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Snowysadude said:
I havnt read the replies and have always wondered about, I just do what works for the horse and my routine which is shoeing I honestly dont have the facilities to try other methods (still spend over an hour a day treating his bleeding feet!).

I only wonder as obviously people who are barefoot bother speaking up and advocating it if you like. But I know I have shod horses so I am sure there are others that dont really need to say anything and so the replies to threads are skewed and appear everyone is barefoot! I have worked on a lot of yards all over the country and kept horses/have friends on lots of yards and the only barefoot ones I have known were retired or didnt hack at all but then most of their owners are not on forums either :p! Would love to one day try it with the horse with awful feet but he literally grows no foot at all and nothing is helping so darent as I have to do a lot of roadwork to get anywhere from my yard!
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The changes in routine are usually based on diet and doing as much work as possible.
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Hooves are designed to be used and abused by the ground and with an appropriate diet and care, you'd be surprised what they can do:) Endurance horses have some of the best bare hooves around.

The ethos that hooves need protecting or they'll fall apart is tragic. Hooves are amazing structures. They are so dynamic - they change constantly in response to changes in the body.

Shod horses have been found to grow hoof much slower as it's a matter of stimulation.
I've never heard of a horse with awful feet who hasn't suffered from years of poor (high sugar/starch and low mineral) diet and hoof care.

Even a break from shoes for a couple of months can often do the world of good - as long as the owner is prepared to learn how to keep the horse comfortable during this time.

If you want to keep your horse shod - then cool. I'm not trying to 'draft' you in a barefoot cult
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But please don't think that there's no hope of growing good hooves on your horse. It's just a case of a few, small adjustments, some research....and faith :)
 
Oberon said:
If you want to keep your horse shod - then cool. I'm not trying to 'draft' you in a barefoot cult
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But please don't think that there's no hope of growing good hooves on your horse. It's just a case of a few, small adjustments, some research....and faith :)
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There is a really sinister initiation ceremony involving bananas, pancakes and maple syrup.

It's quite shocking.
 
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