Shoeing a young horse - can it affect their physical developmet?

[Nagling]

Hi, Just after some opinions really. I bring on young native ponies and have never had to shoe them until 5 years normally and even then just fronts. We have quite a rough surfaced lane away from the yard and this is normally the reason I need to shoe them. I have a rising 4 year old who is hacking out about 3 times a week and she is starting to get a bit footy on the lane (fine on smooth roads). I don't want to make her sore and give her a negative experiance of hacking out so I was thiking of putting fronts on her. What are your opinions on shoeing a young horse. She is very mature for age but still growing. Sorry this is so long for simple question!

 

[tasteofchristmaschaos]

I would ask your farrier and see what they think - after all they are the experts!
If they say no, you could always try hoof boots.

 

[use a name]

your choice on what you do with your horse but this has some shoeing info.no doubt i will be bombarded with comments now,but who cares.good luck anyways

http://www.thenakedhoof.com.au/html/article-WhyShoeingBadIdea.htm

 

[quirky]

I have a rising 6 yr old who was only shod on the front (from age of 3) due to a massive crack.
She has just had to have back shoes on as she can't cope on the roads. The farrier had been keeping an eye on them as I upped her workload.

So, have a word with your farrier, he'll let you know .

 

[Shilasdair]

your choice on what you do with your horse but this has some shoeing info.no doubt i will be bombarded with comments now,but who cares.good luck anyways

http://www.thenakedhoof.com.au/html/article-WhyShoeingBadIdea.htm

So many favourite points there. I think I like No. 11 the best - Devil only knows how horses can survive in snowy climes :
Nails Conduct Cold Into the Interior of the Hoof - Metal conducts heat/cold. On really cold days, nails conduct cold into the core of the hoof, lowering its temperature. The Natural Hoof insulates against the cold.
.

No 5 is also kind of funny:
Horseshoes Pinch The Corium & Living Tissues In The Hoof - Shod horses can no longer break over naturally. The result is inflammation to the coronary corium. Sort of like you trying to walk around in ski boots all day long.


Although it seems to me that the whole point of shoeing is to prevent excessive wear of the hoof wall, so No 1 is quite a bonus (assuming of course that you get your horse shod regularly and don't let the 'unnatural angles' develop ).

Horseshoes Prevent The Hoof Wall from Wearing - Normal movement of an unshod horse wears down the lateral walls, toes and heels naturally. This is not possible if the hoof is shod...and the hoof grows while the shoe is still on, contracting the foot and creating unnatural angles in the foot.

 

[kizzywiz]

So many favourite points there. I think I like No. 11 the best - Devil only knows how horses can survive in snowy climes :
Nails Conduct Cold Into the Interior of the Hoof - Metal conducts heat/cold. On really cold days, nails conduct cold into the core of the hoof, lowering its temperature. The Natural Hoof insulates against the cold.
.

No 5 is also kind of funny:
Horseshoes Pinch The Corium & Living Tissues In The Hoof - Shod horses can no longer break over naturally. The result is inflammation to the coronary corium. Sort of like you trying to walk around in ski boots all day long.


Although it seems to me that the whole point of shoeing is to prevent excessive wear of the hoof wall, so No 1 is quite a bonus (assuming of course that you get your horse shod regularly and don't let the 'unnatural angles' develop ).

Horseshoes Prevent The Hoof Wall from Wearing - Normal movement of an unshod horse wears down the lateral walls, toes and heels naturally. This is not possible if the hoof is shod...and the hoof grows while the shoe is still on, contracting the foot and creating unnatural angles in the foot.

Crikey, having read your post Shils, especially point 1, do you think its ok to go clear round jumping on a surface this afternoon, Fleur has front shoes on & I'm concerned about strains caused by the "unnatural angles", could this be made worse by the fact that she is unshod behind, in fact should I ride her at all again, like ever??? ..... Luckily it is above freezing today so don't have to worry about the core temperature today, phew thats a relief...

 

[SirenaXVI]

your choice on what you do with your horse but this has some shoeing info.no doubt i will be bombarded with comments now,but who cares.good luck anyways

http://www.thenakedhoof.com.au/html/article-WhyShoeingBadIdea.htm

Oh dear! More twaddle


Sorry OP forgot to reply to you! There should be no problem putting fronts on, I have done this with 4 yos if they get footy, the best person to ask though is your farrier, he will give you a more informed idea.

 

[MissMistletoe]

Have a good chat with your farrier, he can see your pony's feet we cant

I am very pro-barefoot, but I dont want to preech about it as I dont know your pony.

 

[outandabout]

My horse was apparently shod (perhaps badly, I claim no expertise in this area) very young, probably before the age of 4, with the upshot being that his feet didn't develop properly and this has stored up problems for him which didn't become apparent until his later life (he is now 15).

I'm not saying don't shoe, as after all there are plenty of young competition horses being shod at that age (as was mine), but perhaps consider taking them off again over the winter or at times when he is doing less work. A lot of those things on the website linked to are clearly debatable at best, but it seems common sense to me that if your horse's body or feet are still developing it is best not to restrict that development.

 

[Apercrumbie]

Talk to your farrier - in general they know best. As tasteofchaos said, you could always try hoof boots if you don't want to shoe her.