Shoeing break, when to do and for how long?

islandspirit

islandspirit

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I want to give my boy a break from shoes for the winter. He's a show hunter so has to be shod during the showing season but I want to give his feet a break. When should I take the shoes off? All 4 at once? Or hinds first, then fronts? How long do I leave them off for? He's been on a barefoot diet for the last 3 months in preparation:) any advice gratefully received, and new farrier is happy for me to have shoes off:) his front feet need the break more than the hinds, heels are slightly under run and soles are tough but flat:(
 
I have an EMS pony who needs shoeing for summer work, but I prefer him unshod, so I have the shoes (all 4) taken off at the end of October, replacing them when I get my Mojo back, which is normally April. The nailholes are always well gone by then.

If your horse has no metabolic conditions, I'd take them off whenever you finish showing and have some hoofboots.
 
Thanks Fransurrey, I will ask my farrier to measure up for boots with the next set of shoes and then have them taken off when the set after are due. I only get to do road work at the weekends through the winter, and have to school through the week, will that be enough stimulation for his feet?
 
Smooth roads are the best thing ever for bare hooves, so it sounds ideal. You might not even need boots if that's most of your riding. Mine is all off road, which sounds great, but it's quite stony and rocky.

For boot measuring, I'd research boots now and print off measuring instructions for each. Some do vary slightly on where to take the measurements. Good luck!
 
Hi Cptrayes, I'm hoping the ground will be soft enough by the time the nights draw in which will also coincide with changing from night to day turnout. I have an easycare hoof country boot that I used for about a month on a hind foot earlier this year and quite liked it. I had a trail boot first but he killed in within 10 minutes!! Any other suggestions for hard wearing boots that will withstand a rather clumsy lump who has a tendency to tread on his own feet?
 
Hi faracat, his heels are a little under run, the fronts more so than the hinds. Toes are a tiny bit too long but much better than with my previous farrier and getting better with every set of shoes but shoeing isnt helping the heels or the flat front feet. He actually will step hind on hind, has been known to remove a shoe by standing on it in the stable! He did it 3 times in a row, hence we tried the hoof boot as there was no horn left to hold a shoe. He killed the first within 10 yards of home on our first outing. I am also concerned about thrush which I battled all last winter, any hints and tips for the best way to prevent it happening again this year, or treatment if it raises its ugly head?
 
My boy is currently turned out in his old cavallos and they stand up to his stupid antics! They are very easy to use, are tough and reasonably priced! You just need to put a sock on as well to stop any rubbing!
 
If he copes without boots, that would be best. He might need front boots for a while to start with or for stony surfaces, but *fingers crossed* he will be happy in his field and on smooth surfaces (eg tarmac) bare.

The toes and heels should come right as he grows new hoof capsules down. You might get an obvious change of angle as the hooves grow out.

Many people on here speak very highly of Red Horse products for keeping hooves/frogs healthy. https://redhorseproducts.com/
 
Also when u remove the shoes be carefull not to let the farrier cut his sole/frogs about. I say this in every thread as it gets done a lot and it happened to me. Just take shoes off and leave be.
 
I use sudocrem daily in one of my horse's central sulcus otherwise they get far too deep. I just love the smell of it :) I also use either thin bleach or 3% hydrogen peroxide on suspected thrush, both are effective and very cheap.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions:) so, take all 4 shoes off at the same time. If he is footy get boots. Check daily for thrush and don't let the farrier trim the frogs. What should the farrier do when trimming? Any other useful hints and tips that you wish someone had told you when you first took shoes off?
 
I aim for a minimum of twelve weeks .
My TB will go to the hounds between now and mid November then shoes off continue working four days a week mainly in the school with short hacks on Tarmac .
I will put the shoes back on mid Febuary .
But as he will just have let down a bit he will be quickly back into full work.
 
islandspirit said:
Thank you for all the suggestions:) so, take all 4 shoes off at the same time. If he is footy get boots. Check daily for thrush and don't let the farrier trim the frogs. What should the farrier do when trimming?
Click to expand...

It's usually not a good idea to trim sole either.

Any other useful hints and tips that you wish someone had told you when you first took shoes off?
Click to expand...

'it'll be fine, stop worrying' :)

'Do lots of roadwork it's really good for feet'

'wonky horses grow wonky feet, don't remove adaptive flare from a sound horse'

'trust your horse, he does actually know just how to grow feet which are perfect for him'

'buy shares in the makers of sudocrem' :D
 
I can't help it, I was born a worrier:) it will be interesting to see what happens with the front feet, he is pigeon toed with the right foot slightly worse than the left. Added no sole trimming to my mental list:) roadwork will be an issue though as I can't hack out during the week once the clocks change:( can I still stimulate the feet enough with the school and roadwork at the weekend? Goldenstar, do your horses feet keep a reasonable shape from February to November when they are shod or do you go back to where you started every year?
 
Can you find a patch of gravel or scalping to walk him round on for ten million tied a day in the winter? The person I gave my first rehab to hardened off his feet on a 10x10 feet patch of pebbles in this way.
 
islandspirit said:
Goldenstar, do your horses feet keep a reasonable shape from February to November when they are shod or do you go back to where you started every year?
Click to expand...

It's more a question of if I can keep them in reasonable shape while they are shod.
The two who where hunting had their last set of shoes put on at the end of feb.
I then leave them on until they really ready to come off I normaly shoe at five week intervals but the horses are not in work from the last day of hunting so it does not harm them to be left on a little to long ( seven weeks ) I do this so thers plenty of growth on the foot I then have the trimmer not the farrier remove the shoes because he removes each clench separately rather that prising the shoes off as farriers do and you get less damage .
I also want him to see the feet at this stage as he will be caring for them through the shoeless time.
The horses had a short break no work and in mid April we start leading them around on different surfaces ,by mid may they are in work BF they do about 45 mins most days lunging , schooling on grass a bit in the school some road work.
They have maintained the improvements they made when I had them BF the last time it frustrating that I have had to reshod this time before angle changes got to the bottom but I know these horses feet are so much better now I have this system .
My TB had been over a year BF when I shod him in April he will come out of shoes in mid November time and have a short break until the second week in Febuary .
He won't have a rest but will go into intensive work in the school with short hacks .
I am interested to see how this works out it will be the shortest shoe free break I have tried since I started this working system.
I always removed my horses shoes every year so they got a break but it never occurred to me that I could do this and work them until I discovered HHO.
They have both just gone back into shoes .
 
I usually take one of my lad's off over winter. Last year we did it slightly earlier and there was more growth before the winter so his feet looked better a lot quicker. I changed his diet a year ago to a bf one so I am curious what he will be like this time. Have discussed already taking shoes off with farrier as he suggested in the first place few years ago. We are taking shoes off next time which will be in a fortnight. I have some boots which I wear for hacking out in front at first.
 
Mine will have his off soon. He's due to be shod next week for the final time, but mainly because I have a hunter trial coming up and he does slip when jumping unshod (I took his backs off last year for 4 months and he was less confident jumping on grass, and did slip). We'll be taking a step up to the next level, competition-wise, and I want it to be a positive experience to end the season on so don't want to mess with the status quo too much. Already discussed things with my farrier who is fully supportive of horses having a "shoe holiday" every year (I mentioned it to him first early in the summer and he told me he thinks it's a great idea and more people should do it; previous (remedial) farrier also used to say he wished more clients would give horses a shoe break every year because it's healthier for hooves).

My plan is that YO will school him once in the week, I will prob do another 1 or 2 schooling sessions plus a lungeing session during the week then a couple of short hacks at the weekend, or a lesson, competition etc. I'm planning to really crack on with DR and SJ over winter so all work on a surface. I usually hunt but won't be doing so this winter. Hoping I can keep the shoes off until Feb time but will see how he gets on. Some of our hacking is quite stony but I can avoid most of that initially and stick to roads and bridleways that run through fields, if needed. I am planning to be there when farrier removes the shoes so I can make sure he doesn't trim frogs etc!
 
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