Shoeless fears - advice sought

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poghag

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After an initially seemingly minor symptom of sudden resistance going into canter, 4 months unridden, 5 chiropractic visits by 2 different chiros, and a visit to a remedial shoeing expert who has removed shoes and given more of a natural balance trim because it appears that this may be the root cause of back pain and tightness down hamstrings...

... am heartbroken to watch my beautiful Horse reluctantly trotting free on the arena surface looking like a laminitic pony. He has been unshod now for 4 weeks.

Farrier recommended 4-5 miles of roadwork 3 times a week to keep the feet wearing properly, I believe, and we've been walking out in hand I guess up to 4 hours a week (over 3 days), and having little trot/canter free-plays in the school or going for walk-outs on grass the other days. Before all this he was hunting fit. He goes out at night for 12 hours every night. He eats ad lib hay, Alpha A, sugarbeet and grass nuts, as he was a little skinny throughout the season having evented all year, and I thought this rehabilitation period would be a great time to get him a little more covered.

He generally walks out OK - a little ginger - but I'm just worried that he is so uncomfortable out of walk, even on an arena surface. Is this all normal? He'll have no shoes, nor will I sit on him, for as long as it takes to get his back right, and wouldn't be averse to keeping him unshod until we start eventing again. But watching him potter about now God I really wonder if I'm doing the right thing.

Any advice from barefoot advocates or otherwise gratefully received. Thanks very much.
 
the transition period will vary from horse to horse. Mine have taken from literally a week to months.
I have a horse that I retired as she was chronicly lame on and off for 4 years with ringbone in her coffin joints and fetlocks. It got so bad it got to the point where I was going to have her put down because the vets couldnt keep her sound even with painkillers. I turned to barefoot as a last chance for her and OMG the difference it has made to her life is amazing.
She took a while to harden her feet but she is now sound to ride and came out of retirement nearly a year ago. Shes back jumping and everything. I intend to carry on with the barefoot and start eventing her again.
My laminitic pony went barefoot 8months ago and it was heart breaking watching her potter around like you have mentioned about your lad. Her soles were paper thin, but over time her soles have hardened up and she moves around completely normal. She still has moments when she goes a little pottery but thats normally over stoney ground. She has Boa boots on when shes exercised.
All 3 of my ridden horses are barefoot. 2 are ridden as they are and only 1 has to have boots on (only fronts) as she still hasnt completely finished the transition.
Please bare with it. It will get better, it just takes time. The more you can get him out on hard surfaces like roads, the quicker his feet will harden.It will be worth peservering with. I wouldnt go back to shoes now after ive seen the difference it has made to mine.
 
Agree with daisy, it does take time, my lami pony had an op on his suspensory in Nov, has been barefoot since Oct and I'm now riding him for about half an hour 4 times a week even over stoney ground, and trotting for a minute each time. He has fantastic feet now and is never pottery!
 
Why don't you buy some horse boots - they are liked "trainers."
Not cheap though.

Some barefoot people advocate that you take off the metal shoes and straight into boots and keep riding, becuase the most important thing for a barefoot horse is movement. We do not give our horses enough work. (But I don't know how your horse's feet are of course).

Best of all if you use Sole Mates - thick pads that you tape onto the feet. mine had been without shoes for some time, yet the DIFFERENCE after a couple of weeks in hand walking in these pads was enormous. They give just the right amount of pressure over the whole foot and the correct pressure, without bruising from stones, just helps the foot to heal and start to grow the internal structures.

I cut one in half depth and put inside my hoof boot, and this too made a huge difference. You could almost see the hoof altering to the kind, correct pressure. (I was able to hack out in the boots - your horse might not be at that stage yet).

If you look on some of the Barefoot horses site, particularly the Equine Podariatrist UK sites. There are some really inspiring stories of horses coming back from crippling conditions back doing endurance, hunting, etc. There was one previous navicular case out hunting (pic in H&H) and I personally know one that after 12 months of remedial farriery, 3 referral vets and £5,000 worth of insurance money was going to PTS. After a couple of months barefoot - with a person who had lots of experience in rehab - the horse is back doing endurance rides again, sound.
 
I would be extremely concerned if the horse were showing signs of discomfort on an arena surface.

Has a vet looked at him??
 
Spoke to farrier this morning - he's planning to reshoe him next visit anyway - just one stint shoeless to enable frogs and heels to function properly. Many people are reassuring me that anything from the first week to the first 6 months can be difficult for the newly unshod horse, so I think I'm bearing with it. I like the theory behind barefoot but can't help feeling relieved he'll have his shoes back on next month.
 
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Many people are reassuring me that anything from the first week to the first 6 months can be difficult for the newly unshod horse, so I think I'm bearing with it.

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Yes it can be difficult for some horses initially when their shoes are taken off. But for your horse to be so sore on an arena surface is just not right. Ground that is a little uneven or stony usually causes a problem. Flat surfaces and arenas don't.
 
No I agree, a normal horse should not be sore on a good arena surface even if newly out of shoes - or on grass. If it is that sore then maybe something else is going on.
 
Having read other threads on another forum, maybe I've just overdone the walking out... and it seems that whacking shoes back on after 7 weeks off may well be masking underlying issues.
 
poghag have you had your saddle checked and a well qualified osteo look at your horse as a whole and not just the back?

It seems to me that you are getting bogged down in the business of blaming the
feet. Theres very little that connect them to the hamstrings and id be much more inlcined to think this was a problem with the musculature.
 
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Theres very little that connect them to the hamstrings and id be much more inlcined to think this was a problem with the musculature.

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Which is why I was asking about the vet.....
 
We have taken shoes off a crippled horse of ours, and after a few months of being turned away with regular trimming he came back sound.
If he looks uncomfortable we do not ask him do much, only what he is able.
It takes a while, but he came back to us. He could not walk when we got him!
 
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