Shoes coming off today - advice please.

mytwofriends

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I retired my boy due to arthritis a few weeks ago, and today is the day he's having his shoes off for the last time. He's living out 24/7, and will only come in overnight in the depths of winter if necessary.

I realise he's sure to be incredibly footie whilst he gets used to being barefoot. Obviously he's not going to be ridden again, but with the lack of rain we've had, and the ground being pretty hard, I'm unsure how long it might take him to acclimatise and how should I deal with it? Also, I bring him in daily for a feed/groom etc, which means leading him up a stone track. Should I feed him in the field for a while (I can separate him from his buddies) to avoid the track, or would it help speed up the foot hardening process?

One more thing, I was thinking of using a hoof supplement? Complete waste of money or do they really help?

Thanks! :)
 

bryony_equine

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Hi, my 17hh WB has been barefoot for 2 years now and we compete and everything, its really nothing to worry about, its great for the horse and much easier and cheaper for you.. Here are some web links to check out, they should be useful but in the mean time i would look at having someone professional come and do his/her feet from now on instead of a farrier. You can get a list of registered barefoot practitioners on www.uknhcp.org.uk - dont be put off, they come out to see you and they are almost always a lot lot cheaper than a farrier!
In regards to feed, i would scrap the hoof supplement idea, go on to

http://www.naturalhorsesupplies.co.uk/ and buy some 85% pure magnesium oxide, feed 1 scoop a day along with some brewers yeast which you can also get from them, its MUCH cheaper that hoof supps and MUCH MUCH better!! These just help the hoof harden and become healthy for bare-footness!

I would keep bringing him/her in for her tea just let her take her time over the rougher surfaces, you could buy some keretex liquid which is brilliant for hardening the hoof. (expensive but pot lasts for years and works v quickly)

Try these sites for some advice though,

http://rockleyfarm.blogspot.com/
http://www.performancebarefoot.co.uk/
http://www.rockleyfarm.co.uk/RockleyFarm/Home.html
http://www.progressivehorse.co.uk/

http://www.uknhcp.org/ukpractitioners.html ---- this is to find a practitioner to trim feet etc

Hope that helps!
 

cptrayes

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He may not be footie at all. If he is footie, I suggest that since he is retired you should just shoe him until it starts to rain in the autumn. I see no point at all in making him go through any soreness if shoes are not making him lame.

Fot the track, boot him in quick-fit velcro-on Cavallos.
 

smiffyimp

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When i retired my old boy he was living out 24/7 and i left him out as much as possible, fed and groomed in field. He was fine. He was a bit footie and his feet looked awful for a bit, got chipped etc, so needed farrier a bit more often to begin with. 6month he was fine. My farrier asked me recently what i put on their feet (I have 7yo too) my young one has never had shoes on and competes BE and BS. I dont put anything on or feed a supplement. They do however have feed with Biotin in, such as hoofkind. My boys are both Arabs and have super feet, this works for mine.
 

stimpy

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He may not be footie at all. If he is footie, I suggest that since he is retired you should just shoe him until it starts to rain in the autumn. I see no point at all in making him go through any soreness if shoes are not making him lame.

I totally agree with this.

You could also ask your farrier about equicasts. They work on the same principle as human plaster casts, it's a bandage that you wrap the foot in, add water and then it sets solid. I have used them several times as a way to transition a shod horse onto field rest with no shoes on. In particular it worked brilliantly for my 16hh TB when he retired - I never thought I could get him out barefoot. They are cheap too, my farrier charges 20 quid a bandage so for me it's the same cost as having shoes in front.

Incidentally I have used them for a mild laminitis case and to fix a highly annoying quarter crack that just wouldn't go away, they are very useful for all sorts of hoof related issues.
 

mytwofriends

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Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated and very reassuring and interesting.

The farrier whipped the shoes off and I've kept them as souvenirs :). Unbelievable how heavy the four of them are together. My boy is a big 16.2 with huge feet so he must feel very strange without them. I led him up the track and he seemed very light on his feet, so I'll monitor him over the coming days and see how he turns out.

He is now officially a horse of leisure and he deserves every moment of his retirement and will want for nothing. One of life's Good Horses :)
 

Janette

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Star just got on with it when her shoes were removed. Not footsore at all. He feet pinged open from their former contracted selves and have never been so healthy. She's as sound as a pound. We compete, hack on roads and rough ground..... Best thing I ever did.
Just be patient with the transition period.
 

Max123

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My gelding who is retired through lameness has been barefoot for about 9 months and I got front shoes put on him today because he is "footie" with the ground being so hard at the moment. The farrier said they have put front shoes on several brood mares who are normally barefoot for the same reason. If I was you I would not remove his front shoes at least until the ground conditions change.
 

ScarlettLady

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I took my boys hind shoes off 2 wks ago now and buted him for first 24 hours as was sure he would be footie, but absolutely nothing! am very impressed with him and his feet look fab! :D
I'd probably take back off for a while first though.... but thats probably just personal preference! :)
Good luck
 

cptrayes

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My gelding who is retired through lameness has been barefoot for about 9 months and I got front shoes put on him today because he is "footie" with the ground being so hard at the moment. The farrier said they have put front shoes on several brood mares who are normally barefoot for the same reason. If I was you I would not remove his front shoes at least until the ground conditions change.

In working barefoot horses the first suspect would not be the hard ground, but low grade laminitis caused by rain after a dry spell bringing on the grass. Shoes will hide it, but can mean that acute laminitis can spring on you suddenly, so do take care with your old boy and watch him carefully for pulses or a pottery gait, won't you?
 

mytwofriends

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I took my boys hind shoes off 2 wks ago now and buted him for first 24 hours as was sure he would be footie, but absolutely nothing! am very impressed with him and his feet look fab! :D
I'd probably take back off for a while first though.... but thats probably just personal preference! :)
Good luck

Thank you! Actually my vet recommended taking them all off straight away due to the fact he will be fully retired and no longer in work. Early days, but so far so good and he's walked down to the yard twice for feeding with no ill effects. In fact I think he's walking more freely without the shoes if that's possible (he's arthritic so I'm acutely aware of the way he moves). Any sign of lameness, I will of course rethink the idea and consider the alternative options mentioned by you all.

I have been warned his feet might look a bit rubbish when the nail holes start to split, but to perservere and continue having them checked at the same time as my other horse is shod.

Again, thanks for your replies guys.
 

beeswax

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most important is to have regular trimming (4weeks) certainly for the next 6 months, after that if you were riding him then his feet would trim themselves naturally but as he is going to be in the field you could then go to 6-8 weeks trimming to stop the feet cracking with chips and flares and regular trimming encourages hoof growth which will in turn produce new and improved horn so dont let them get long and flared otherwise you will be looking at possible lameness and other issues.
 
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