should I shoe ???

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pansy

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Hi,

I have a middleweight cob who has not had shoes on for the last 2 years
- I have never really done much road work - but have recently moved & we are doing a lot more road work - does this mean he needs to have shoes on ?? @ the moment his feet are looking ok a tiny chip in the front of one of his hooves but it is about the time I would normally be booking in for a trim.

I am inclined to believe that if he ok that I dont need to shoe & to carry on trimming - but what do you all think - the other thing is the farrier that I have been using normally does my boys feet along with some others but I have moved to a small yard where no one else uses him so I think he would be reluctant to come out just for a trim - how does anyone else deal with this - or should I just ask if I can use the farrier that 1 of the other girls is using ??
Any advice appreciated- Many thanks
 
I would leave them off and assess again if he has any problems with the extra road work, I.e, goes foot sore. If he's had them off for 2 years his feet should now be hard enough to cope.

I would ring and ask your farrier, the worst he can says no, and if he does then enquire about other ones that come to the yard. But up to you really?

Good luck x
 
Considering the wealth of information concerning how bad shoeing is for horses, which is now freely available on the web, the answer surely has to be no. Especially when the primary reason appears to be convenience.
 
chipping could simple be becuase the hoof isnt rolled enough - or could be it is a bit long - there are many reasons - ask your farrier to show you how to roll the hoof between trims as this may help (and yes its easy - yes its legal and no you wont cripple your horse ;))

i'd be inclinded to leave shoes off as much as poss - i only put them in for studs as my mare slips really badly without them - so i need them for comps - before that i had her barefoot - and yes i put them on for my convienience - so what? i bought her to ride - so ride i will dam it ;)
 
Pale Rider said:
Considering the wealth of information concerning how bad shoeing is for horses, which is now freely available on the web, the answer surely has to be no. Especially when the primary reason appears to be convenience.
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Oh behave yourself! If shoeing were bad for horses nobody would do it!
People like you ought to grow up!
OP do you think your horse needs shoes?
We have one that is out doing roadwork almost daily, yet does not need shoes, and another that rarely goes out on the roads that requires shoes.
I would keep an eye and if you feel he does need shoes you can book him in.
 
Considering the wealth of information concerning how bad shoeing is for horses, which is now freely available on the web, the answer surely has to be no. Especially when the primary reason appears to be convenience
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Sorry I did not need to offend & no I would not shoe him for convenience I just wanted someome else to confirm that the way I was thinking
was right - I would prefer not to have him shod - if he does get a bit footsore then maybe he could always have some boots - but he has always been worked off road before so I just wanted some advice before I call the farrier :)
 
joeanne said:
Oh behave yourself! If shoeing were bad for horses nobody would do it!
.
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Smoking is bad for you but people still do it dispite the evidance !!



OP - If it ain't broke don't fix it - many horse owners in this land shoe their horse because they think their horse should be shod and not because they need to be shod !
 
joeanne said:
Oh behave yourself! If shoeing were bad for horses nobody would do it!
People like you ought to grow up!
OP do you think your horse needs shoes?
We have one that is out doing roadwork almost daily, yet does not need shoes, and another that rarely goes out on the roads that requires shoes.
I would keep an eye and if you feel he does need shoes you can book him in.
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I wish that were true, sadly it is not and if you ask around I am sure you will find both vets and farriers who acknowledge that shoes are not good for hooves.
 
posie_honey said:
i only put them in for studs as my mare slips really badly without them - so i need them for comps - before that i had her barefoot - and yes i put them on for my convienience - so what? i bought her to ride - so ride i will dam it ;)
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Consideration and compassion eh, you'll be exercising behind a van next.
 
LL I was not saying that she SHOULD shoe her horse, (I only shoe one out of my lot because she does need shoes) but at the same time she should not be penalised by a barefoot treehugger who implies its cruel to shoe her horse.
There is nothing "convenient" about parting with a wodge of hard earned cash that would buy a nice pair of jimmy choo's in some cases, but if the horse does honestly need them, then being told its cruel to shoe is downright not on!
 
joeanne said:
LL I was not saying that she SHOULD shoe her horse, (I only shoe one out of my lot because she does need shoes) but at the same time she should not be penalised by a barefoot treehugger who implies its cruel to shoe her horse.
There is nothing "convenient" about parting with a wodge of hard earned cash that would buy a nice pair of jimmy choo's in some cases, but if the horse does honestly need them, then being told its cruel to shoe is downright not on!
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Pahahahahaha! Sorry that really tickled me! Brilliant reply! :D

Op- if your hoss copes with his new work well, does not get footy, farrier and yourself are happy with his feet then leave him as is! Like someone else said "if it aint broke dont fix it"
 
Pale Rider said:
Consideration and compassion eh, you'll be exercising behind a van next.
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so i'd be better letting her slip all over the place so she shortens her stride and tenses through her back to stabalise herself? or so that she falls and pulls a muscle?

or having her back off xc fences that have hardcore down as they hurt her feet to land on them eh? (yes she used to do that when barefoot)

so actually i'd be better off her just being a happy hacker and not doing anything that might hurt her tootsies?

okay

you seem to have chosen to ignore the fact that i am an advocate of barefoot - and yes i know about trimming - and feeding - and i even used paddock paradise system to help her transition - however - in some cases shoes are the better option - for welfare, satety and yes - sometimes for convinience
 
pansy - trust your instincts, you've already said that you're inclined to leave the shoes off and see what happens - makes perfect sense to me. what you have isn't broke so theres no need to try and fix it. :)

Oh............ and I spy a troll!!! :D
 
joeanne said:
LL I was not saying that she SHOULD shoe her horse, (I only shoe one out of my lot because she does need shoes) but at the same time she should not be penalised by a barefoot treehugger who implies its cruel to shoe her horse.
There is nothing "convenient" about parting with a wodge of hard earned cash that would buy a nice pair of jimmy choo's in some cases, but if the horse does honestly need them, then being told its cruel to shoe is downright not on!
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No one said it was cruel, just bad for their feet, better to spend your money on some other crap, a cake perhaps, or what about a nice handbag from an endangered species, I am joking here by the way.
 
posie_honey said:
so i'd be better letting her slip all over the place so she shortens her stride and tenses through her back to stabalise herself? or so that she falls and pulls a muscle?

or having her back off xc fences that have hardcore down as they hurt her feet to land on them eh? (yes she used to do that when barefoot)

so actually i'd be better off her just being a happy hacker and not doing anything that might hurt her tootsies?

okay

you seem to have chosen to ignore the fact that i am an advocate of barefoot - and yes i know about trimming - and feeding - and i even used paddock paradise system to help her transition - however - in some cases shoes are the better option - for welfare, satety and yes - sometimes for convinience
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I suppose that my view is that I wouldn't compete if my horse needed studs to do it. I am not going to shoe my horse just to compete.
 
I thought our pony may need shoes as he is doing more road work , and because of lack of rain he some times comes in the garden which also has a conceret path.

Farrier came last week and I mentioned it to him and his advice was not to bother with shoes, his feet were fine and just to monitor it
 
maggiesmum said:
pansy - trust your instincts, you've already said that you're inclined to leave the shoes off and see what happens - makes perfect sense to me. what you have isn't broke so theres no need to try and fix it. :)

Oh............ and I spy a troll!!! :D
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No you don't, if you don't like my view, don't read it.
 
Daisydo said:
I thought our pony may need shoes as he is doing more road work , and because of lack of rain he some times comes in the garden which also has a conceret path.

Farrier came last week and I mentioned it to him and his advice was not to bother with shoes, his feet were fine and just to monitor it
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It is posts like this that are so frustrating, everyone knows by now surely, that roadwork is excellent for barefoot horses. I mean barefoot, not shoeless.
 
joeanne said:
LL I was not saying that she SHOULD shoe her horse, (I only shoe one out of my lot because she does need shoes) but at the same time she should not be penalised by a barefoot treehugger who implies its cruel to shoe her horse.
There is nothing "convenient" about parting with a wodge of hard earned cash that would buy a nice pair of jimmy choo's in some cases, but if the horse does honestly need them, then being told its cruel to shoe is downright not on!
Click to expand...

Back up lady ! That statement was not aimed at you - I quite cleary directed it to the OP !! It also stated that MANY horses are shod when they don't need to be I did not say ALL !

As for Posie she admits it is for her "convenience" that she shoes her own horse !! Her choice !! I know where she is coming from !
 
back to OP - i did loads of road work barefoot on my mare (before i turned cruel and whacked shoes on to compete ;)) and she was fine :)

it was stony tracks that made her need boots - i used old macs and they were great - fiddly - esp when cold - but good - there are lots of newer designs now days though that look fab - but depends on your horses hoof shape - alas my mare had the shape of tootsies that only suited old macs :)

also keep a thought on nutrition as that can cause footyness - as can weight etc - its worth doing some reading and research - but if - like me - it comes to a time when shoes are a better option - then go for it ;)

ETA - i still take shoes off over winter to give her a break from them and fully advocate that too - esp as up here we tend to get a few months when i cant ride anyway - saves me some pennies and helps her feet :)
 
lexiedhb said:
Oh bless- anyone got any troll treat to lure it back under its bridge?
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I find this does a far better job:D

Troll_Spary_max192w.jpg
 
Barefoot, shoeless FFS whats the difference? Horses need what they need whatever it may be. They are all individuals living in different ways with different facilities. Different being the operative word..... Joanne you made me chuckle! Troll bait - hmmn try throwing an old horseshoe under the bridge !!
 
lexiedhb said:
Pahahahahaha! Sorry that really tickled me! Brilliant reply! :D

Op- if your hoss copes with his new work well, does not get footy, farrier and yourself are happy with his feet then leave him as is! Like someone else said "if it aint broke dont fix it"
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Lol Yeah it was me that said if it ain't broke don't fix it yet to the OP - yet it was me that got the ruddy barking at !!! :-0
 
Pale rider. I think your reply to my harmless post was quite aggressive.

Come on then clever clogs I bow down to your supreme knowledge, pray tell what is the difference between barefoot and shoeless?
 
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