skid marks ??? Barefoot???

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kateknights

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Ok, so my new boy is barefoot,
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my question is, I have just been over the field to poo pick and there are skid marks everywhere! I never had this with Daisy as she wore shoes. Is it because he has no shoes on that he skids? What will happen when i bring him back into work in the spring, when we have a bit of rain will he be skidding everywhere? How scarey!
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Looking forward to your replies in anticipation
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Thanks guys
Kate x
 
My horse has shoes on all round and leaves skid marks so I'm not really sure if that makes a difference
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My section A is only shod on the front and I don't find she skids, I think my Horse actually skids more then she does, especially on the road!
 
perhaps being barefoot has made them feel more, um, light? and therefore run around more?!?

raff leaves skids no matter what. he's a skidder.
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edited cos just re read it... he hasn't just had his shoes off... therefore i'd say that some horses (like raff) are skidders. raff runs right up to the fence and has to slam his brakes on... skidding. also, the ground conditions are the moment are prime for skidding. i spend about ten minutes a day stamping skid marks back into the ground.
 
Mine are barefoot in the field at the moment and also skid about. However, they also did this with shoes on as they like to see who can do 0-60 back to 0 again the fastest!!!!

I have found that my heavier mare had trouble gripping on the road with shoes on and road nails in, but has been perfectly sure footed whilst barefoot.

Problem is that if i want to jump on grass next year i think she will slip even if it is only mildly damp, so I will be geting them shod. Maybe if you want to continue barefoot,you could look into barefoot boots for ridden work? I can't advise you here though as I have never used them, sorry!!!!!

Good luck with finding a solution, i personally think they're ok barefoot while turned out, but slipping whilst being ridden is a whole other ball game, but bare in mind only you have seen the length of the skid marks.....
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Mine are both barefoot and leave humungous skid marks across the paddock! The topsoil is not very thick and we are then on rock so when the top gets saturated it is very easy for them to shred the ground when they are having a hooly. It tends to be because they are moving at high speed and then decided to suddenly stop, or change direction, so they dig their heels in and their toes 'shave' the topsoil. I would think if you were jumping a) the ground would not be as wet as it is at the moment and b) the horse wouldn't be travelling at such uncontrolled speeds.
 
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Maybe if you want to continue barefoot,you could look into barefoot boots for ridden work?

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I have some listed on Ebay at the moment, brand new in box
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Some horses slip and some don't. None of mine slipped any more, or less, competing at affiliated eventing without shoes on. I hunt without shoes on now and slip no more than the shod horse in front of me on wet ground and not at all on roads, whereas two horses have fallen over on the road this season so far.

If your horse is a slippy one, then you probably need to work on his/her balance before the spring. My own experience of boots is that they will make things worse on grass, unless you buy the ones that can take studs. They are also not legal for eventing and dressage (you can get 6 months "transition" dispensation), don't know about SJ.
 
He's prob just a loony 5 mins in the field. If ours are anything to go by, its always the boys going nuts in the field, the mares might have a skip around but its the boys that race and then slam the anchors on, have a quick buck/fart then race back across the field. We have a mixed herd of 10 and it is surprising how play differs between the sexes.
 
Agree with cptrayes. My lad is barefoot. He is very well balanced, knows exactly where his feet are and rarely slips on grass but has been known to do BIG slips when being a loon
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He never slips on the road. Borrowing a shod horse for a roadwork hack is somewhat worrying to me now!
 
I've thought a lot about slip since owning three barefoot horses and also doing some trimming training.

On the whole I think it is a good thing to have a certain amount of slip, (so let's have the discussion about studs another time), slip is a way of dissipating energy that would otherwise go into causing shear or torsional/rotation injuries - slip dampens the energy and allows it to be dissipated over a second or longer.

As long as it is on a surface with enough friction to stop after a couple of feet then it's OK I think - but if the surface is so bad they are losing then balance then I tend to step in and calm them down if I can.
 
I think it is the state of the soil, just that nice skiddy consistency when they know they can gallop towards the fence, put the brakes on and leave a satisfyingly long skid mark in your precious turf.

Mine was barefoot for 2 years and was more surefooted than with shoes. I can remember schooling him in the rain one day, cantering round on grass and feeling perfectly secure and happy. He is a clumsy oaf with shoes on.
 
My shod and my unshod all leave skid marks, I really don't think it is down to wearing shoes or not, just how they moved and the state of the ground at that time.
 
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