Taking the leap to barefoot

[Snapshot2016]

Hi all apologies for the long waffle… I have a lovely big palomino he’s about 17.2hh sport horse type who I have owned since a 2yr old (now 9) he was barefoot for a while but in my naivety I put shoes on him because he was doing more work… this horse will lose shoes every week, front and back,farriers tried everything but think it’s a lot to do with his confirmation, he’s quite narrow in front, very long but short backed. He’s obviously trying to tell me he doesn’t want them on! In 2020 he had an mri to diagnose some lameness and the outcome was that he had changes in his Impar ligament in his foot, in one more than the other but damage in both. we were advised by the vet to put on spider bar shoes and while that worked for 1.5years he would still throw the odd shoe, we went back to normal shoes about 4 months ago, only because he had lost a “special“ shoe and we couldnt get a replacement one in time for a competition.
in the last month he has been Walking very strange, not all of the time but enough to be a worry. He is rolling his off fore foot when landing on it and walking from the right ride of his foot rolling inward. He did this in 2020 before he had his MRI Then never did it again once he had his spider bar shoes on. He’s off to the vets on Monday but I suspect it’s because of the change in shoeing that he’s started doing this again.
I know it’s been done to death but any tips for transitioning to barefoot? He’s in full work hacking 2/3 times a week, competing in sj once a week and a lesson once a week. Am I best just whipping his shoes off trying to keep a normal workload (depending on his reactions) and get him some hoof boots or would you turn him away for a period of time and Inhand rehab him? Any suggestions welcome and thanks for reading

 

[paddi22]

I transitioned my whole lot to barefoot and for all of them I whipped the shoes off, keep them in normal work and just used hoof boots where needed. Even with the sensitive horses I find I only need the hoof boots on sharp stones and tracks. the rest of the time they cope fine. There are lots of threads on here about the best kind of low sugar feed, and proper vitamins you can give for hoof strength.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

There's a very good FB group "Barefoot Horse Owners Group UK" which I found mega-supportive when I was transitioning.

Without wishing to farrier-bash, unfortunately the vast majority of farriers think that a "barefoot trim" is the same as a "field trim". It isn't! No way.

Your best way forward (my experience) may be to engage an EP (Equine Podiatrist) for the first year or so of barefoot, they will be able to support you through the process and advise you on stuff like management, supplements, hoof boots etc.

Unfortunately we've had to dispense with the services of several farriers who just didn't "get it" re. barefoot and all they were doing was a field trim. If your farrier looks at you blankly when you ask for a "mustang roll" then sorry but you'll need to engage another professional.

 

[sbloom]

Big fan of barefoot and you will indeed find a ton of helpful tips on here on diet, turnout, conditioning with and without hoofboots. How quickly you can do it, and how much you can ride, is very individual and is down to how bad the feet are internally and how well you can provide the conditions he needs.

Narrow in front could be a clue as to why he pulls shoes off - base narrow is likely the reason for that lateral landing as the leg is tilted in wards. It is also a big indicator for the ribcage dropping through the shoulders, as horses have no collarbones it is only muscle tone that keeps the ribcage up. The ribcage pushes the shoulders and elbows out, and the feet in.

For a horse not to suffer potentially harmful compensatory movement patterns we really need that muscle group, the thoracic sling, to work well and actually lift. If they don't then the breakover of the hoof is delayed, the hoof stays grounded for too long, the back of the leg and hoof take the strain and overreaching is also more likely. That thoracic sling (TS) can drop for all sorts of reasons - they don't have to be super strong in wild or non-ridden horses, but we don't realise that a trigger like a small injury, or a couple of weeks box rest, can cause it to drop leading to the potential issues mentioned, and plenty of others.

I find myself recommending this masterclass for all sorts of reasons, but it addresses the TS and has a ton of other benefits aside, well worth a look https://www.wildmagicllc.com/master-class. Here's a great interview with her

 

[Snapshot2016]

stupid question but do I simply take his shoes off or will he need a trim?

 

[Red-1]

stupid question but do I simply take his shoes off or will he need a trim?

I would first of all make sure the diet is barefoot friendly, then allow them to finish the shoeing cycle they are on.

I remove and have a very light rasp around the edges just to take any ragged bits smooth, and then leave for a few weeks for them to settle.

I usually do a Cleantrax soak at this point, as most hooves with shoes/nails have some degree of bacterial/fungal growth.

I usually remove when the ground has some give in it, and for the first few weeks don't challenge the feet other than for turnout on a good surface and start some walking on tarmac.

Walking I literally start with 100yds. Build it up 50 yds a day. It soon builds up. If the horse starts to be uncomfortable, I scale it back. They often seem to 'wake up' feeling in their feet after a few weeks, I scale it back then too. A thick, clean bed and good turnout seems to smooth the transition.

I have a rasp and if there are any ragged bits, I smooth them off.

After 6 weeks or so, I would have a hoofcare practitioner come and help you assess how it is going, show you where the shape is changing and show you how to maintain between visits.

Longer term, different surfaces can be incorporated to help the feet strengthen, but that is down the line. Initially I would concentrate on feed, clearing thrush, appropriate forgiving surfaces and increasing walking time on tarmac.

I call the walking on tarmac the 'council trim' and it really helps.

be careful, it is fascinating and I certainly became addictive.

As mentioned above, the barefoot horse owners' group is helpful.

I always take reference photos once a month, so I could see how the feet were transforming.

 

[Red-1]

BTW, I didn't reply to the thread the first time I saw it as I don't see it as a big leap to barefoot. Mine have times barefoot and times with shoes, depending on our needs. I guess I just don't see it as a big leap. If it doesn't suit you or him, they can go back on. Maybe try later, in autumn once the ground has softened if it doesn't work now. It is a faff (LOL) but not such a big leap.

 

[lynz88]

If you search barefoot you will find all sorts of info. I have found that getting the diet right and adding an appropriate supplement (in my case the FP Hoof and Skin balancer) helps tremendously. Although mine has been doing alright and walking out far more than he did in shoes, he is still very tense and I have moved onto using hoof boots on the fronts only just for now as I wasn't sure what to expect. Very surpsingly, the change in him is absolutely dramatic - he is instantly far more relaxed through his body and actually reaches out and glides with the front end. Both my vet and I are still dumbfounded. I am tempted to try boots on the hinds as well but am not entirely sure about it as he twists in the hind (he's better without shoes but as soon as it gets muddy or boggy he will twist quite dramatically).

When I tool shoes off, I waited until our usual trim cycle but I had also had him on a new diet and supplement for about a month first.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Not much more to add, but I would definitely support finding a barefoot trimmer who is interested and capable of rehabilitating an unshod hoof. Farriers are taught to shoe, and are taught that remedial shoeing will produce a sound animal. Unless you are trimming gradually every four weeks or so, with the aim of producing a balanced hoof, and are prepared to use hoof boots to provide pressure to the heel area and encourage correct movement, then progress will be slow and you may give up.
Loads of information on the web about barefoot rehab, and it is worth reading as much as you can. My cob had a club foot when I bought him at the age of seven. He has never been shod, and the farrier said yeah, that's normal for him. Changed to a barefoot trimmer when the horse was seventeen, and she started remedial trimming. Two years later, he was much sounder than he had ever been, was placing the foot properly heel first and slamming the foot down, and striding out like a five year old. Good luck, I hope it works out.

 

[lynz88]

I would say that not all trimmers are good and not all farriers are good either. I've kept with the same farrier as he knows and understands how to manage and trim a barefoot horse- I.e. not taking more sole or frog off than what he needs to. In fact, when we took the shoes off, he did a very tiny tidy up of the feet but didn't trim back or anything. Just let the foot figure itself out. Mine does get sore after some trims but it depends on what is going on with the foot and how and what needs to be trimmed away. Meanwhile I know of someone else who has a trimmer and their horse is constantly sore for a few weeks after getting feet done.

 

[RHM]

I’ve just read the book performance hoof for the performance horse and it’s AMAZING! Would highly recommend a copy. I took my sports horse barefoot 6 months ago but recently ran into some problems with her being very sore after trims. I am now attempting to get her to self trim which according to the book will be entirely possible. Honestly can’t recommend it enough it’s given me so much food for thought.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Cavallo (the hoof boot company) has a barefoot trim video online which takes you through a trim step by step. My cob lives out most of the time, so self trimming is a bit hit and miss - in periods of wet weather his hoof softens and starts to break away round the hoof wall. I have gone back to trimming every six weeks to roll the walls and keep a check on his heel height. Good luck, I hope you can work through the transition time.

 

[claracanter]

Not much to add but if you could hang on until the autumn when the ground isn’t so hard, it would be easier for him to adjust and then when it gets to next summer, he should be ok