Taking the shoes off

[rlhnlk]

I know this has been done to death but I was looking for some specifics here.

I have a rare creature - a TB with good feet, touch wood she doesn't lose shoes get cracks etc. But I don't hack out she goes in a field or an arena and that's it so I'm wondering if theres a point in her having shoes on.

Now I'm thinking this is the best time of year to take them off while the ground is soft in the field and she can get used to that. She has decent growth on her feet by the time she is reshod so I'm not worried about them being too short for her to cope and my farriers are fine for barefoot trims and will only sulk for a little while if I insist, although I will take their advice first.

So I'm wondering abou the following:
How long does it take for their feet to harden up once the shoes are off, there's about 50 yards of stonyish ground between her stable and the field and the same to the arena and it's awful to see her hobbling over it?

Once their feet are more used to the change, how much more likely are their feet to bruise than if they're shod?

Any replies welcome -thanks

 

[be positive]

I would take off the hinds the next time she needs shoeing and see how she goes with just fronts on, it will give you some idea of how she will cope without doing it in one go. I took the hinds off of one last summer and about 12 weeks later the fronts came off and he is very comfortable walking on the stoney yard and out on the roads.
Once the nail holes have grown out they should manage on your yard, she should not hobble imo as that is a sign that she is not coping,the same goes for bruising if everything is right she should not suffer from bruises any more without shoes than with them.
There are loads of threads on here about barefoot and the dietary needs, you should make any changes to her diet if you can before the shoes come off.

 

[Alyth]

It's not just taking the shoes off. The feeding regime will probably need looking at as well, and as much exercise as possible is essential.......it's a holistic thing. All my horses are barefoot, get hardley any hard feed, are turned out 24/7 on a track and they are fine on ground that they are used to - paddock, sand and tarseal. If I were to do a ride over stoney ground I would use boots..... All horses can go barefoot, but not all owners can!! So think about what you are prepared to do, what your goals are horsewise and make the best decision for your horse. Do your homework. There are plenty of stories about horses that are barefoot doing endurance rides, dressage, eventing, even racing!! The times they are a changing!! Good luck.

 

[ThePony]

Would look at diet first, so that your horse has the best chance of being comfy when the shoes are pulled. Nothing special or magical about the diet - just low sugar/starch and high fibre.

No reason at all that your horse wouldn't be comfy without shoes. More exercise over a range of different surfaces will help your horse develop good feet. A working barefoot horse will have less chance of getting bruised soles as their soles will be stronger in response to the stimulus they recieve, that will also have increased blood flow to the area and so can feel what is going on and are more likely to take a short step to remove their foot from a sharp stone.

A search on here and a look at http://uknhcp.myfastforum.org/forum2.php and the rockley blog will help you loads!

 

[Miss L Toe]

It depends what you are going to do work-wise, me, I would start feeding the feet now and remove the shoes when next due, the feet do not need to be prepared for shoeing therefore will hardly need the soles pared, and trimming of the hoof should be minimal, I have never been able to prevent my farrier from trimming the down the sides of the frog, but would not want the surface to be trimmed unless there is an obvious reason.
I would exercise with 20 mins road work every day to encourage growth and strength. The fact that the ground is soft is in your favour, and the arena will be fine, though sand may erode the hoof a bit, [this tends to cause loose shoes]
I assume she is stabled at night, I use some of the money saved on shoeing to make my bed extra dry and clean.
Fast fibre is a good feed for barefoot, the mantra is low sugar, high fibre ie a feed regime based on forage., not cereals. You must make sure they have minerals and B vitamins. Micronised linseed meal 100gm per day will help and you can see how it goes, you may need a hoof supplement, for example Eqiumins Biotin , or another hoof supplement with magnesium.
The feet will change rapidly at first, often the hinds will not need any trimming, but the fronts may be more difficult.
I have to rasp round the edges if they start to break up, which can happen in the first few weeks , or if I don't get regular road work, no need to panic at this stage!

 

[amandap]

So I'm wondering abou the following:
How long does it take for their feet to harden up once the shoes are off, there's about 50 yards of stonyish ground between her stable and the field and the same to the arena and it's awful to see her hobbling over it?

Once their feet are more used to the change, how much more likely are their feet to bruise than if they're shod?

Any replies welcome -thanks

It depends.
Stony ground is a hazard if soles are thin and there is thrush or the hoof internal structures are underdeveloped.
Bruising is most likely if soles are thin and there is rampant thrush. Dietary changes (if needed) and exercize on surfaces the horse can manage comfortably and preferably with heel first landing. To develop internal structures heel first landing is very important along with expansion and contraction of the hoof and sole/frog pressure and release. If there is painful thrush,inflammation or weak structures the horse will tend to land toe first and so it can become a cycle of getting no where fast. So, doing all we can to treat any thrush, protect any thin sole and provide comfortable exercize. Many horses take time to move to heel first landing due to weak internal structures even if thrush etc.is not a factor and pads and boots can help develop structures here by providing support and protection.
To add,inflammation comes mainly from dietary imbalance and too high sugars. Common symptoms, repeated ripples on the wall, stretched white line and disease, hoof tending to run forward, thin soles (not thinned in trimming),footyness etc.etc.

Do some research into reading the hoof (Pete Ramey's articles are good), diet and watch your horse move in conjunction with Rockley Farms video's of rehab horses walking on flat, level surfaces to see how hoof landing changes as the hoof develops and becomes stronger.
For how to trim get Pete Ramey's book Making Natural hoof care work for you. He doesn't sell it anymore as he has brought out a new 'bible' but I think it's still good for the basic trim guidelines mainly what not to do. Amazon have copies. Feet first by Nic Barker and Sarah Braithwaite is also good. They no longer recommend feeding seaweed as a general supplement btw.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Look at the Cavallo website for a video on a barefoot trim, informative.
PS its not that rare to get good feet n a TB, the worst cases are the ones who need help most. Most that I see are not shod often enough, or with suitable shoes by a good farrier.

 

[rlhnlk]

Hmmm, I'm a bit confused now (easy done I know..) my plan was to leave her diet as it is, it suits her temprement and I would have an easier life not changing anything than changing her diet to suit her feet. Is it not the case that if her feet are currently doing ok strength and growth wise then they would most likely stay like this if barefoot? I should add that I'm not going barefoot to correct any problems, more because I think she may be fine without and if so it'll save me a lot to pay for a trim rather than a set of shoes, plus I'm hoping it may have a positive effect on her flatwork (that is just hope though, it's not essential). I won't have anything to do with the trimming, that's my farriers job as far as I'm concerned.

Going back to one of my original questions, I am assuming that given some time then she will cope with the stony ground but immediately after her shoes come off she's likely to find the stones uncomfortable, how long is this period likely to last? She won't be doing roadwork as she doesn't hack. Quite literally the only surfaces she will be on are grass, stable, which is always dry and fairly clean and has mats where there is no bed, or arena, the one at home being rubber. The only stony ground she will have to cope with is the walk from stable to field or arena.

I'm not worried about coping once she is barefoot, my youngster who is coming into work now is barefoot and will remain so and has no problems, it's just the transitional phase that I'm thinking abut and how long it's likely to last.

Thanks

 

[amandap]

Sorry if I confused you.I don't think you will know until the shoes are off. She may be fine straight away.

 

[JessandCharlie]

I have a barefoot tb, who is doing great, went hacking for an hour and twenty today, walk, trot, canter over all sorts of surfaces and came back without so much as a tiny chip

I can absolutely agree with the diet thing, I'd try and get the diet as close to perfect as you can before they come off to prevent any footiness if you can, and don't let your farrier pare the frog/soles

Re diet, my latest feed delivery has taken longer than normal to get, so I've run out and had to make do with local saddler's own brand of fibre cubes. They are lower fibre, higher starch than my normal feed and contain molasses. Since he's been on those (a few days, no more) he's a tiny bit footy although it's only if he stands on a big stone or something nasty like that, but it's incredible how much difference it can make!

Good luck!

J&C

 

[JessandCharlie]

ETA I've also run out of brewers yeast, which I haven't bothered to get any more of as it will be in the feed I'm getting in, but that's another good thing to put in feed, and might just be contributing to the slight footiness he has at the minute

J&C