Talk to me about going barefoot.....

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Tayto

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I am considering going barefoot. My mare is 8 yrs old and has good strong hooves. She was unshod until about a year ago I believe but I don't know why she ended up being shod. My farrier says she has good hooves and going barefoot is an option.

What are the pros/cons?

ATM we hack and do some light schooling. We are having flatwork lessons with a view to entering some local competitions next year.

I am a new horse owner so am still learning so any info would be greatly received :D
 
As your horse hasn't been shod for years and years, it shouldn't be a big deal.

Make sure your horse is on a good diet of low sugar (no molasses) and high fibre. Plus a good vit&min supplement (eg from pro earth on ebay or forage plus) then exercise your horse on surfaces that they are comfortable. Normally grass, flat tarmac and arena surfaces are fine. Some horses need time or boots before they can tackle stony surfaces.
 
You will find when you first remove the shoes the surface of the soles will be softer perhaps chalky, this will alter over time.
I feed 100gm linseed [Charnwood Milling] and 30gm of minerals and 450gms non molassed beet plus non molassed chaff [Dengie] in winter. 15.00hh standardbred in light work.
I recommend First Feet [Braithwaite] and Rockley Farm blogs.
It is a very interesting process, and good for the horse!
I used to do 30mins every day on tarmac which "rasped" the hoof.
Phone up pro earth [ Ebay] and get their recommendations for minerals.
Pros ...... its lovely and safe on the roads as they don t slip, AND no concussion from shoes. The hooves are correct length ALL the time.
Saves you £1.00 a day in shoes.
And no emergency call to a farrier when a shoe comes off.
I would ask your farrier to come out every four weeks for two/three months to monitor progress

ask cptrayes [on here] for her 101 guide.
 
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Tayto said:
I am considering going barefoot. My mare is 8 yrs old and has good strong hooves. She was unshod until about a year ago I believe but I don't know why she ended up being shod. My farrier says she has good hooves and going barefoot is an option.

What are the pros/cons?

ATM we hack and do some light schooling. We are having flatwork lessons with a view to entering some local competitions next year.

I am a new horse owner so am still learning so any info would be greatly received :D
Click to expand...

Hi, here is a link to a website with details about hte pros and cons... http://www.ponygalaxy.com/blog/bare...nd-the-question-could-your-horse-go-barefoot/
 
MrsD123 said:
You will find when you first remove the shoes the surface of the soles will be softer perhaps chalky, this will alter over time.
I feed 100gm linseed [Charnwood Milling] and 30gm of minerals and 450gms non molassed beet plus non molassed chaff [Dengie] in winter. 15.00hh standardbred in light work.
I recommend First Feet [Braithwaite] and Rockley Farm blogs.
It is a very interesting process, and good for the horse!
I used to do 30mins every day on tarmac which "rasped" the hoof.
Phone up pro earth [ Ebay] and get their recommendations for minerals.
Pros ...... its lovely and safe on the roads as they don t slip, AND no concussion from shoes. The hooves are correct length ALL the time.
Saves you £1.00 a day in shoes.
And no emergency call to a farrier when a shoe comes off.
I would ask your farrier to come out every four weeks for two/three months to monitor progress

ask cptrayes [on here] for her 101 guide.
Click to expand...

I *think* it's oberon with the 101 guide (or it certainly used to be?) Tayto I also recommend you join http://phoenixhorse.myfastforum.org/
 
Just thought I would post an update following my post above. Shoes were removed on 17th Jan. She was footy to begin with on uneven surfaces but ok in sand school or smooth tarmac. A few days after removal she got an abscess so was on box rest for 2.5 weeks. When on box rest her feet did really well, they got a chance to dry out and after the abscess drained she was walking confidently over most surfaces, I was really pleased!

Turned her back out on 15th Feb - took her in that night and she looked fine. Next day she was back to being VERY footy, she looks crippled walking out of the field :( she is turned out during the day and stabled at night so her feet are getting a chance to stand on a nice dry bed. Field is in ok condition - muddy around gate and hake (where she spends most of her time, she is a food monster) but the rest of the field is ok and she seems ok walking on the grass but very reluctant to walk through the deep mud.

I am walking her out in hand on smooth tarmac where she is still a bit footy but walks out ok and I am working her in the sand school where she seems ok but is a little bit short behind. She has been out of proper work since before christmas though so she could just be stiff so I am just taking it easy, doing everything in walk.

It is just killing me seeing her hobbling over uneven surfaces, she hobbles up to the sand school and people must think I am riding a lame horse!
I have changed her over from spillers lite balancer and a hoof supplement to fast fibre, forageplus winter hoof balancer and micronised linseed. She has only been on this for about a week so it wont of had a chance to work yet but hoping the forageplus will help a bit.

It is tough going - I have considered just shoving shoes back on to save having to see her like this but I am doing my best to persevere as I know it will be better in the long run!

Positive vibes much appreciated!
 
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Get some hoof boots and pads for her and if she's comfy in them, ride her as much as possible. Stimulation is crucial for growing good feet so you need to keep her moving as much as possible. The pads will further stimulate her frogs/soles and speed the process up a bit. Cavellos are relatively cheap and easy to use if your horses hooves are a suitable shape (rounder), for more oval hooves try Old Macs. It does take time, as she gets more comfortable, do more without the boots, but don't overdo it, let her guide you. Good luck.....

Edited to say is this the cushings mare you mention on another thread? If so, it may be a bit more complicated, cushings horses can be a lot harder to keep sound.
 
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I am struggling to get hoof boots to fit. She has big feet that are wider than they are long so the company I contacted (The Saddelry Shop) said the only option was the old mac g2's in a size 8 but she has sooooo much feather and when I tucked it into the boot it bulked the boot out and I couldnt get the strap fastened. I tried pulling the feather over the top but the boot was too high....

I was hoping to get a boot that stops under the hair line but none of that type fitted her :(

Considering taping pads to her feet and covering them with a feed bag!!!

What do other people do if they cant get boots to fit? Is there an alternative?
 
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Edited to say is this the cushings mare you mention on another thread? If so, it may be a bit more complicated, cushings horses can be a lot harder to keep sound.[/QUOTE]

Yeah she has cushings. She is only 8 and is on 1/2 a tablet a day and her most recent ACTH (January) was 12 so it is very well under control..... not sure if it being under control makes any difference?
 
G2s are a bit longer than they are wide so I wouldn't have thought they would be the best fit for your horse. My cob also has wider than long feet and I have always found cavello simple boots or glove wides fit him best, how about size 5 cavellos (142 - 149mm long)?
I only have size 4s otherwise you could have them, haven't had to use them for years now.
 
If the footiness coincided with her going back out, I would want to eliminate grass as the cause. Keep her in for a few days or off the grass with hay if you have somewhere suitable. See if she improves. Maybe then turn out again to prove the point.

I know people with cushings horses who can be incredibly sensitive to the tiniest amount of grass and it may not look like much but green shoots are coming through.
 
hmmm I wonder why they recommended them? Her measurements are 145mm wide 140mm long. The advisor said that given her amount of feather, she thought the old mac g2's would be a good fit.

I will do some more research.... thanks for the advice hollybear!
 
criso said:
If the footiness coincided with her going back out, I would want to eliminate grass as the cause. Keep her in for a few days or off the grass with hay if you have somewhere suitable. See if she improves. Maybe then turn out again to prove the point.

I know people with cushings horses who can be incredibly sensitive to the tiniest amount of grass and it may not look like much but green shoots are coming through.
Click to expand...

This is a good thought.
 
I could send you an old but still usable pair of size 4 cavellos (length 134 - 141mm) if you would like them? They're a bit battered but would give you some idea of fit. Let me know and I'll dig them out. :)
Also what criso said, cushings horses can be very sensitive, go on the Phoenix forum, its very informative, also there's a group called ECIR http://ecirhorse.org/ which is great too.
 
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hollybear said:
I could send you an old but still usable pair of size 4 cavellos (length 134 - 141mm) if you would like them? They're a bit battered but would give you some idea of fit. Let me know and I'll dig them out. :)
Also what criso said, cushings horses can be very sensitive, go on the Phoenix forum, its very informative, also there's a group called ECIR http://ecirhorse.org/ which is great too.
Click to expand...

wow that is very kind of you! I will PM you
 
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