TB going barefoot - help!

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mzybemf

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Hi,

I am new here so sorry if this is not the right place! I have just bought a TB who is currently fully shod, and as far as i know always has been. I've read on other forums about owners with happily unshod TBs, but i know also that it doesnt always work out that way!

How do i start the process of getting him without shoes, i'm pretty sure you dont just suddenly remove them! (?)

He apparently has "good feet for a TB" and will be ridden on grass with minimal road/stony work. His stable also has a nice soft bottom as its a converted field shelter (not concrete).

I will of course consult a farrier but as i've just moved to a new area i dont have one yet. I just wanted to be slightly more clued up on the process before i talked to a farrier about it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
I have a barefoot tb, I bought Renegade hoofboots to help with the transition and generally she goes very well with rock crunching feet in winter, but the spring grass does cause problems with footiness which seem to be greatly reduced by feeding magnesium oxide. A low sugar high fibre diet is important and supplements such as seaweed, brewers yeast, and linseed help grow strong hooves. Good luck.:)
 
Get his feed right before you have his shoes taken off. Low sugar/high fibre. Lots of us find 50g a day of brewer's yeast (Charnwood Milling) a very effective (and cheap) multipurpose supplement. Even more of us feed 25g a day magnesium oxide (calmag is cheapest from agricultural merchant, otherwise food grade MgO from various suppliers). Many, many barefooters will feel stones if they have too much grass, and many of us keep our sensitive ones off grass during the day in spring/summer/early autumn, because that's when the grass sugars are highest (about 11 til 8 in high summer).

Anecdotally, there are plenty of horses that do not do well on alfalfa and on Top Spec, though it's very much a case of the individual horse and most are fine with either or both.

If you persist in having sensitivity problems after months of properly graduated conditioning work, you might need to check your grazing (or ask local farmers) about heavy mineral imbalances. My land, for example, is very heavy in manganese, which prevents copper absorption. Copper is used to regulate insulin, which regulates sugar digestion and lack of it can trigger laminitis. I therefore have to supplement copper (and avoid seaweed) to keep my horses from being sensitive on stones.

Good luck, it is a joy to see a horse's feet change when the shoes come off, you will be fascinated by it :)
 
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