To go barefoot or not?

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Beth889

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I am having a tough decision on whether to take my mares shoes off. She is 15 now but still does a bit of local competing and hunting. She has never had good feet until she had a foal and her shoes were off for about a year. My farrier who I have had since I bought her 6 years ago, said her feet are the best he has ever seen them. When the foal was weaned I brought her back into work and put a full set back on. I still have the foal and a 5 year old and costs are getting a bit tight having to pay for three horses! Farrier is due this month and I am wandering whether to take her shoes off. As it is mid competition season and I want to hunt her this winter a few times. Would she be able to cope or would it take too long for her feet to be strong enough? I will get hoof boots but it is either boots or shoes as lacking funds. She will also be my main horse to ride as the 5 year will be turned away soon but next year she wont do much at all. Any thoughts much appreciated! Thanks Beth.
 
Maybe mid season isn't the best time to remove shoes.

I know there are some experts who will have educated opinions on when to take shoes off - but I took my boy's back shoes off last autumn at the end of my season. It was mainly for economy reasons but he did really well. His back feet looked absolutely fantastic. Then this spring he kept standing on himself and removing a front shoe - spoke to my farrier and he thought we should give barefoot a go. His front shoes came off in May -- but I've not been doing a whole lot so it was a good time to transition - for me.
He's going really well - on roads he goes better than he ever did shod. So no regrets from me. I think it's important to listen carefully to your horse - she'll let you know whether or not she's happy.
 
It depends entirely on the horse. You might be able to hunt this season, you might not. If hunting is important to you, keep the shoes until your five year old becomes your main horse.
 
Perhaps take a step back and have a think about the reasons why, what are the advantages and disadvantages short and long term for the horse and you.
It seems some horses have a quick rehab and transition but it can be much longer and up and down for others. I don't believe this can be predicted very accurately. If management and diet changes are needed can they be achieved etc. Have you done your research and got a fair idea of what to expect or be prepared for?

It's easy for me to sit here and say one thing but I have mine at home, can do what I want and don't compete etc. so I can just go with the flow easily with less stress than most.
 
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