to shoe or not to shoe? wwyd?

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BusyBee3293

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I have a coloured irish draught X

Nice big hard platedish sized feet i have had him for 3 years always unshod however had him shod in the run up to a ODE last year as was doing roadwork everyday with lots and lots of trotting

I am now in the process of getting him fit again and he will be out competing (mostly indoor with the occasional cross country) approx every other week

I plan to be hacking him out at least twice to 3 times a week trotting quite alot to improve fitness

would you advise me to get shoes put back on him? i dont want to wait for him to get footsore and then think oh ill put some shoes on now but i also dont want to shoe him unnessecarily....

Advice please
 
I'd be consulting with my farrier who can see the feet and would recommend what would be suitable for the horse. Personally I wouldn't if not necessary.
 
Why did you have him shod last year?

My answer would open a can of worms unfortunately. If he couldn't cope I'd want to know why which means embarking on a detective mission and possible management/feeding changes.
I wouldn't shoe just because something might happen myself. It might not happen is just as likely for a horse that spends a lot of time out of shoes. :)

ps. Road work shouldn't be a problem for a barefoot horse so long as it's built up gradually as you would with any horse.
 
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I would tend to agree with Amandap and I know it's still controversial but why do you need to shoe because he will be doing trot work? If he's sound without shoes then I'd build up the road work as normal. His legs will be much more able to deal with concussion without shoes.

If you're prepared to keep his diet low in sugar and high enough in minerals then you're less likely to run into problems. I subscribe to the view that shoes mask problems rather than solve them, but not everyone does.
 
I ran my horse at BE80 without shoes but when we stepped up to BE90 I had him shod as I needed to start using studs as he was starting to slip on the wet ground.

If your horse copes well without shoes and you don't plan to use studs then I would definitely have a chat with your farrier to see what they think.
 
The Tank (Ardennes x ID x ID x TB x WB) has done 32k trail rides on all terrains (he would go more - but I can't). The fittening work for this was all roadwork/hard ground.

No boots or shoes needed - just the right diet and building up the work to condition the hooves.

I've never actually met a horse with healthy hooves who has 'worn them away' with work when the diet and conditioning has been in place.

However - if shoeing is right for your horse.....then shoe.
 
I would worry more about concussion on the legs if you are doing lots of trotting on roads than feet wearing away. I would try without shoes and ensure your diet gives you the best chance and build up slowly. The feet and hooves are just the same as legs, muscles and tendons, they respond to extra work by getting tougher! Good luck ;)
 
Agree with all the above.

Iv been thinking the same recently, my mare is also coming back into work but I use front boots, her back feet look bloody fab after all the road work iv been doing and everytime I think of shoeing I look at her back feet and see how great they are and why put fronts on when I can use boots. BUT if you don't want to use boot shoe if it's a better option for you.
 
i would bring him into work gradually and see how he coped. Depends on how competitive you plan to be-if you are just going to bumble along for fun and he can cope with the roadwork, no you probably don't need shoes. if you are going to be going fast/doing tight turns on grass you'll want studs so yes i would shoe!
 
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