To shoe or not to shoe?

E

Equine_Dream

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 February 2015
Messages
973
Visit site
Having a dilemma in regards to one of my boys. He is currently (and as far as I can tell has always been) barefoot.
I want to make it totally clear from the start he is not in anyway lame and I check his feet religiously to make sure all is ok.
However that being said he is footshy (if thats actually a thing :p ). A bit of background: his old owner had a sharer for him who was a novice and a bit of an idiot apparently. She used to canter/gallop him through the forestry tracks which are concrete roads with sharp loose stones all over them. She also used to canter him on roads. He was lame nearly every other week.
Now as Ive said Ive had him almost a year and he has never once been lame with me. I have noticed however that he is very nervous with his feet. He will pick his way so carefully along dirt tracks and basically any surface other than grass, which I think is partly due to him remembering his feet hurting him after being hammered down roads before. He is very forward on grass but seems so unhappy on any other surface. I do mostly off road hacking through fields and mountain tracks but there are a few stoney tracks along the routes.
So my question is do I get him shod? He has never been shod in his life as far as I know and he doesnt appreciate having his feet messed with which is why I thought it better for him to stay barefoot. Im just starting to think he'd be more comfortable with shoes on :/ any suggestions?
 
Last edited:
Why don't you try hoof boots for when you are doing any rides that have off grass sections? They are so much better than they used to be, so are a serious option now.

Bo_Cougar_Rock_2012-1024x1019.jpg


Renegades shown above being used for the Tevis cup endurance ride.
 
I have one of each so I have no real axe to grind either way and I find there are pros and cons either way. For example riding an unshod horse on roads is heaven compared to a shod horse, no matter what road pins you have in and riding a unshod horse on wet grass, down hill, on a clay soil is like taking your life in your hands!!!

In your case imho I would be reluctant to shoe and would either give him a bit more time to work out his feet are not hurting now, they are a long way from his brain, or I would think of going the boot route as they can work out cheaper and less intrusive then shoeing. I have a friend that uses boots and finds them easy, even with a difficult horse and says they last ages.
Hope it works out for you.



LOVE the picture Faracat
 
Last edited:
Why not try shoes for an experiment and let the horse tell you ? Shoes are not for all, neither is barefoot. I have an ex-barefoot horse and have no axe to grind either but my horse chooses shoes end of. Mine will be going barefoot in autumn again for a break but for now that's best for her.
 
I'd certainly pop some boots on him, in front to start, I do think it is more likely the problem is current rather than remembered myself.

Fwiw mine is more careful on stoney tracks but that is fine by me and just seems sensible ;) he also doesn't trot out as much on the road as he will on grass but I also deem that sensible. As always I will mention diet just in case that might be a reason he is feeling them.
 
Thank you all for your replies. I honestly had no idea you could get boots that cover the underneath of their feet! The farrier is coming later to shoe my OHs horse so I was planning on asking his advice. Ill definitely look into boots though. Does anyone know how the hell you size them? :p
 
Last edited:
Hoof boots are awesome, literally love my Cavallos. You can even get gel pads to go in them. They seem expensive but last pretty well. Good luck!
 
I've only ever bought one pair of easyboot gloves ;) much cheaper than actual shoes although they aren't currently in use.
 
If you want to try a pair of inexpensive hoof boots if easy to find a second hand pair on Preloved. There is also a Facebook page called 'Hoof boots for sale or exchange'
The different boot manufactures have instructions for hoof measuring and size guides on their websites.
 
Hoof boots may not be your miracle answer OP- from my experience-
They require a great deal of faffing about with the feet to put on and take off!- you said your horse does not like this?
They are fine in walk and trot, but I have had them fly off on the road in trot and in canter on pasture.
They are not good on all surfaces- mud etc can be slippy and I would never ride my horse on the terrain pictured above in them!- Horse either airlifted in, or photoshopped methinks!!!
They do not offer as much hoof support as a shoe- a footsore horse may still be sore in boots.

If you want to do lots of multi-terrain work both fast and slow, and jumping etc I would shoe.
If you want to do bit of general riding (but nothing too fast or adventurous) then boot- but make sure the boots fit really well and your horse is amenable to you putting them on and off.
If you want to take it real slow then stay barefoot and gradually increase as the soreness lessens- but do listen to the farrier-it could well be a wear or mechanical problem causing your horse to be sore, in which case this would not be an option.
 
I agree with Faracat not only are boots "not all equal" different boots fit different horses. I think boots are like any other piece of tack or equipment you need to find the correct fit for the individual horse.
 
serenityjane said:
They are not good on all surfaces- mud etc can be slippy and I would never ride my horse on the terrain pictured above in them!- Horse either airlifted in, or photoshopped methinks!!!
Click to expand...

LOL!!
Two finishers at last year's Tevis Cup were wearing Renegades http://www.renegadehorseboot.com/tevis-2014-review/
and
10 of the first 15 finishers were wearing Easyboots (albeit probably all glue ons) http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/bo...3a-the-greatest-testing-grounds-for-easyboots

OP, I use Easyboot Epics when I need to boot, have had them for years, they just won't die! Take all of about 30 seconds to put on/remove once you get the hang of it and I've not had one fly off yet.
 
serenityjane said:
Hoof boots may not be your miracle answer OP- from my experience-
They require a great deal of faffing about with the feet to put on and take off!- you said your horse does not like this?
They are fine in walk and trot, but I have had them fly off on the road in trot and in canter on pasture.
They are not good on all surfaces- mud etc can be slippy and I would never ride my horse on the terrain pictured above in them!- Horse either airlifted in, or photoshopped methinks!!!
They do not offer as much hoof support as a shoe- a footsore horse may still be sore in boots.

If you want to do lots of multi-terrain work both fast and slow, and jumping etc I would shoe.
If you want to do bit of general riding (but nothing too fast or adventurous) then boot- but make sure the boots fit really well and your horse is amenable to you putting them on and off.
If you want to take it real slow then stay barefoot and gradually increase as the soreness lessens- but do listen to the farrier-it could well be a wear or mechanical problem causing your horse to be sore, in which case this would not be an option.
Click to expand...

Hes a funny pony. He will allow you to pick his feet up no problem and ffaff around for a few seconds. After a minute he gets bored and pulls away. Hes much better now than when I first got him however.

Id say we do lots of multi terrain (grass, rocky paths, dirt tracks, and concrete and we love our long gallops and canters :/

As I said Ill speak to my farrier this evening and see what he suggests :)
 
serenityjane said:
Hoof boots may not be your miracle answer OP- from my experience-
They require a great deal of faffing about with the feet to put on and take off!- you said your horse does not like this?
They are fine in walk and trot, but I have had them fly off on the road in trot and in canter on pasture.
They are not good on all surfaces- mud etc can be slippy and I would never ride my horse on the terrain pictured above in them!- Horse either airlifted in, or photoshopped methinks!!!
They do not offer as much hoof support as a shoe- a footsore horse may still be sore in boots.

If you want to do lots of multi-terrain work both fast and slow, and jumping etc I would shoe.
If you want to do bit of general riding (but nothing too fast or adventurous) then boot- but make sure the boots fit really well and your horse is amenable to you putting them on and off.
If you want to take it real slow then stay barefoot and gradually increase as the soreness lessens- but do listen to the farrier-it could well be a wear or mechanical problem causing your horse to be sore, in which case this would not be an option.
Click to expand...


not everyone gets on with boots but I am not sure about the "great deal of faffing" bit. It takes me 90 seconds to put on 4 gloves. I also timed renegades and it took me 2 minutes to put on 2 gloves in front and 2 rennys behind. Takes less than that to get them off again. Is that really such a faff?

Don't think it is photoshopped. Try looking for "Tevis" or "Cougar Rock" on YouTube. Lots of lovely footage of horses going up Cougar many of them faster than a walk.

OP Many farriers have little experience of boots but for what you want to do I have found Renegades, Gloves and Epics with up buckles to have the best tractiom, to be easy to put on and to stay put. Getting the correct size is very important but there is lots of info available to help you
 
Ditto my gloves take seconds to put on, and have never come off in all paces and jumping - albeit with some power straps these days too. On chalky stoney tracks from deep mud, I wouldn't but a user on here also hunts in hers with her haflinger as they have a lot of flint.

The one thing we did do was overreach and he pulled the gaiter through the nut but the shell didn't move, just needed a bit of repair.

Lol at suggesting the picture is photoshopped!

there are pros and cons to them but the best ones are pretty good these days.
 
I would get shoes. I ride a lot of barefoot horses. All of them will get footy at some point or other in the year and I take that to mean they are not suited to that lifestyle. Sadly I don't own those horses so there's nothing I can do. But being footy means the horse is in pain. The simplest solution is to give the horse shoes because remember he isn't just using his feet when you are riding him - he also needs them in his free time.
 
Barnacle said:
I would get shoes. I ride a lot of barefoot horses. All of them will get footy at some point or other in the year and I take that to mean they are not suited to that lifestyle
Click to expand...

Come and ride mine. He stomps over any terrain sound as a pound :) Previous horses have been the same. The only one it didnt work for had lots of mechanical issues and after a year his new owner has put shoes on. But thats been a concious decision as he just wasnt ever quite right without the shoes, due to years and years of damage done to his feet. It was also done knowing his working life is very limited, so better to get a comfortable year, than 2 or 3 rehabbing him. He has been the only one out of 10 or so though :)
 
ester said:
I'd certainly pop some boots on him, in front to start, I do think it is more likely the problem is current rather than remembered myself.

Fwiw mine is more careful on stoney tracks but that is fine by me and just seems sensible ;) he also doesn't trot out as much on the road as he will on grass but I also deem that sensible. As always I will mention diet just in case that might be a reason he is feeling them.
Click to expand...

This.


Mine was difficult with her feet but after the first time was fine to have her boots on. She goes brilliantly in them too. I bought cavallo boots as I wanted something easy to get on a horse that might be hopping about on three legs and they are great. Some of the more expensive boots perform and look better but are more fiddly to get on. I would highly recommend cavallos for a trial. They will cost about £70 for a pair and will last at least a year so much cheaper than shoeing!

I wouldn't shoe a horse that is footshy as it is too stressful if they aren't good with the farrier.
 
serenityjane said:
Hoof boots may not be your miracle answer OP- from my experience-
They require a great deal of faffing about with the feet to put on and take off!- you said your horse does not like this?
They are fine in walk and trot, but I have had them fly off on the road in trot and in canter on pasture.
They are not good on all surfaces- mud etc can be slippy and I would never ride my horse on the terrain pictured above in them!- Horse either airlifted in, or photoshopped methinks!!!
They do not offer as much hoof support as a shoe- a footsore horse may still be sore in boots.

If you want to do lots of multi-terrain work both fast and slow, and jumping etc I would shoe.
If you want to do bit of general riding (but nothing too fast or adventurous) then boot- but make sure the boots fit really well and your horse is amenable to you putting them on and off.
If you want to take it real slow then stay barefoot and gradually increase as the soreness lessens- but do listen to the farrier-it could well be a wear or mechanical problem causing your horse to be sore, in which case this would not be an option.
Click to expand...

Your experience of boots is a million miles from mine. What boots did you use and how long ago?

As for support, the cavallos with eps pads I used gave far more support and protection any shoe could. My vet was gobsmacked at the results and my farrier told me not to tell anyone as it would put him out of business!
 
I wouldn't be shoeing this horse. If hr won't hold he's feet for more than a few moments then he will just be a pain anyway.

As others have said, either persevere or try hoof boots. Mine has always been barefoot (now 7) and is sometimes footy for example the day after a trim, when he's had too much grass or if he's been farting around on hard ground. Apart from that he is fine. He is careful on stones, but then he should be! He hacks for miles, show jumps, dressages and events with no trouble as long as his pilot keeps him balanced :P the only reason I will consider shoeing him is so that I can stud.

What are you feeding him OP?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top