To shoe or not to shoe

[miarosella]

I'm am doing an A-level project on whether it is more beneficial for the horse to be shod or to be left barefoot. The project consists of a 5000 word essay and a presentation to present to people who don't know anything about the topic you are researching. For part of my research I have created a survey to collect as much information about indervidual horses. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7SMX2KS I would really appreciate it if you would be able to quickly fill in this survey, also if there is anyway I could improve the survey I would like to know.

I would also to be intrested to hear individual people's views on whether it is more beneficial to the horse to be shod or to be left barefoot.

Many thanks Mia

 

[ohmissbrittany]

After a lot of soul searching and seeing the benefits in my horses....I believe barefoot is best- I have grown up with shoes being the norm (hunter/jumper and rodeo horses alike). Now that I know what a healthy hoof is supposed to look like, most of what I see at competitions etc make me really sad. Shoes mask soundness problems such as thrush and makes it "okay" to ignore common pathology, and I think it leaves the owner a bit disconnected from their horse's systemic health and fitness. Barefoot horses exhibit problems sooner and I think it keeps us tuned in to their needs. I think actively choosing to remove the shoes and manage the horse differently also causes the owner to think differently about equine management.

Most of the problems shoes were created to solve were for hard-working horses fed cheap calories (sugary stuff like sweet feed) and kept in a box when not working. Most of the issues we see started when keeping a horse in a box- you have to feed them something because they're not able to graze all day, and you "need" shoes because the hoof is not stimulated enough to grow properly and strengthen the internal structures, and with the junk food the soles are thin and the laminae inflamed leaving the horse sore.

I feel like the working amateur is at a particular disadvantage because unlike some of the barefoot pros, it's hard for us to do the consistent and incremental conditioning required to do hard sports barefoot, even if you're doing everything else right. There's a barefoot team chaser out there, but his owner is a pro and they put some hours into that horse. This is where the "paddock paradise" (aka equine enrichment or track system) comes into play because it keeps your horse from indulging in grass all day and has them moving more than they would in a small square paddock. Heck, I noticed a difference in my horse's fitness moving from a paddock on a hillside to a flat one!

Another challenge people face is with livery- often the horses get limited turnout, and this is necessary to preserve the ground and the grazing, but it's cause is that there's just not enough land for the number of horses.

The reason barefoot can be tough is that it is very inconvenient and it makes you face some ugly truths about how you feed and manage your horse. It can be hard to find a competent hoof care professional because what constitutes a good trim is still evolving. I had an awful experience with my first UK "podiatrist" when I moved from the US- my horse had NEVER been sore after a trim, but this trimmer was just crap at his job (rasped through her wall all the way to the inner wall, trimmed her far too short and severely imbalanced, I could rant for days on this guy). In my country a podiatrist is a veterinarian who specializes in hoof care- shoeing and trimming. Not someone who re-publishes someone else's work, has no formal education, and hacks half my horse's foot off. No wonder people struggle with barefoot horses in this country if even 30% of trimmers work like he did.

 

[Antw23uk]

After a lot of soul searching and seeing the benefits in my horses....I believe barefoot is best- I have grown up with shoes being the norm (hunter/jumper and rodeo horses alike). Now that I know what a healthy hoof is supposed to look like, most of what I see at competitions etc make me really sad. Shoes mask soundness problems such as thrush and makes it "okay" to ignore common pathology, and I think it leaves the owner a bit disconnected from their horse's systemic health and fitness. Barefoot horses exhibit problems sooner and I think it keeps us tuned in to their needs. I think actively choosing to remove the shoes and manage the horse differently also causes the owner to think differently about equine management.

Most of the problems shoes were created to solve were for hard-working horses fed cheap calories (sugary stuff like sweet feed) and kept in a box when not working. Most of the issues we see started when keeping a horse in a box- you have to feed them something because they're not able to graze all day, and you "need" shoes because the hoof is not stimulated enough to grow properly and strengthen the internal structures, and with the junk food the soles are thin and the laminae inflamed leaving the horse sore.

I feel like the working amateur is at a particular disadvantage because unlike some of the barefoot pros, it's hard for us to do the consistent and incremental conditioning required to do hard sports barefoot, even if you're doing everything else right. There's a barefoot team chaser out there, but his owner is a pro and they put some hours into that horse. This is where the "paddock paradise" (aka equine enrichment or track system) comes into play because it keeps your horse from indulging in grass all day and has them moving more than they would in a small square paddock. Heck, I noticed a difference in my horse's fitness moving from a paddock on a hillside to a flat one!

Another challenge people face is with livery- often the horses get limited turnout, and this is necessary to preserve the ground and the grazing, but it's cause is that there's just not enough land for the number of horses.

The reason barefoot can be tough is that it is very inconvenient and it makes you face some ugly truths about how you feed and manage your horse. It can be hard to find a competent hoof care professional because what constitutes a good trim is still evolving. I had an awful experience with my first UK "podiatrist" when I moved from the US- my horse had NEVER been sore after a trim, but this trimmer was just crap at his job (rasped through her wall all the way to the inner wall, trimmed her far too short and severely imbalanced, I could rant for days on this guy). In my country a podiatrist is a veterinarian who specializes in hoof care- shoeing and trimming. Not someone who re-publishes someone else's work, has no formal education, and hacks half my horse's foot off. No wonder people struggle with barefoot horses in this country if even 30% of trimmers work like he did.

This.

 

[miarosella]

Thank you, this is really interesting and definitely very helpful.

 

[SEL]

2 horses who couldn't be shod (both had to be sedated just for trims) came into my life in 2015. When shoeing isn't an option you have to learn about being barefoot pretty fast!

The shape of my horses hooves has actually been a real pointer to the underlying physical issues both suffer from. This would be masked if they were shod.

Healthy frogs have also been a real revelation. They are BIG!