To the Barefoot Taliban - halfway there, but further advice needed to take final step

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TheoryX1

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Thanks to the advice I received last year my 20 year old cob is doing very well just with fronts on. No footiness etc and I am now considering taking the final step with him going totally barefooot. Now what is the best time - he is due another front set and trim in 2 weeks, so go barefoot next set or set after that which will take us into June time.

I would add I dont want fancy barefoot diets recommended either - not because I am ungrateful etc, but I dont have time or the inclination for it, and to be fair I believe we overcomplicate feeding sometimes. A couple of other liveries on our yard have barefoot horses who they bought that way and they dont bother with barefoot diets and they have no issues at a;;. Its just good grazing and haylage, plus in my horses case glucosamine and biotin (which he hates with a passion) when I can get him to eat it. Any help please most gratefully received.
 
My 'fancy' barefoot diet simply consists of limiting sugar, so I feed haylage/chaff/sugar beet and sometimes fast fibre and make sure there isn't a huge intake of sugary grass. Nowt fancy about it tbh :D


I'd probably just remove shoes at the next trim and make sure you keep on top of any thrush if rears its head. The ground might be harder in June for newly bare feet. (wishful thinking on my part!)
 
I would just take shoes off when he's next due, but don't trim the fronts. The extra wall will give him a bit of extra protection for the first week or two.

I wouldn't bother with biotin tbh. If you're going to feed something like that a forage balancer would be much more useful/effective. Even salt would probably be more useful. Horses manufacture their own biotin, so it doesn't often need supplementing :).
 
I'd love to know what a "fancy" bf diet is... it just means low sugar/low carbs - the very thing all horses need anyway.

There is no "best" time either. Just whenever suits you but be mindful that the sugars in spring grass in this country WILL cause the feet to be sensitive.
 
Diet can appear to get complicated if there are problems and sorting out where the problem is can take some detective work. Basic diet is high forage which is low in sugars with energy mainly from digestible fibre and appropriate mineral intake. That's it really, a horse gut friendly diet. :)

ps. Don't forget the time element involved in adjustment and any hoof changes that may need to take place or are happening.
 
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Thank you all, and a fancy barefoot diet is one I have gleaned from a lot of barefoot posts. All he gets is a handfull of chaff twice a day so that he will take his glucosamine supplement. Even our eventer, who events at Novice level just gets two scoops of nuts a day. Am not a lover of over complicating feeding at all, and when I see what some other liveries feed their horses, who dont really need it I wonder who they are doing it for - their horse or themselves?
 
Thing is, many modern feeds are very complicated... even the bagged "complete" feeds.

I went back to old fashioned straights which some may consider to be "complicated" but I like to know what goes in to my horse.
 
My barefoot diet is pretty simple, unmollassed sugarbeet, linseed, and a vitamin supplement (pro hoof) much more simple than many of the shod horses on our yard.
 
If you saw my mum in the kitchen mixing up supplements I'd think it was a fancy diet ;) - but its cheaper than buying a ready made pot :D.

TX my 20 yo is going well on it too, and sounds just as fussy as yours- but had enough foot issues that a diet overhall (from chaff and nuts) was likely to help to start. We don't discuss that with the vets, he thinks I am risking evangelicalism by not picking up 20 kg of carrots as part of our dressage prize at the weekend and that F doesn't need to live a monastic lifestyle ;)

I would take them off next time and not trim.
 
Ooooh ester how strict are you!? Mine still has carrots, apples and mints. Think the husband would phone WHW for L if I stopped her treats!
 
well mum told him not to worry she's in charge in the week while I'm in wilts at work :rolleyes:.

he gets polos post work when we're out in the trailer but have usually used pony nuts as treats (they just arent easy to travel in the 4x4 ;) ))

I am less strict having gone through a 12 month cycle without any major issues and they do get the odd carrot/kitchen veg scraps etc. I did tell vet next he'd be moaning I'd let him get fat :p (being welsh and inclined to roundness)- he suggested I could have made them last till next christmas :eek:.

(his favourite is pears off the tree ;) )
 
my 22yr old is doing well and hes one a high fibre low sugar/starch diet :)

he does on occasion get one normal sized carrot chopped into his feed ball for variety and the odd half packet of polos in it as well but since i changed his feed his feet havent changed but his condition has :)
 
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