WindyStacks
Well-Known Member
hi
I'm hoping for some advice or helpful/encouraging words from the barefoot experts.
I had the shoes taken off my 17.2hh ISH 2 weeks ago and he's footy, especially on one of his hinds where the frog is proud. I've got boots for the front and hind ones should be arriving tomorrow.
He's currently out at night due to flies and that's when his gang go out. During the day we were getting haylage but the latest delivery is hay. Hard food wise he's currently on very small rations as he's not working - so he's getting a very small amount of chaff (doesn't smell sweet but I don't know for sure it's not had mollasses added) and a small amount of sugar beet. In addition he gets the hoof supplement that Rockley recommend.
I've been taking him for walks up the road in boots (thinking I should leave these off once we're on the tarmac?), his fronts are walking out pretty well and he absolutely powers down the hill back to the yard - I suppose less weight on that sore hind!
I have ridden him 3 times since the shoes came off, twice in an arena - once with boots and once without and I hacked him out in front boots last week for a bit of roadwork and it was all fine until we had to pull over to let a van squeeze past and he trod on something sore with that hind.
What should I be doing in terms of "daily maintenance" to help it all come together? Should I ride in boots in the arena?
I was told last night that I'd "never get a sports horse barefoot, especially on roads" (tell that to my last warmblood
) - and so I really want to make this work as the proof is in the pudding after all.
The grass is (too) good - i.e., he's in a very large paddock with 2 others and it's relatively short - they're being good grass-mowers. I don't know if I'd be better keeping him in away from this?
There's no digital pulse and although his hooves feel warm to the touch, they feel normal within the confines of barefoot horses - rather than raised temperature-wise iyswim.
So basically, do I ride inside with boots? How much roadwork (ridden) should I be aiming for with boots? Should I do in-hand walking without boots? Should I keep him in off the grass? What can I do with his diet?
I'm hoping for some advice or helpful/encouraging words from the barefoot experts.
I had the shoes taken off my 17.2hh ISH 2 weeks ago and he's footy, especially on one of his hinds where the frog is proud. I've got boots for the front and hind ones should be arriving tomorrow.
He's currently out at night due to flies and that's when his gang go out. During the day we were getting haylage but the latest delivery is hay. Hard food wise he's currently on very small rations as he's not working - so he's getting a very small amount of chaff (doesn't smell sweet but I don't know for sure it's not had mollasses added) and a small amount of sugar beet. In addition he gets the hoof supplement that Rockley recommend.
I've been taking him for walks up the road in boots (thinking I should leave these off once we're on the tarmac?), his fronts are walking out pretty well and he absolutely powers down the hill back to the yard - I suppose less weight on that sore hind!
I have ridden him 3 times since the shoes came off, twice in an arena - once with boots and once without and I hacked him out in front boots last week for a bit of roadwork and it was all fine until we had to pull over to let a van squeeze past and he trod on something sore with that hind.
What should I be doing in terms of "daily maintenance" to help it all come together? Should I ride in boots in the arena?
I was told last night that I'd "never get a sports horse barefoot, especially on roads" (tell that to my last warmblood
) - and so I really want to make this work as the proof is in the pudding after all.The grass is (too) good - i.e., he's in a very large paddock with 2 others and it's relatively short - they're being good grass-mowers. I don't know if I'd be better keeping him in away from this?
There's no digital pulse and although his hooves feel warm to the touch, they feel normal within the confines of barefoot horses - rather than raised temperature-wise iyswim.
So basically, do I ride inside with boots? How much roadwork (ridden) should I be aiming for with boots? Should I do in-hand walking without boots? Should I keep him in off the grass? What can I do with his diet?
