Unshod horses have you?

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walkandtrot

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I'm yet again having to get my blacksmith out to my horse who constantly lifts her front shoe at the heel, most likely catching it on the fence reaching over to fresh grass, havent spoke to blacksmith yet but am now wondering if she'd e better just having shoes removed, she's pure Irish draught, never had any other hoof issues, we mostly hack off road, compete in dressage/ showing, but obviously she would be walking on stoney/ hard ground outside her stable and at compeitions etc, any thoughts/experiences???
 
theres a polo pony on my yard that is unshod
she has some hoof boots to go on the front wen hacking they look just like horsey Doc Martens lol but they seem to do the job
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Until you try.. you wont know.. most horses cope fine..

Ted wouldnt, he was dog lame within 15 mins.

Other go bare foot all there life.

Expect some mild lameness for the first months or so, and after that, it really depends on the horse.

Lou x
 
Mine are unshod but they are New Forest so are hardy with their feet and we have little road work to do. We also had a cob who was unshod but didn't do so well so ended up with fronts on only. Speak to your farrier but the advice we were given was to try them and see how they go.
 
Barefoot and wouldn't be any other way
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Took 6wks for my last gelding to adapt and a little while longer for him to stop the 'ouch' reaction when standing on a sharp stone but it worked for him because his feet used to crack around the nail holes. New boy is only 4, never been shod and according to my farrier never will be because "it would be a waste of my time and your money" as he has very strong feet
 
Every winter I try to save money by removing my cobs back shoes. According to the farrier he has good feet. I ride him mainly in the school or on limestone and grass tracks. However, I dont think I would leave him unshod permanently as I think he does not move as well, he often tries to put himself on the grass too. It may be interesting to try though and in your shoes I would give it a bash. Speak to your farrier. If he is a good one he will understand a lot about your horse's feet
 
Mine is only shod on the fronts - I do RC/Showing/dressage hacking out and am taking him on holiday where we will be doing 15-20 miles a day.

Roads are no problem but he is not very keen on flinty ground but I think that is because they sometimes get stuck in his front shoes.

He has not had shoes on his backs for nearly two years now and never had any chipping or other problems. He is a NF and his breeder was a farrier so I expect him to have good feet!
 
Ask your farrier!

However, roadwork/stony surfaces are not by themselves necessarily an obstacle to going barefoot. My pony hacks, schools, goes on roads, and has hunted barefoot, with no problems.

Since hooves take quite a while to grow out, it can take many months to transition from shoes to barefoot, and it can also involve lifestyle changes for your horse. I'd suggest talking to your farrier about it, and perhaps also to a qualified barefoot trimmer if you want a second opinion.
 
My rescued gipsy cob is unshod and probably doesn't know what a shoe looks like! She hacks out, goes in the school and goes to competitions. The only thing she needs is to be allowed to pick her own route if she meets stony bits out hacking.
 
look into hoof boots especially if your horse is unhappy barefoot to start. most horses will be fine barefoot its when the amount of work being done vs the growth of the feet is not in the right balance then you need shoes
 
Little Cob unshod all his life. Farrier says waste of time and money putting shoes on. He hacks out on roads/tracks/stoney areas most days.
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Tried Little Lad shoeless, but he got a bit footsy on the front on stones, so put front shoes back on and he's fine. Same terrain and regime as Little Cob. LL did have heart bars and shoes all round when he had lammi and for a year after.

The Dizzy one is shod all round. Tried her unshod, tried her fronts only, but she not like.
 
Maisy is unshod, does schooling on sand, hacks on roads, stoney tracks, grass and bog. all with no problem.
 
i took elsa's shoes off when she was roughed off and turned away and she has coped brilliantly. she is an irish draught x (we think!) and wasn't at all foot sore. she does go ouch if she happens to stamp on a stone but that is the only time i have noticed any difference. That being said I don't ride her but I do walk her out on the roads as part of her slimming regime and she copes fine with that. good luck!
 
My TB is unshod. He hacks out on roads and stoney tracks. He is fine with it but can still be sensitive if he stands on a decent sized stone.
 
I have 2 unshod TB's who cope fine, does she life the heel on the same shoe each time? i'd be wondering why? My friend has just removed her horses shoes after he repeatedly pulled the same shoe off with a week of shoeing, he's suddenly much more forward than he ever was shod - I think he was trying to tell her something!
 
I have mad the transition to barefoot with my TB mainly to begin with casue of my pregnancy but i plan to try competiting her like it when i bring her back to into work, i will only jump her on a surface or on ground with a bit of cut in it both of which will be fine without studs. Def the way forward if you ask me
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I shoe my riding boy. His companion I lead out several times a week from him, sometimes for two hour hacks. She is unshod and seems to manage so far. She is a Dartmoor and has been shod in a past life when she hunted. I will go with the flow with her. The farrier checks her feet every six weeks and thinks she is fine and sees no reason to shoe.

Jane
 
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