wanting to go barefoot.... dont know if they will cope?

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ChubbyPony

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we have to ponies (14hh and 14.2hh) who have all four shoes. we really cant afford to pay for the shoes and are considering barefoot.

trouble is they have had shoes on their whole lives (15 and 17yrs) and so theyre feet are quite soft and not used to stones and such. we took our smaller pony's back shoes off for about 2 years a while back, and they were forever chipping on stones! they just didnt seem to harden up, even with the use of biotin. so when we moved yards and the bridleways were stonier..we were forced to put them back on..

also, when one pony lost a front shoe, the foot broke up BADLY and he was lame, even in the nice soft field! haha. im not sure theyll cope barefoot (and cracky feet make me cringe :P )

any advice as to what we could do?
 
There is plenty of advice and the best advice I can give you is to buy a book called "Feet First" by Nic Barker & Sarah Braithewaite.

You could also join Pheonix Forum (barefoot forum) and ask for advice on there.

Do your research first before diving straight into it. Sometimes you can remove shoes and ponies will be totally fine, other times they are not e.g. if the ponies have underlying metabolic issues it may be best they are kept shod. Sometimes they will need to be removed from grass because the dietary sugar may be too high and affect the feet. If you can't modify that then, they are better off shod.

The most important aspect of barefoot is diet. Oberon is the best person here to advise you on that.

If the feet are weak then the diet needs to be looked at first. Biotin alone does nothing if the base diet is poor. Can I ask what your ponies are currently fed?
 
Hi, I am currently in the process of taking my mares shoes off. I took her backs off earlier this year and so far she is doing good, because we only have limited winter turnout I am waiting until spring to take her fronts off. I would say have a chat with your farrier they should be able to advise you on how and what to do, they should also be able to give you advice about hardening their feet up. There are also lots of books and forums so have a look at these to help you. Good luck with whatever you decide x
 
You seem to be young?
Research research research is important. Read every barefoot thread as well and be willing to learn.
It's not a easy route but is healthier in the long run.
Diet is most important, what do u currently feed?
The hoofs will only chip of unwanted foot and don't forget a shod horses feet are longer but that's what we are use to seeing so they are breaking of what they don't want.
 
Firstly - barefoot isnt necessarily cheaper....! If you cant afford to shoe them can you afford the horses? Can you cut costs elsewhere , go DIY or have them living out etc.

Post up pics of their feet and tell us what theyre eating.

Hooves chipping isn't an issue, its their way of self trimming. As long as theyre able to function its fine. You need the diet clean and hooves free of thrush ideally before removing shoes to minimise chances of discomfort.
 
thanks for the advice, will do some research.
as for diet, they both live out 24/7 so primarily live off grass. now we're coming into winter theyre starting to have a bit of haylage also.
in terms of hard feed, all they get is a little bit of fast fibre...enough to give supplements.
 
TigerTail said:
Firstly - barefoot isnt necessarily cheaper....! If you cant afford to shoe them can you afford the horses? Can you cut costs elsewhere , go DIY or have them living out etc.

QUOTE]

we are at our own yard so cant get much cheaper in terms of livery haha, they also live out 24/7 :P
in terms of farrier, barefoot trim is £55 cheaper per time x
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like your main opposers to barefoot is the grass and haylage!

It's not a major problem and I would get your forage tested, seems expensive but will be beneficial in the long run. What they will need is a proper balanced ratio of vits and mins. The ones you get off the shelf are made up according a horses RDA not taking into account what they already get from forage. E.g. could be too much iron, not enough copper, magnesium etc. The only way to know is to get your forage tested. D&H do a decent one. Check on their website or google forageplus.

Who are you thinking of trimming the feet?
 
I agree with the others. For barefoot to work you need to do your research. The diet is key although it is possible for barefoot to work if the horses are out on grass which my mare is. My girl had as far as I have known had shoes on pretty much her whole life and I took them off when I got her three years ago. I beleive most horses will cope barefoot as long as you have the patience and the knowledge to do so.

Although some say its not cheaper for a horse to be barefoot, i would say in my experience its been so much cheaper. I feed fast fibre mixed with linseed and magnesium and then hay in the winter. My girl self trims well so I only get my trimmer out probably twice a year at 25 quid each time.

Here are some things to think about:

Be prepared to give up riding for a short period depending on how your horse adjusts although the hoof boots will help you stay in the saddle.

Go for a high fibre low sugar diet if you can and add magnesium as this helps strengthen the feet.

Id also look at getting a trimmer who actually understands the barefoot. Farriers trim differently to trimmers and often take off what the horse needs to succeed barefoot.

Id recommend getting some hoof boots for the front feet as this will help in transition period.

Turnout is important too as this encourages the blood to circulate around the hooves.

As someone on here has said, oberon or cptrayes are well clued up on this stuff and I think oberon as a standard email that she sends out to people that are considering barefoot so get in touch with her and Im ure shed love to send it to you/

I hope it goes well for you:)
 
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