was it a mistake to shoe my horse??

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sodapop

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My horse was unshod for the first 2years I owned her and I had no real problems apart from her hind feet were mishaped; one was narrow and turned under, the other had flares which I guess was the compensation for the other one. She had a hole that would appear periodically in the white line but I packed it and it grew out. I used to happily ride on the roads and stoney ground. I moved yards and the hole got bigger and bigger and my mare got very lame and foot sore. I was going down the lines of diet and boots until the NFU said they wouldnt recognise anyone other than a farrier so I felt my hand was forced and had her shod. Quite quickly she started putting her head up when asked to trot, although in walk she was much happier and walking out. The farrier said it wasnt anything to do with the shoes. She is on her third set of shoes and her feet are a completely different shape in a matter of 20 weeks or so. She is more and more reluctant to move forward, her stride has shortened and she doesnt like going down hill. Her topline is going and her saddle doesnt fit, it now bridges and you can see hair rubbing most times I ride. The saddler has given up because she says my mare is really sensitive and bucked me off when she put a more narrow saddle on. I am getting her back checked and considering a Flex EE saddle but have I made a huge mistake with the shoes or do I just need to be patient to let her adapt to the changes? She is 8 years old now, my old chiro said her feet needed to be corrected with shoes to prevent long term damage but I remember how I felt when I had inserts in my shoes- I threw them away and am much more comfortable despite being "wonky"!
She was much happier with wonky feet and an asymmetrical bum but is it a case of no pain no gain??? Or have I been a fool?
 
Hi, this is a difficult one as you are reliant on the farrier but bare in mind the farriers make their money by putting shoes on horses for a living.

Ive just had two of my horses shoes removed and trying to go unshod as im sick of them pulling the shoes off and being lame for a week after.

Ive asked a few questions on this forum about the shoeing v unshod discussions and ive come to the conclusion that every one is in the same boat and no one really knows what to do for the best so pretty much trial and error.

If your horse is really unhappy with shoes then get them off and call in a barefoot specialist.

Ive got another horse who has never had shoes in his life and his feet are fantastic, the ones with shoes are the ones with the problems.
 
You've answered your own question. Your horse is not going well in shoes.

Any farrier worth their salt doesn't have to shoe, they know how to advise on diet, exercise and can carry out a competent trim - these things are fundemental to having a healthy hoof. If they can't what are you paying them for?

So my point is using a farrier shouldn't mean that shoeing is inevitable. If it does then maybe you are using the wrong one.

The NFU is a whole other matter - they are cutting their candle both ends because they insure barefoot trimmers.

So why not change your insurance company at the same time?
 
no.. I think many have found that shoes often don't make horses more comfortable!

OP.. it would seem to make sense to trial your horse with shoes off again and get them either farrier trimmed (by current farrier or another) or trimmed by someone else and change your insurance company..

When rang my insurance company said they would prob pay for barefoot rehab but that I wouldn't be covered if a used a barefoot trimmer ;) I think they haven't quite worked it out yet. It makes no difference as his feet are excluded now anyway :rolleyes: It is an added complication though but I don't like being dictated as to what is best by someone I'm paying to insure just the rest of him ;)
 
I always think that if you've changed something and then something else happens, you should suspect what you've changed as the cause first.

But in this case it sounds as if there were problems with the feet before you put the shoes on. Who was looking after your horses feet while she was without shoes?

My advice is to get a vet to have a look at her and then, depending on what the vet says, work with a well qualified farrier to improve her feet. Good farriers do not always insist on putting shoes on horses if they don't need them.
 
From what you've said I would hazard a guess that the mineral profile of the hay/grass at your old yard suited your horse better than that at the new yard, and this is the underlying problem which lead you to shoe in the first place.

Perhaps your horse's feet may have continued to deteriorate out of shoes, but it certainly sounds like the shoes have accelerated the issue, at least. If I were you, I would first look into mineral balancing, then remove the shoes to allow the feet to recover, and finally - change insurance companies ;).
 
sodapop said:
My horse was unshod for the first 2years I owned her and I had no real problems apart from her hind feet were mishaped; one was narrow and turned under, the other had flares which I guess was the compensation for the other one. She had a hole that would appear periodically in the white line but I packed it and it grew out. I used to happily ride on the roads and stoney ground. I moved yards and the hole got bigger and bigger and my mare got very lame and foot sore. I was going down the lines of diet and boots until the NFU said they wouldnt recognise anyone other than a farrier so I felt my hand was forced and had her shod. Quite quickly she started putting her head up when asked to trot, although in walk she was much happier and walking out. The farrier said it wasnt anything to do with the shoes. She is on her third set of shoes and her feet are a completely different shape in a matter of 20 weeks or so. She is more and more reluctant to move forward, her stride has shortened and she doesnt like going down hill. Her topline is going and her saddle doesnt fit, it now bridges and you can see hair rubbing most times I ride. The saddler has given up because she says my mare is really sensitive and bucked me off when she put a more narrow saddle on. I am getting her back checked and considering a Flex EE saddle but have I made a huge mistake with the shoes or do I just need to be patient to let her adapt to the changes? She is 8 years old now, my old chiro said her feet needed to be corrected with shoes to prevent long term damage but I remember how I felt when I had inserts in my shoes- I threw them away and am much more comfortable despite being "wonky"!
She was much happier with wonky feet and an asymmetrical bum but is it a case of no pain no gain??? Or have I been a fool?
Click to expand...

When was the horse soundest and happiest?
 
I would be very worried in your shoes. It's hard to say whether your horse is uncomfortable because she has shoes on, or uncomfortable because she has been poorly shod, but I would certainly consult a vet and a different farrier with good references.
 
I cannot understand why you say you felt 'forced' to shoe because you had to use a farrier. There are many many farriers that can and regularly do barefoot trims - did you try to find one? imo the whole point of going bf is that it's natural and the horse should self wear anyway with the correct workload.

I am also surprised about this hole in the white line - clearly I think you need to address that with both your vet and farrier, before you can make assumptions about shoeing or not. If grit has worked up the hole then your horse will be in pain regardless.
 
Just to echo what's been said - a good farrier shouldn't automatically reccomend shoes if the horse doesn't need them, makes me suspicious of his motives.... and balancing the diet and looking at other hoofcare professionals may be the answer.... it is so hard isn't it, when our 'experts' don't seem to get it right. Go by your gut instinct, you know your horse best...
 
Did the hole in the WL look like the below pic?

If so it's a natural dimple in the sole of some horses. Commonly draft types.

This is my Ardennes x ID hoof. He is perfectly healthy and sound and it's natural for him to have these dimples in both fronts.

indioffforesolar-1.gif
 
Oberon said:
Did the hole in the WL look like the below pic?

If so it's a natural dimple in the sole of some horses. Commonly draft types.

This is my Ardennes x ID hoof. He is perfectly healthy and sound and it's natural for him to have these dimples in both fronts.

indioffforesolar-1.gif
Click to expand...

Oberon OP said that hole got bigger and bigger and horse went lame and footsore; that doesn't sound like a dimple to me.
 
Thanks for all your respones, my mare was not looked after properly before I bought her, she was very thin and being used in a bad riding school. I bought her because I had a bad accident that fatally injured my horse and destroyed my confidence and belief in myself and this horse made me feel safe.I knew she had physical issues but all the best horses I have owned had issues when I bought them. She made me feel safe and that meant the world to me, I was prepared that she may have a shorter working life than other horses but she has done an amazing job with me so if she has to retire early she has earnt it. I do want to solve any issues that can be solved and manage any that cant to keep her happy and comfortable. I had been feeding her up slowly and her feet were being looked after by a epauk podiatrist until he became unreliable then disappeared! We were happy hackers and I hadnt really started to address building her muscle up due to my own issues. She was never lame and walked out nicely, easily coping with 2 hour hacks. Struggling to find another trimmer in the area I had a farrier to trim her until I moved onto a livery yard. I managed to find a trimmer and was following his advice when I had to return to a farrier. I was advised not to use the farrier I had previously used and the yard farrier was recommended; this farrier told me her foot was infected and that she had to have the hoof cut away and shoes put on as she could not cope with the stoney paths that surround the yard. I argued that she had never been sore before moving regardless of the ground she was covering. I am stuck with the NFU until it has been 5 years since my accident as my quotes are so high once the accident is declared. It had been 3 years since I used a farrier and I had moved so I had to go by recommendation for a new farrier. The hole was in the white line, the podiatrist felt it was mechanical stress that could be gradually reduced with trimming and balancing but was also advising on mineral supplements. I have continued with his nutritional advice and despite the horrible weather her hooves are not flaking, cracking or chipping.
 
The insurance company says you have to use a farrier rather than a trimmer, but does the policy state you have to follow the farriers advice? If its a vet, you don't just blindly follow exactly what they say, you're the customer and you discuss treatment options, coming up with a plan that best suits you and the horse.

Why can't your farrier trim rather than shoe, if that's what you prefer? You've tried their advice now and it isn't working. Are they going to dump you as a client if you refuse to have the horse shod? If so, is there another farrier who would be happy to discuss keeping her unshod and using hoof boots where necessary?

Is there anything in the insurance policy that forbids a trimmer? If you could find a more helpful farrier, or simply refuse to let your current one put shoes on, could you also have the trimmer come to check occasionally that everything is ok? The horse would still be under the care of a farrier and you'd have peace of mind from the trimmers second opinion.
 
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