What age did you put shoes on your youngsters?

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Jesstickle

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Nitty is four this month. I have just about managed to back her between injuries and this year will be the year I attempt to crack on and get her hacking etc. She isn't going to be one that I can keep unshod. I don't have the time or facilities to enable it. She is incredibly footy at the moment from her last trim. I am thinking of having her shod. Obviously I will discuss with the farrier but I just wondered what other people use as a ball park to know when it is time?

Let us please not turn this in to a shod/barefoot debate. I have heard both sides until I am blue in the face :)

Burger and chips on offer tonight :) How scuzzy!
 
Er not now! Why bang nails into an alreadly ouchy foot :eek:

She shouldnt be sore post trim, that means too much has been taken off.

I would be fighting like hell to keep her without shoes, as all they do is hide issues shes currently able to tell you she has.
 
I will just answer your question. My youngster had fronts put on when he was about 3.5 as he was just starting to hack out, he has very good feet and had coped well until then. He had backs put on about 6-9 months later as the ground is flinty around us and he was a little pottery. His mate, who is the same age, was shod back and front at 3 as he couldn't cope with the ground. There was never any intention on either of them going bare foot for ever but we tried to keep going as long as possible.
 
Nearly 4 years old, just because we have an awful stoney roads and he is a wimp... Still is. :P
Only fronts and thats what he has now! Thinking of hoof booting it though :D x
 
OP has said she won't be persuing barefoot!!!

If the made is already footy it's because the wear to her hooves is greater than the amount she is growing. I doubt if OPs farrier even used nippers at her last trim! Probably just tidied up her hooves.

The mare is footy so not handling the current level of work, therefore she needs shoes asap
 
TT- I don't mean right this very second. I very much mean when she is back to normal and is no longer sore. I am not a complete witch!

She probably did have a bit more off than usual but they really aren't excessively short.

I think probably sooner rather than later though. I was hoping she might manage a bit of work without but I don't think she is going to be up to it. Poor, delicate little soul! Her short little life has been quite traumatic enough and tbh I'd rather shoe her if it's going to allow her to be able to enjoy her field rather than hobbling around it when the ground is hard. I don't view keeping her in for large chunks of the day as acceptable as she hates it and weaves to absolute excess and generally gets very stressed.

FWIW, BH is unshod as he's never shown any sign of needing them!

ETS: o good, I'm glad she doesn't seem ridiculously young for shoes. :)
 
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Just because to your eyes it didn't look like much was taken off, doesn't mean that is the case. If she has got worse since the trim then it was too much for her hooves to have removed. Was the frog touched?
 
My youngster was unshod until over 5 years, once he started regular ridden work he became more and more footy. He never needed trimming, was just lightly rasped a couple of times, so certainly was never over trimmed. I would loved to have kept him unshod, my qualified farrier only charges £15 for a trim but it was not a realistic option once he was doing proper ridden work, the hooves wear down quicker than they grow, as said above. He was strutting along sound as a pound once his soreness had recovered with shoes protecting his feet.
 
My grey pony had fronts put on when she was backed and brought into work at rising 4. She's never had back shoes on, I hunted her last autumn and never had a problem. I don't plan to put shoes on behind unless I have to.

When I got the brown pony (full TB) I took her back shoes off (just in case she kicked the grey princess when they are playing) and she's been fine so far.
 
I know a fair amount of people who have barefoot horses, and some seem to cope better then others, perhaps because your horse is quiet footy she does need shoe's. It might be worth buying some keratex as actually works really well, one of my freinds owns a barefoot horse and she recently got a bruised hoof not long after a trim, and this seemed to really work. She is lots better, and she uses the keratex a few days before the farier come.

So perhaps before you shoe your horse maybe try keratx just to make it abit more comfortable before shoes get put on :)
 
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