What did you notice when you removed your horses shoes?

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Kezzabell2

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Its now been 43 days since my horse had his remedial shoes removed!

My vet has asked me to walk him on roads and other surfaces to harden his feet and to encourage him to self trim, as remedial shoeing was making him more and more lame!

So I sort of thought that he'd be off for a good 6 months and I'd be walking him out!! well within 2 weeks, he was clearly a lot more confortable and I left it another week or two;

then I rode him up the lane! I could feel the difference instantly, when he had heart bars on, I always thought he felt he was putting his foot down in a weird way, I couldn't explain it but it just didn't feel right!! well straight away he felt more right that he had for a long time!

Now I've built him up a lot more, at weekend I hacked out around the lanes, in walk with another horse, this was the furthest we'd gone so far and he felt amazing the whole way round.

but what I really noticed was on Sunday, I rode around the farm!! he was so forward going, which he hasn't been, his back foot slipped on a bit of mud as we went around a corner and it reminded me,

when he was shod he used to trip a lot!!I remember mentioning it to my YM when we were hacking and she suggested his feet might be too long, but he was shod every 4.5 weeks, to ensure his toe never got to long. but now since he's had his shoes off he hasn't tripped with his front feet at all!!!

So just wondering if anyone else has any experiences like this!!?!?
 
That's great news well done.

None of mine are shod, I've only had one horse with shoes in the last three years and she came with shoes and terrible feet and died before I got a chance to take them off. My cob was shod and her feet were terribly over grown and huge, she over reached constantly because of that and I had her shoes taken off and her feet trimmed by the farrier within a few days. She was really no different without shoes (although she stopped over reaching!), she has excellent feet and vets and other professionals often remark on her feet. They have not been touched by anyone for 11 months now. I very very occasionally in the early days rasped a mm off here and there but I don't touch them now.

She is the one on the left in this pic. The one on the right is my Welsh D who is 6 months into being barefoot and worked. When I got her she was unshod and very sore as she had been on a horse walker a lot. Her feet were very chipped. Same as the other one I smoothed off the chips for a while but I haven't touched hers for many months now either and she is becoming very sound even on stones in walk. Still some work to do but she is improving brilliantly too.

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This pic was taken as it amused me that the "little" one is the one on the left (hand smaller than the palo).
 
Wow Ffion Winnie

Thats really interesting, thanks for the piccies!

I was speaking to my vet yesterday as his back feet are getting a bit long, and my vet said, he'd prefer it if I rasp his feet myself, rather than a farrier who will probably take too much off!! Luckily I already have a rasp, as I tend to shape my retired mares feet for her! so I will give that a go this weekend!

I honeslty can't believe how well he is coping with the stones!! he can walk on them pretty much with no issues, but he does struggle if he tries to trot, but nowhere near as bad as he was at the beginning.

This was his hoof on Sunday (the day after he did his long road ride) His nail holes are getting low now, so I expect they will chip off a bit more than they have been so far.
https://www.facebook.com/Sams-self-...1328661269217/921328607935889/?type=3&theater
 
Actually, I've had the same experience as you about tripping and stumbling. My horse is only shod over summer, with short toes in natural balance shoes. First time I tried a set of "normal", toe clipped front shoes, he immediately started stumbling. With the NB shoes, he is okay at the beginning of the shoeing cycle, but can start to stumble near the end (5 weekly), particularly towards the end of summer. I think his heels/toes do run forward just a little bit over the summer. The moment the shoes come off he stops tripping.
Now, the thing that I don't understand is why he is also perfectly fine, non-tripping in boots? Our riding is too rough to cope entirely without protection (hence shoeing in summer, booting in winter). But by all the laws of physics, he should be tripping in boots just as much as in shoes (they are certainly bulkier and add more length to sole and toe than NB shoes, and I would argue he feels the ground even less with a fully closed boot sole), but he doesn't. Wish I understood how that works.
 
I have to agree re being more surefooted on tarmac without shoes compared to shoes and road nails. Mine also tripped a lot in shoes. I found that walking on tarmac really was a big part of getting my mare's hooves improving once the shoes came off. A second big thing was cutting excess sugar from her diet.
 
ITPersonnage said:
Kezzabel can you parcel your vet up and send him/her to me, they sound fab.
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Nope, he's mine haha!! Its a bit of a pain though as he's gone part time as he working for the RCVS for the next year, so its very difficult to get an appointment with him!!

hopefully now we are shoeless we won't need so many appointments :)

Also before my horse had his shoes off he was 6/10th lame! is that a lot? I know he looked crippled but in the grand scheme of things, is that really bad?
 
supsup said:
Actually, I've had the same experience as you about tripping and stumbling..
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It was tripping in shoes that caused me to investigate barefoot, and eventually take mine down that route. He tripped right over in a fast canter and planted me head first into the ground, plus he was tripping right over playing in the field. It really knocked my confidence in him. He came to me with terrible hooves but had, had two years of good farriery by that stage and his feet looked great and he was perfectly sound. Within a week of taking the shoes off he stopped tripping and he hasn't since. He also doesn't trip in boots, even the big clunky ones I had to begin with.

The extra grip on tarmac was a big bonus, because at the time I lived somewhere hilly with mostly road-work hacking.
 
I a barefoot convert too.
It makes so much sense.
The hoof can not perform correctly with metal nailed to it!

Tripping is a sign of hoof issues.
Have you assess your horses diet?
This will help massively too.

It good you have a supported vet that offered the correct advice, walking out on roads ect.
 
I noticed that the hooves were weak and broke up in layers around where the nail holes were. I got the farrier back after two weeks to round up the breakage to stop it splitting further up. Fourteen weeks on and another two farrier visits and she is comfortable, sound and her legs seem warmer. Her pacesare more elevated and the field hasn't suffered so much.

There is also a different growth angle beginning which looks a bit smoother.
 
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I noticed no change when I took my horses back shoes off. Apart from the fact that the frogs changed, which was my intention of taking them off
 
When I took my horses shoes off I noticed no difference. He was happy to trot in a small circle with no shoes after being stood in unshod for 8 weeks with no proper in hand walking. Even when we started hacking again he was striding out and happy to move as freely as he did with shoes on.

There was no noticeable change in his foot apart from a slight change in the frogs. But he was as happy and sound with no shoes as much as he was with shoes, even with no "conditioning" work.
He is now shod as we do a lot of roadwork, shoes are necessary for us :)
 
Supsup, I have often mused on the no tripping in big bulky hoof boots thing! I think, as regandal says, shoes are thought to reduce proprioception. There's some speculation that the pressure of shoes may slightly crush the circumflex artery, and therefore reduce sensation. I guess that with boots this doesn't happen, so although there is more 'stuff' on the foot, the horse can feel more and therefore doesn't trip. Hooves are so amazing!!
 
I took my WB's back shoes off about 8 weeks ago - he just had his first visit from the farrier to do his fronts and tidy up the backs - he was very footsy for the first 6 weeks then I couldnt ride for 2 weeks cause my saddle bust but I took him for a ride out on Sunday of last week and couldnt believe the difference. He has mild arthritic changes in his right hock and always felt stinted in his walk but now he feels lose and free behind when he walks and hes much more forward going. Still wants to walk on grass verges on more stoney ground but farrier says that is normal. He had started walking funny and was twisting shoes which was why I took them off as I was worried he would cause himself injury - but its honestly the best thing I could have done - hes improved and no longer twists his own foot when he walks and doesnt drag his back toes anymore either.

So next year I am taking the fronts off too :D My other horse is 4 and just backed this year - not putting shoes anywhere near him!!
 
Shutterbug said:
I took my WB's back shoes off about 8 weeks ago - he just had his first visit from the farrier to do his fronts and tidy up the backs - he was very footsy for the first 6 weeks then I couldnt ride for 2 weeks cause my saddle bust but I took him for a ride out on Sunday of last week and couldnt believe the difference. He has mild arthritic changes in his right hock and always felt stinted in his walk but now he feels lose and free behind when he walks and hes much more forward going. Still wants to walk on grass verges on more stoney ground but farrier says that is normal. He had started walking funny and was twisting shoes which was why I took them off as I was worried he would cause himself injury - but its honestly the best thing I could have done - hes improved and no longer twists his own foot when he walks and doesnt drag his back toes anymore either.

So next year I am taking the fronts off too :D My other horse is 4 and just backed this year - not putting shoes anywhere near him!!
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why wait? I'd do it now! at least during the winter the ground isn't as hard so if he is bit sore for a few weeks it wont be as bad as it would be if you removed his shoes in the summer!

My boy only ever had one set of back shoes on, so his back feet were already naked and coping well!

He's had the physio today and she said that he was really tight in both shoulders, she thinks he might have been over compensating because of his feet being sore before his shoes were removed! so hopefully he will start to feeling ever better in himself :) But she was really pleased with his movements :)
 
Kezzabell2 said:
why wait? I'd do it now! at least during the winter the ground isn't as hard so if he is bit sore for a few weeks it wont be as bad as it would be if you removed his shoes in the summer!
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Kezzabell2 said:
why wait? I'd do it now! at least during the winter the ground isn't as hard so if he is bit sore for a few weeks it wont be as bad as it would be if you removed his shoes in the summer!
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My farrier said exactly the same thing to be fair. I think I am hesitating cause I know what he is like when he loses a front shoe - you would think his leg was hanging off and I didnt want to overburden him with tootsy pain. Am I just being over cautious do you think? I will speak to farrier when he comes to do his next shoeing and see if I am brave enough to just take off the fronts too - might need to talk myself around. I suppose i can always buy him front boots if it comes to it for riding out?
 
I was the same with my mare when I retired her! She had front shoes on for about 2 years because I was scared but she coped amazingly! I expect that when he pulls a shoe he probably pulls some hoof away too, which is why he will be sore!

As he's a ridden horse, I'd suggest a decent supplement, which will help them grow and harden. Do little walks to get him used to new surfaces! you need to just be strong and if he stumbles on a stone, don't worry too much! my lanes are really stoney, and it took about 2 weeks before Sam wasn't tip toeing on the stones! obviously he still feels the odd one now, but no where near as bad! I felt so guilty to start with but he's done amazingly!

baring in mind he was also 6/10 lame the day the shoes were removed! he was on bute for 5 days and that was it! I never thought in a million years he'd do so well.

my vet doesn't want me to have a farrier trim his feet as they harden up and that is what protects them from the pain. when a farrier takes the hoof down, they will be more likely to be sensitive again! so all he wants is for them to be rasped slightly if I can't do enough road work! and so far I can not fault his suggestions. where as my friend how has her horse trimmed every 8 weeks, and boots to ride, her horse was so foot sore the other day, even in boots, she had to allow him to go on the grass verges on our hack! I had nothing on Sams hooves and he walked the whole way without an issue! and he had only been shoeless for 40 days!
 
When I bought my daughter's pony she lost a shoe and was crippled. She only had front shoes and her front feet were smaller than her backs. I had her shod once then had them removed. It didn't take long with a good diet and exercise to get her right. Winter is ideal as you are likely not to be riding as much anyway so easier to start the transition. Definitely get boots if they are sore.
 
Good to hear - and thanks. I will give it a bash next time the farrier is out - hes very good with the barefoot and he barely takes anything off at all and when he does its a tiny bit at a time with the rasp just to even him up if he needs it - didnt touch his frog or bars as these are both looking after themselves. I swear his feet were massively better after the first farrier visit since taking his shoes off so hes clearly doing something right. I will let you know how we get on :)
 
FfionWinnie said:
When I bought my daughter's pony she lost a shoe and was crippled. She only had front shoes and her front feet were smaller than her backs. I had her shod once then had them removed. It didn't take long with a good diet and exercise to get her right. Winter is ideal as you are likely not to be riding as much anyway so easier to start the transition. Definitely get boots if they are sore.
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My boy has uneven front feet from poor shoeing from a previous farrier who didnt consider his slightly upright pastern - now he wears two difference size shoes in front as a result - my current farrier is new. So perhaps removing his shoes will help that?

Also, feed wise, I have been looking at feeding for barefoot as am aware this has a big impact - so what do you guys feed?
 
Shutterbug said:
My boy has uneven front feet from poor shoeing from a previous farrier who didnt consider his slightly upright pastern - now he wears two difference size shoes in front as a result - my current farrier is new. So perhaps removing his shoes will help that?

Also, feed wise, I have been looking at feeding for barefoot as am aware this has a big impact - so what do you guys feed?
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Feed wise, just don't feed too much sugar. some people find their horses are footie in the summer and they think its because the ground is harder but it is likely that its because they are getting too much sugar from the grass.

I've read a really good book called Feet First, was recommended to me by someone on here! I found the beginning really wordy and a bit samey, so I skipped on to the feeding section and the case studies, which really provide a lot of information and evidence to support what they were saying!! and helped convince me that horses actually don't always need shoes!

I've never been into this barefoot thing and would have always wanted a shod horse, but now I'm defo being converted!
 
The pony I just mentioned has quite wonky front legs. As a kids pony it's not an issue but you wouldn't probably buy a horse like it. Anyway she also dished badly when we got her. We've had her a year now and I was watching her move the other day and thinking she moves better now than when shod.

Take lots of pics when the shoes come off. Put your phone right on the ground to take them from front on and side on. It's very interesting and I never take enough before pics (I've got a lot of ponies!) and then always wish I took more when things improve down the line!

Most of our ponies get nothing except a mineral lick and grass/hay.

Good foods I have found are coolstance copra (need patience to get them onto it sometimes as it's quite a strong smell). My horse has added complications as she can't eat high NSC foods, and I don't feed micronised linseed for that reason.

Both my horses who are fed, get Alfa pellets. Some barefooters dislike them, I don't seem to have a problem.

If the horse is footy and not improving it's worth tweaking the diet to see if that improves things.
 
New poster here, so please be kind! I took my boy's hind shoes off about 6 months ago on farrier's advice because he was having trouble finding decent hoof to nail into. I have been really pleased with hoof growth since and his frogs look so much better. I'm therefore planning have his fronts removed in a few weeks time. However, my only concern is that when he lost a front shoe he was very foot sore. Farrier has suggested using Keratex Hoof Hardener to help harden up his soles. Should I be too worried about his reaction to losing a front shoe and has anyone else used Keratex?
FfionWinnie said:
When I bought my daughter's pony she lost a shoe and was crippled. She only had front shoes and her front feet were smaller than her backs. I had her shod once then had them removed. It didn't take long with a good diet and exercise to get her right. Winter is ideal as you are likely not to be riding as much anyway so easier to start the transition. Definitely get boots if they are sore.
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No definitely do not be tempted to paint anything on the feet.

Spend the money on some boots instead. Depending on your work level, cavallos are ok for plodding about, less so for fast work as they can rub/come off.

I liked easy boot epics but they are hard to put on.

Renegades are the easiest to put on and don't rub however both my horses are quite big movers and both hauled them off so I gave up and adjusted the terrain instead.

Smooth Tarmac is ideal for starting them off.

This pony I keep mentioning was just in the field for a month or two with no work and when I brought her back out she was a million times better so just leaving her on soft ground started the process of her feet toughening up.
 
I've been using two different types of hoof preparations for years and have found they helped.

My horse also gets a "normal" diet and has not been footy on anything at all. Granted I don't feed her heavily molassed feed as it would send her bonkers, but she's had all manner of different types of normal feed that have never done any harm
 
Thank you FW for your help. Instinct tells me that barefoot is the way to go, so once the shoes are off I'll take it day by day. However, I'll probably be back on here asking for more advice from everyone ☺
 
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