What do you feed your barefoot horses?

Shutterbug

Shutterbug

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what it says on the tin - what do you feed your barefoot guys

I have a 16'3 WB with recently removed back shoes doing well so far (8 weeks in)
and a 4 year old wb/trotter x cob - never had shoes and no intention of putting them on him

Piccies of both in my sig

What would you recommend? Having never fed for barefoot before I am open to recommendations for them :D
 
Thunderbrooks base mix and Thunderbrooks healthy herbal chaff or Thunderbrooks daily essentials and healthy herbal chaff in summer.
 
Mine is a WBXTB, fussy eater and poor doer so getting her diet right has been quite a battle. She now has Coolstance Copra, Alfa A Molasses Free, Micronised Linseed, and Forage Plus Performance Balancer and it works well.
 
A handful of Fast Fibre and Forage Plus Hoof and Skin Health Balancer at half the usual rate (based on forage testing).

The cob gets mag ox, the pony is currently getting extra methionine as he had a very poor coat.

Micronised linseed in winter. A tonic in spring (usually Global Herbs Restore). Turmeric if they are looking stiff (usually in winter), I don't like to feed it continuously long-term. Milk thistle seed for a few weeks when they are wormed (usually only once a year as I test). I also give a feed of fast fibre and bentonite clay for a couple of days if I'm worried about their digestion (e.g. when they manage to get through the strip fence and stuff themselves!) which seems to stop my cob from getting footy and sorts out any runny poo issues..
 
Unshod, therefore barefoot, she gets the same as my shod one. 12% ration, flax, soy meal, soaked beet.

Feeding is of course an individual thing, I feed by eye and according to work done - so BHS :)

As long as the horse has no specifics requirements for poor feet then it should be no different to when it had shoes on.
 
One of mine who is new to my yard and therefore needs to improve hooves is also on equimins hoof mender recommended by farrier.
 
2 x tbs. Proportions vary depending on time of year and weight, work etc

Copra
Linseed
Oats
Bran

Plus minerals balanced to forage however Progressive Earth, Forageplus and Equivita all make good off the peg blends.

Am also trying the Agrobs Musli but too early to say how it's working for me.

Have also fed unmolassed sugarbeet and alfalfa pellets but currently they're a bit high in calcium for where I am.
 
Mine does well on a diet of nothing whatsoever! (apart from grass of course she has to have something)

This totally surprised me as my last one seemed to need an endless list of this n' that... I'm thrilled. I literally have zero feed bills.
 
My pony has about 1 1/2 mugs of fast fibre, pro hoof (from progressive earth on ebay), salt and about 1 1/2 mugs micronised linseed per day. Spring and autumn she also gets magox if she gets a bit footy. The most important thing I have found is to reduce grazing if necessary - she wears a Dinky muzzle during spring, summer and autumn if necessary. She is also in during the day during these times to have soaked hay to ensure she s getting enough fibre, although she is very good with the muzzle.

In an ideal world I would like a track system for her, but due to being on a livery yard this is currently not possible - one day!
 
Grass.
Lucerne chaff.
Whole oats.
Hemp seed cake.
Salt.
Vit/min mix.

Quantities depend on the time of they year, size of the horse and what they are doing.
 
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