When did you know it was time to shoe?

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Welshie95

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Horse is rising 10 arab/cob/warmblood, been barefoot all his life (owned since a 3 year old)successfully hacking out up to 3/4 hours on all terrains. Lives out all summer, stabled overnight in winter on hay and chaff.
Has only recently started to come back into work (6-7 weeks, only been riding instead of walking out in-hand for the past 2 weeks) I am noticing that when we leave the yard for a hack (smooth tarmac) that he feels like he is footy to start with, then gets better but lacks that impulsion, he tracks up but isn't going anywhere if that makes sense? Gravel tracks to the fields and he will pull me to the grass verge and when bringing in during evenings he looks from behind like he is straining for a poo, almost waddling! As soon as I tie him up to groom he is fine so not colicky... He hardly wears his hind feet down and does so very evenly, it the fronts that tend to wear from the outside, causing the hoof to turn in, with added small chips from stones etc.
He is only a pleasure horse, no big aspirations or workloads: hacking, little bit of schooling and the odd unaffiliated test.
 
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Could you speak to your farrier, might be that you put front shoes on and go from there. Also has he had any changes in diet, that could be making him footy?
 
Could be his hocks not his feet, is he happy to walk in a straight line downhill or is he on the forehand ridden at all. I have been thinking about shoeing mine, but his hocks/sacroilliac joint seem to be causing him some problems. Vet has said he isn't footy barefoot so should be fine to carry on that way, might be worth putting some boots on backs to see if that helps impulsion, it did on mine hugely but then really showed up much more clearly an issue with his movement on his left hind. So I think he was footsore but also sore from joints higher up.
 
Just get boots.

£100 pair will last you a couple of years.

£70 shoes x 8/9 times a year = £600 approx each year.
 
If he's been out of work for 2years he will take some time to put on muscle and get fitter. I have also been battling with lethargy with my horse for some time and the vet said that my horse's loss of muscle and declining fitness would have a part to play. He sounds similar, lethargic/lacking impulsion & the waddling movement is similar to my horse & the root cause has been soreness & joint issues.

He may just be tired from beginning to work but the paddling from the hip sounds like he is compensating to avoid using a sore part of his body. Is he overweight because that can affect their movement too - if you borrow a pair of boots and put them on his back feet you will be able to see if he starts to move more normally and then you will know if it is foot soreness or something else.
 
Welshie95 said:
No change, has been on just grass all summer and is just on hay at the moment
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I would start him on minerals, micronised linseed [oils and omegas], and a small feed in winter plus some salt, he is getting older and I think he is not footy, there will be another reason .......... vet check .........
 
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