Why are professionals not barefoot?

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NellRosk

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I've been doing a lot of research and have had my mindset completely changed. I used to think barefoot was only for lame/ retired horses but after reading up on it makes so much sense! I've been chatting with other liveries and they all agree the soles of the hooves should take the load when a horse works, and not just solely the hoof wall. The question I keep getting asked is 'if barefoot is so good, why do all the top riders not do it?' and this has stumped me! Why is this? :confused:
 
i wouldn't trust going round a cross country barefoot. sometimes studs are needed for safety on slick ground
 
I'm not against keeping horses unshod at all, I can appreciate the benefits as well as the potential pitfalls.

Pro's with competition horses, have those horses as their business and this relies on being able to have a reasonably consistent performance within whatever set up they have to hand. Invariably I think you have to accept that unshod horses need very close management to perform and also there will invariably be periods when they may be a bit footy and that can impact performance.

I could see certainly dressage horses being very sustainable unshod, and some SJ'ers - especially those that tend to only jump on surfaces.

But, like it or lump it, horses that jump on grass generally struggle unshod unless the ground conditions are perfect. In the majority of cases studding is essential to avoid slipping/confidence loss and other associated problems. You will always have the odd exception to the rule granted, and you'll probably hear a lot of 'ah well I event mine BF' but in reality you need to look at the level and the consistency of performance before you take those posts as gospel.
 
Pro horses also tend to do a lot more work than other horses- they need the protection of a shoe. And it gives you an option to add studs/pads.
 
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IHW I was just wondering why you thought dressage horses in particular unsustainable unshod? Only as I think many would think they only work on a surface etc.

but yes, also studs and consistency... lots of top horses are away from home a lot during the season so feed wise things change + I suspect quite a few require diets high in things that aren't particularly foot friendly.
 
ester said:
IHW I was just wondering why you thought dressage horses in particular unsustainable unshod? Only as I think many would think they only work on a surface etc.

but yes, also studs and consistency... lots of top horses are away from home a lot during the season so feed wise things change + I suspect quite a few require diets high in things that aren't particularly foot friendly.
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I could see certainly dressage horses being very sustainable unshod, and some SJ'ers - especially those that tend to only jump on surfaces.
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I think she's saying that dressage horses should be okay barefoot.
 
Personally I would never take a horse eventing 4* level without studs. I don't use studs at all but I'm an extremely low level rider who has no need for them. With fences professional size you need more grip and barefoot can't do that unless the conditions are perfect.

For dressage I see no problem though, look at nikkimariet and her sister Princess Sparkles, both compete at a high level of dressage with barefoot thoroughbreds!
 
:D:D:D

1) Because "barefoot is only for happy hackers or companion horses"

2) Because a professional rider can't scratch from a competition because their horse had too much grass yesterday and is a bit footy today.

3) Need for studs/traction on tight corners, slick grass and impossible angles.

4) A professional rider can't really say to the feed company willing to sponsor them, "OOOhh but does it come in a low sugar and starch version....or can I have it sans alfalfa?".

5) Because if said competition horse tweaks something and needs the vet, the first thing the vet will say is, "Put shoes on it."

6) Because you wouldn't be able to use awesome and magic shoes like these......
 
ester said:
IHW I was just wondering why you thought dressage horses in particular unsustainable unshod? Only as I think many would think they only work on a surface etc.

but yes, also studs and consistency... lots of top horses are away from home a lot during the season so feed wise things change + I suspect quite a few require diets high in things that aren't particularly foot friendly.
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I didn't say that. I said of the disciplines, they would be the most sustainable unshod!
 
2) Because a professional rider can't scratch from a competition because their horse had too much grass yesterday and is a bit footy today.
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Total thread jack, feel free to PM me if you'd rather, but why does a horse having too much grass make it footy (presuming sugar/starch related?!) If that's the case, can BF be successful with something that lives out 24/7/365? And finally, how does having shoes on make the difference to the horse not being footy (ie, what do the shoes do to stop horse showing sore?!)

Sorry to go totally off-topic, just saw that & realised I had questions!
 
chaps89 said:
Total thread jack, feel free to PM me if you'd rather, but why does a horse having too much grass make it footy (presuming sugar/starch related?!) If that's the case, can BF be successful with something that lives out 24/7/365? And finally, how does having shoes on make the difference to the horse not being footy (ie, what do the shoes do to stop horse showing sore?!)

Sorry to go totally off-topic, just saw that & realised I had questions!
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There are many horses who live out 24/7 365 and have cracking feet.

There are some for whom the merest sniff of grass/wormer/vaccination/cereal/NSC spell doom in the hooves (see Chris Pollitt's work on gut function affecting hoof health and Kathryn Watt's work on 'safe grass').

There are some horses who manage OK on our green and pleasant land with a balance of mineral supplementation and exercise to offset the sugars in their ex dairy grass.

Shoes raise the hoof off the floor, bear weight only on the walls only and decrease circulation - all these things can cause a loss of feeling and can make a metabolically sensitive horse much more comfortable.

Like it or not - shoes make for a more reliable animal.
 
whisp&willow said:
Oberon: can you please elaborate on point no.6?! The spaceship shoe?!
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It's a magic shoe that is de riguer in the dressage world.

They are meant to aid lateral movement.



There is a couple of different types



Of course, having a healthy hoof with a natural and appropriate break over just isn't shiny enough :rolleyes:
 
Oberon said:
It's a magic shoe that is de riguer in the dressage world.

They are meant to aid lateral movement.



There is a couple of different types



Of course, having a healthy hoof with a natural and appropriate break over just isn't shiny enough :rolleyes:
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Hmmm, shades of Tennessee Walking Horse going on there...
 
9tails said:
Hmmm, shades of Tennessee Walking Horse going on there...
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whistle.gif


Yes but it's the barefooters who are the nutty ones
shhh.gif
 
Sometimes I think that people pay mucho ££££'s for something and because it was expensive, they believe that it must be amazing.
 
Hang on, surely competition horses are managed very strictly, just needs a change to yards or tracks from stables and diet tweeks. Lol. The more work barefoot horses do the better, so hard comptition is no problem and tbh, with healthier hooves they are less likely to need hoof /shoe related time off.

Gait modifing devices should be illegal imho.
 
Oberon said:
It's a magic shoe that is de riguer in the dressage world.

They are meant to aid lateral movement.



There is a couple of different types



Of course, having a healthy hoof with a natural and appropriate break over just isn't shiny enough :rolleyes:
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thank you for posting the pics. I couldn't work out which way up they went. :p I'm sure if I walked on shoes like that I would tip sideways and break my ankle.

I feel my horses are very seriously deprived without shoes especially when looking at these wonderful contraptions. :rolleyes:
 
How many horses are shod in horrors like that?

The horses who compete on our yard are shod- studs make it a necessity. But in their winter break they're unshod, and the hackers/ retired horses/ donkey are always unshod. Shoes are very expensive, and if they didn't need them they wouldn't wear them :D

Interestingly, ours are all on what could pass as a barefoot diet because it's the best diet for them and their health. They have pretty decent feet- Reg's are terrible, but improving. He had awful seedy toe, so has a fairly impressive hole in his hoof which is slowly growing out now ><
 
Oberon said:
It's a magic shoe that is de riguer in the dressage world.

They are meant to aid lateral movement.



There is a couple of different types



Of course, having a healthy hoof with a natural and appropriate break over just isn't shiny enough :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Wow, "de riguer in the dressage world" well, I've never seen them! Doesn't mean they aren't used but they are certainly very uncommon. People use all sorts of strange things in all disciplines but it shouldn't tarnish everyone else. Main reason for shoeing dressage horses is probably because a sand based surface is very abrasive and can wear away the hoof, shoes help to prevent this. Eventers are shod because they need extremely good grip in all ground conditions, difficult to achieve this without suitable studs (which is a bit of an art in itself) SJs on grass, well that's a bit obvious too, try jumping a big track on wet grass at speed without studs! Lots of my friends have BF horses and ponies, not because their horses have "broken down" or have issues but because frankly, they've not needed to shoe and are glad to save the money.
 
Main reason for shoeing dressage horses is probably because a sand based surface is very abrasive and can wear away the hoof, shoes help to prevent this.
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You can have unshod/bf horses living out full time in a sand turnout area and their hooves wont wear away to bloody nubs. I had to use my sand school as a turnout area once for flipping months (the horses were in it 24/7) and I promise you that their hooves were in fantastic condition at the end of this time.

I also hack for miles and I still can't get to the point where they self trim. :mad:
 
My dressage horse didn't have shoes on at all until he was 6 as he was so long legged and athletic, I couldn't keep shoes on. He had them on as he was working on surfaces (Inc tarmac) that were abrasive. He was never footy and never fed anything special.

As he got more advanced, the farrier put hind shoes on which were extra wide at the heels, for support in his collected work. There was a distinct improvement in his piaffe, his extensions and his pirouettes almost immediately - never would have been achieved without shoes :-)

I do know of someone on here who drag hunts barefoot
 
I always thought the more surface + hard ground work, the better for BF horses?
My BF horses seem to benefit from lots and lots of trotting on roads and gravel before the start of hunting season - seems to keep the hooves top notch. Through the wet seasons, on squishy ground, they can grow half a hoof and lose concavity seemingly overnight and the only solution is work, work, work ... pref on the abrasive surfaces.
.... and with that, I am often rasping or at least using a sand block every second day. (they also live out 24/7 so constantly on the move)
Clearly it depends on the horse, but if they have good feet they can do it.
I do accept the stud argument and this is why I shod my gelding as he slips and slides and is terribly insecure ... but I only compete up to about 1m10SJ and BE90 so don't really need studs for the others at this point.
 
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