Winter Shoeing

[lucyhross]

Ive just got a new horse, she is 12yrs, 15.1hh welsh x tb. She has good feet in my opinion and I was thinking of taking her back shoes off over the winter to save some pennies! (still a student..) I would be riding more or less everyday, mainly schooling and jumping in an indoor school with a sand based surface mixed with synthetic fibres and hacking for 1-2hrs once a week. There is also a possibility of attending a hunt meet or two. She has always had shoes on but has never been lame or injured. She is on chaff, conditioning mix and a bit of speedibeet, twice a day with haylage at night. Year round turnout that is rotated seasonally. Any thoughts?

 

[Pipkin]

My riddens are only shod on front and have been for years. Never had an issue, do road work and lots of forestry tracks.

 

[lucyhross]

Thanks Pipkin, I have the farrier out this week so will see what he says too

 

[lucyhross]

farrier came yesterday and bit the bullet with just fronts, see how she goes

 

[chestnut cob]

Mine only has fronts, has been the same for about 18 months. He is in and out of shoes as it suits his workload. I have done BE80 without hind shoes but found he felt more confident shod and with studs when the ground was wet. ATM he's hacking on roads and tracks, doing BD and SJ without hinds, all perfectly happily. I did find when I was hacking a lot on very stoney tracks he was happier with hinds but most of our hacking is roads now so it's no issue.