Wondering if I should go barefoot

Chestersmummy

Chestersmummy

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With my TB. He hates the farrier with a passion and only has front shoes on. I've been umming and ahhing for a while but I just don't really know how to go about it.
At the minute we only do dressage either on grass or in the menage and very little road work.
Also would I have to feed him anything different for his feet?

Sorry for all the questions I'm just trying to weigh everything up in my mind.
 
What are you feeding him at the moment?
What are his feet like? Any issues with the hind feet?
 
You can always put the shoes back on if it doesnt suit you both it doesnt have to be perminant. I'm sure the proper barefooters will be along soon but essentally its a low sugar high fibre diet so depending on his current diet you may not need to make changes.
 
I wouldn't go barefoot with your TB if he's shod on the front. If he stands on your unprotected toes it will cause you a lot of pain and potentially serious injury :(

:D
 
JFTD said:
I wouldn't go barefoot with your TB if he's shod on the front. If he stands on your unprotected toes it will cause you a lot of pain and potentially serious injury :(

:D
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I think as we are coming into summer this shouldn't be an issue, as obviously he will be wearing flip flops, or more correctly, hipposandles!
 
loubymiller said:
With my TB. He hates the farrier with a passion and only has front shoes on. I've been umming and ahhing for a while but I just don't really know how to go about it.
At the minute we only do dressage either on grass or in the menage and very little road work.
Also would I have to feed him anything different for his feet?

Sorry for all the questions I'm just trying to weigh everything up in my mind.
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How to go about it (IMO).....

There are some horses (like my Arab) who you can just whip the shoes off after 13 years, feed whatever, and they will still be sound and happy.

But those horses are in the minority and when taking a horse barefoot from a long time in shoes takes some work on your part to make it easier on them.

Anyone who works with hooves will agree that shoes change the hooves. This is not BF propaganda - most farrier texts will advise a break from shoes off season - but sadly this has largely been forgotten as a practice.

So you will have to appreciate that taking the shoes off, you will be left with hooves that require a period of remodeling and healing to be fully functional again. You wouldn't take the cast off a limb and then expect it to be able to play sports immediately.

So how do you proceed?

1) Diet - I don't care what it says on the bag, listen to your horse. Most BF's experiences have been that a low starch, unmolassed and balanced mineral diet is the most successful. Even then - the horse is still the expert.

2) Movement - hooves need stimulation to be strong and healthy - they are like a muscle that way. This has to be within the horse's comfort levels.

3) Sympathetic trimming - the hoof care professional needs to understand the needs of a BF horse and lay the knife down in favour of a more conservative approach. Overenthusiastic trimming lames BF horses.

Other things you will need to consider are;

Boots - I really recommend using boots with/without pads at first. The horse needs to move to develop strong hooves but he won't move if he isn't comfy. Boots are not an essential, but you need to be prepared to invest if he needs them.

Body worker - Many horses find niggles and tightness when they adjust to unshod. Some have been quietly going along with pain for a while. A once over from a good body worker is a fair addition to the process.

Time and patience - it's unfair to expect the horse to be perfect within a couple of weeks. It may take a couple of months before you have tough hooves. I wouldn't expect a horse to be particularly uncomfortable post two weeks though and if they are - you need to review what you are doing 'wrong' in the horse's eyes. This is where boots come in handy.

Saddle fit - I've found almost every shod to BF horse needs a saddle refit. Have that in your budget further down the line too ;)

It's alot of info - but I like to be prepared for the worst and have a plan B.....I would never feel it is fair to let an owner believe it can always be as simple as whipping the shoes off and then being surprised when the horse struggles. BF should make a horse more comfortable, not less :)
 
Good post Oberon. Thats very useful.

Interesting point re saddle fit, was just thinking one that I ride, now 10 weeks without shoes, needs her saddle checking.

I had been doing regular physio stretches on her as part of her rehab, so that makes sense as she is carrying herself differently and doing more.I just hadn't thought about it as part of the transistion to BF, but observing this horse it fits in with what you say.
 
Does your horse hate *your* farrier or anyone messing with his feet? Even if you take his shoes off he is still going to need to be seen by a trimmer at the very least, if not a/your farrier. What does he hate about the farrier? I'd say that if going barefoot doesn't work for you then you are going to have to shoe again so the horse will have to live with being seen by farrier. What's he going to be like with another person trimming him?
 
horserider said:
Interesting point re saddle fit, was just thinking one that I ride, now 10 weeks without shoes, needs her saddle checking.

I had been doing regular physio stretches on her as part of her rehab, so that makes sense as she is carrying herself differently and doing more.I just hadn't thought about it as part of the transistion to BF, but observing this horse it fits in with what you say.
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I haven't come across a horse yet that hasn't needed a refit. I like to warn people beforehand that they'll need to budget for that
lol.gif
.
 
chestnut cob said:
Does your horse hate *your* farrier or anyone messing with his feet? Even if you take his shoes off he is still going to need to be seen by a trimmer at the very least, if not a/your farrier. What does he hate about the farrier? I'd say that if going barefoot doesn't work for you then you are going to have to shoe again so the horse will have to live with being seen by farrier. What's he going to be like with another person trimming him?
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It may be that he is more uncomfortable when newly shod, and that is what he objects to, or the farrier may not be sympathetic.
 
He hates every farrier! Rears up the lot even with a very sympathetic farrier. Its taken a lot of trust for him to let me and my mum pick his feet out.
Hes currently fed on (summer diet) 2kg hay, 1 large scoop of mollichaff calmer, carrots and apples. He is stabled from 7am until 4.30ish then turned out overnight.
His feet are quite strong.
 
loubymiller said:
He hates every farrier! Rears up the lot even with a very sympathetic farrier. Its taken a lot of trust for him to let me and my mum pick his feet out.
Hes currently fed on (summer diet) 2kg hay, 1 large scoop of mollichaff calmer, carrots and apples. He is stabled from 7am until 4.30ish then turned out overnight.
His feet are quite strong.
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In that case I don't think going barefoot is your answer per se. If the horse dislikes anyone touching his feet, that's the issue you need to deal with and what needs working on. Even without shoes, he will still need to be attended to by a trimmer. I think you have to get to the bottom of why he hates farriers so much. Go barefoot by all means but I don't think that's the issue. The issue is that for someone reason your horse won't let people touch his feet - is he frightened, has he had a bad experience, does something hurt, is he simply taking the pee because he knows he can? Lots to consider and going barefoot won't be a miracle cure for your horse hating farriers because *someone* (whether a farrier or a trimmer) is still going to have to trim his feet. You can't take the shoes off and then never have anyone look at his feet.
 
You often find some horses who are horrific to shoe actually lose this issue when they are no longer shod.
 
If you possible do some road work on tarmac you might get him self trimming, I think it is worth a try, but when you practice lifting his feet, start in a stable with bedding, and give him a hay net, then when you lift his feet, and only try to get them a few inches off the ground, and he rears, you can hang on I assume you will wear a hard hat and are strong enough to hold him.
You can only do your best.
Cut out the sugar in his diet, molichaff [molasses], apples and carrots and any Lickit treats!
Use a magnesium calmer at full strength when the grass is lush.
Fast Fibre [Allen and Page] is easy to feed, hi fibre hi vitamins hi minerals, and cheap, you may need to add some NON molassed chaff [Dengie] to make it more palatable and provide another source of fibre [straw]
 
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victoria1980x said:
On another note is there a difference between a body worker and physio?
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In the context of this post, I mean body worker as anyone - McTimoney, physio, sports massage, shiatsu etc who works on the body.

Some have multiple techniques in their toolbox.

I'm not as interested in what they do - just whoever in the area is the best.
 
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