Would you keep shoes on a retired horse?

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poiuytrewq

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He's currently unshod behind but still has fronts on. Feet are fairly good and cope fine unshod in the field which obviously is where he lives! But he does struggle a bit on my yard which is scalpings. He still comes in at night even in better weather will need to come in for brushing checking etc. would you bother shoeing for such a short period of benefit?
 
No, I'd spend the money from a couple of shoeings on some mats to make a path across the yard for him.
 
Ah, last time he was injured and off work I matted a small area to tie him, forgot about that! Good idea!
It certainly would be a welcome saving, ok I don't feel quite as guilty about whipping them off, might just ask my farrier to only trim a minimal amount to keep him as comfy as possible.
 
Watch what the farrier does, honestly that could set you up badly to start I know.
Make sure his diet is right and take shoes off.
 
No way! Shoes are for working horses. If not working or retired then why would any horse need shoes? One would even question if working horses needed shoes! But that is a whole other world... Lets not go there.

Well, I suppose some people may need to and others have money to burn :)
 
Any other horse I'd not be asking honestly they'd have been off from the day the word retired was even mentioned ;) it's just over the years we've had such problems hoof wise and although 6 years down the line he does grow decent hoof he's very dramatic if his toes hurt!
 
No I wouldn't, its only a short period between stable and field and his feet will harden up, you could paint his soles with iodine or something like hoof hardener when they first come off.
 
I would keep shoes on a retired horse if that was the best way to keep him comfortable in his last years.
 
I'd take them off and see how it went, especially if he'll be in the field most of the time - as others have said, his hooves should harden and adapt. However, if he was visibly uncomfortable on forgiving ground and not showing signs of improvement after giving the unshod route a good go, I'd put the fronts back on x
 
Oberon said:
I would keep shoes on a retired horse if that was the best way to keep him comfortable in his last years.
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It's not his last years, he's only 11 so realistically I'd like to keep costs resonably low where possible in the hop I can actually afford to keep him long term, well as long as he's happy. Think I may try it but won't hesitate to put them back on if I feel he's too sore.
 
you could take the backs off and see and then once they've toughened up take the fronts off. This is whats worked for me :)

ps how come he's retired?
 
I'd take them off, that being said my neighbour had two elderly horses that were retired and had been shod religiously all their lives without a break (they were both mid to late twenties at this point.) They were so badly crippled without shoes that it really wasn't worth it for them.

With an eleven year old I wouldn't want to be paying for shoes for the next twenty or so years if he isn't going to be working. Once feet toughen up he should be fine.
 
I can only tell you what happened with my old mare. i had struggled for years to keep her happy with shoes. Constantly being refitted etc all the time I had her ridden. Once we retired her I started leavong first the backs and then when she was just out in the field I took the fronts off aswell. Once I had , by chance, seen the difference it made I couldnt believe that I had wasted so much time and money . Her hooves improved dramatically after about 6 months. She went from crap feet that broke up all the time to never having shoes back on over the 7 years of her retorement with very healthy feet . She did get used to walking on hard ground etc. I hope all goes well
 
My retired boy now has fronts on only - he has severe arthritis in his upper hocks which means all weight thrown onto the front end so front feet were getting chipped badly (he has good feet being CB). Been retired for 5 yrs and I don't care about the cost as would rather he be soundish than him hobbling about miserable. He was retired at 6 yrs old.
 
Generally no.

I do have a retired 15yr tb who does have fronts on. I did try taking them off but he was so crippled without that I had them put back on. He's much happier with them.

He has a good foot based diet but old injuries don't work in his favour.
 
My farrier but racing plates on in front on my boy when he first retired for that first winter as he really struggled on the yard coming in and out at night. They were off in the spring when he was staying out 24/7 and his feet hardened over summer and he's been barefoot ever since.
Keretex hoof hardener is good...expensive but works imo.
 
Personally, I think it depends on the horse. Woman on my yard took shoes off her retiree and he was so crippled that she had the farrier put them back on. I'd say try it and see.

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He's retired due to back problems sadly. Retired in November last year. He has had his backs unshod for about 18 months since his last bad injury! He has gone naked in front before for a few sessions- I even rode him on the roads for a couple of weeks with no shoes (only lightly) he was fine- it's literally my yard that he finds difficult. I think the rubber matting idea will solve that tbh. I can mat an area by the gate to tie him and his stable is only a few steps away.
I have a supply of Keratex amongst all other hoof remedies for him in my shed. Will dig it out and start using again.
 
You know, there could be several factors to consider when retiring a horse to the field unshod...

a) Hoof quality - what can be done to improve it (takes time)
b) Hoof pathology - can underlying issues be corrected first in boots/shoes? (takes more time)
c) Hoof conformation - long-term shod horses may have a compromised hoof shape - underrun, flat soles, contracted heels etc (takes even more time!)

Even an arthritic horse can retire unshod provided he/she has a decent foot.

No foot... no horse.

Diet, the TRIM & exercise (whatever is possible or just field rest) are the key components. If any of those are out of whack... stick with your shoes.

With enough forward planning for a hoof-challenged horse, unshod IS possible - you just gotta manage it well. Then, try. If not, go back to shoes.

Where's the stress in that??

:)
 
I've kept dees on for now on advice of my farrier as we are trying to get a better shapped hoof behind. We are going to reasses in the summer.
 
I'd take them off. He WILL get better. When I took the shoes off my TB 18 months ago, he looked horribly lame on anything other than soft grass or sand. I just had to ignore it as I knew it was only because his feet were weak after years of shoeing. It was horrible to watch him at times and I nearly relented and put his shoes back on. I bought him some boots to take the edge off for short periods and now he doesn't need them at all. He is rock crunching. He's 11 and retired.
 
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