# any barefoot horse owners here?



## Hetty (May 7, 2011)

Hiya,

We have chosen to go barefoot with our horse. Even so he is very young so he would not have shoes anyway at this age, but with the help of our barefoot hoof trimmer I hope to be able to keep him barefoot.

Any one else here that owns a barefoot horse? Do you use the hoof boots or are you able to go without?


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## celicababe1986 (Jun 22, 2009)

Hi there, my pony is barefoot! 

I just have her trimmed when needed. I go by te advice of my farrier, and he will tell me when/if the time comes for her to need shoes.


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## Hetty (May 7, 2011)

I really do not want shoes for my horse. They restrict the hoof mechanism. So if his hooves go down too quickly I want to use those hoof boots. You only put them on when you need them and apparently that makes them last quite long, so would work out cheaper than shoes or about the same price.


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## Aromat (Jul 11, 2011)

hi, one of my ponies was barefoot until he got to the age of 9 then i had to have shoes put on his front feet. he used to be fine but then all of a sudden he started to like tip toe (very short strides).he was doing it all the time then. the farrier then suggested having shoes on. after that he was fine..i think it just depends on your horse and how much and where you ride your horse..don't think there is any reason why barefoot shouldn't be tried


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## Plymouth Pet Sitters (Jun 22, 2011)

I would recommend you have a good horse podiatrist instead of a farrier, but with that your horse should be fine and quite happy barefoot without the need of boots. But all horses are different so you'll just have to work with the podiatrist and see how things go. But deciding to go barefoot from a young age is great, as your horse will never get used to shoes, rather than a horse that has had shoes for years and then goes barefoot (takes a little getting used to!). If any problems do occur the podiatrist should be able to nip them in the bud. Good luck x


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## Doolally (Oct 12, 2010)

My horse has been barefoot for 4 years now, it's the best thing i've ever done for her. 
8 years ago she was diagnosed with navicular syndrome, she was crippled lame and I thought as best I was going to have to retire her, and at worst it doesn't bear thinking about  
My vet recommended having her shod in Natural Balance shoes, which did help a bit, but she had to be shod every 4 weeks on the dot or she'd go lame, she'd often have days or weeks off lame, she had to have the chiro every 6weeks as she got so stiff in her shoulders...
So, then I took her barefoot...and she's never had a lame day since (well from the navicular!!)...she's trimmed by a podiatrist and her feet have improved no end since having her shoes off. Initially I used hoofboots but she can work on any surface now without boots...and she only needs routine chiro checks now and she's never tight in her shoulders as moves so much free-er.
I worship the ground my EP walks on


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## emsky (Jul 26, 2011)

My horse is barefoot, after a severe case of laminitus he was out of work for a year, when the farrier tried to put eggbar shoes on him he was rearing up finally he got them on but it crippled my horse again. He was out of action for another month after i demanded him to get them off (bare in mind to put eggbar shoes on would have cost me £120 each time). Anyway i decided to go barefoot with a barefoot trimmer which is different to a farrier as they trim your horse to its natural state. Unfortunately my horse is very sole sensitive on his fronts so i purchased the boots and he is perfect with them, the only problem i have ever had is when my horse is flat out galloping he overreaches and pulls them off. Overreach boots don't seem to work, so i tend to not bother with them if i know it will be a fast ride. 
With your horse been young i think his feet will toughen up quicker than mine, my horse can't walk over loose stones without looking dog lame so if he can do that i doubt you would need the boots.


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## jessegee (Mar 21, 2011)

I had a young shire and he was barefoot, he sometimes stumbled but I kept him trimmed reguarly and was proud of his nice round feet
Then three years later in his new home I saw his feet looking a bit unkempt, at first I was disappointed, but after watching him in the field moving about , I noticed he was moving more freely and easily
I dont understand it, but I can only imagine that because his feet were badly overgrown when I bought him , he was more comfortable to let his feet chip and grow in their own way.
i dont have any moral to this story!

jessegee


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## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

My friends and I all have working barefoot horses. 

The horses are 17hh+ Warmblood x TB, 16.2 Dutch Warmblood, 16.1 Thoroughbred, 16.1 Anglo Arab, 15.2 Andalusian (PRE), 14.2 pony of indeterminate breeding. On the livery yard we keep our horses, there are two more working barefoot and most of the rest are shod only in front. 

The 16.2 Dutch WB wears boots all round for hacking sometimes, but not always and the 16.1 thoroughbred (ex racer) always wears boots in front for hacking. The boots used are Easyboot Trails and Old Mac G2s. Both horses gallop when wearing them, but don't jump. 

We mostly tidy our own with occasional help from our farrier, but have used EPs in the past for a compromised horse., ie a pony with metabolic disorders.

Conditioning and diet are a huge part of keeping our horses in work and sound.


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## emmaluvsmango (Jul 10, 2008)

my lad is barefoot but again he is only 3 so he wouldnt have shoes yet any way, he has wonderful feet and we hope to keep him barefoot if possible. 

Although not ridden we hack him out in hand, its ten mins on the road to the paths, and the paths are a mix of sandy and stony, he was a liitle tender on the stones at first but with regualr walks (average 4 a week) they have toughened up, we took a new route and got lost a couple of weeks ago, we came across an old train track with awful stone on it, it was a wide track but there was a path we needed to reach on the other side, he walked across it no problem. 

I too have thought about hoof boots, would like to know more about these, I would maybe like to drive him one day is the future and think then I will have to think about shoes or boots? would boots be safe to drive in?


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## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

The design and technology of boots is changing all the time. I know that driving horses cannot always cope barefoot, especially the larger draft horses, due to their weight distribution and way of moving when being driven. 

I don't know if any boots have been designed to compensate for the hoof wear for driving horses. Nearer the time you might be better asking on driving forums, or perhaps the designers of hoof boots such as Easyboot.


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## Fluffed (Jun 5, 2011)

Hetty said:


> I really do not want shoes for my horse. They restrict the hoof mechanism. So if his hooves go down too quickly I want to use those hoof boots. You only put them on when you need them and apparently that makes them last quite long, so would work out cheaper than shoes or about the same price.


I'm in favour of barefoot wherever possible, too, but please don't write off shoes completely. Sometimes its better to have a well shod horse than a badly treated barefoot one.

Do you feel confident that you've got enough knowledge to keep his hooves in good enough condition for barefoot?

Also, make sure you're fully aware of how to fit a hoofboot. I think its worth considering using a trained fitter to do this as its more complicated than it can seem.


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## Cascara (Jul 27, 2009)

best way is to take a good trimming course like I did, then you can do most of the upkeep yourself. None of my horses are shod, 3 never have been, the hooves adapt to the ground although roads being unatural do wear down hooves so go track wherever you can or perhaps investigate glue on's if you need to hack using the road. We are lucky we can go completely off road but frequent rasping is a must just like with our finger nails. Using conrnucresine helps strong hoof to grow too


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## toffee44 (Oct 21, 2011)

I have barefoot horses they arent shod 


My riding mare cant cope without shoes, she just wears her heels right down. I had a cob who for years was "barefoot" until he was driven regulary and he was shod as he wore down very quickly. Its to do with the way they use their hinds when pushing a cart especially with hill work. 

Im afraid I havent bought into the using a bare foot trimmer thing at all, a good farrier and trim a well levelled hoof and charge half the price.


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## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

> My riding mare cant cope without shoes, she just wears her heels right down.





> Im afraid I havent bought into the using a bare foot trimmer thing at all, a good farrier and trim a well levelled hoof and charge half the price.


Many horses are fine with a farrier trim, but the bare foot trimmer thing isn't just a trim. A good trimmer will also be able to offer advice on a number of separate issues and help with suggestions for conditioning of the hoof for the work intended.

Not all horses and owners are in a situation where they can go barefoot, but it could be that your mare could cope barefoot if she had a change in diet, steady conditioning and a tweak to the trim. 

If it ain't broke don't fix it though and if you and your horse are happy with shoes it can be a much easier route to follow that's for sure! I wish all horses were okay with shoes, this barefoot lark can be hard work, especially if you trim your own.


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## Popularfurball (Nov 9, 2011)

Two - my 8"2 miniature shetland - lovely feet, I manage them.

My other is my welsh late teens mare (very sensitive to grass, prone to lami) pony. She is seen every eight weeks by trimmer and edges rolled by me in between. She also checks littles feet for me to make sure I am doing ok.

My two are on a mud patch in summer with hay - and now out muzzled on longer grass for winter and in at night. 

I have a trimmer simply because I couldn't find a decent farrier who was reliable, did a good trim and books weren't full. Too many bad farriers made me switch, but if you have a decent farrier then Im quite jealous!

That said, my trimmer is fantastic - she has sorted littles problems with picking his feet up, and is unbelievably tolerant of doing madams feet (skin condition leaves her very grouchy )

Diet is our big thing. Currently little grass, mostly hay diet with small bit of speedibeet and equilibra 500 as a fit/min with omega oils for her skin. Her feet instantly flare at the sniff of molasses and grass (as does her temper, she's horrendous on chaff/mollases)


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## leafy (Jan 9, 2011)

All mine are barefoot and worked every day on the beach. They are retired now


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## equi (Dec 19, 2011)

I have two barefoot, but only because 1, they are not ridden on a road or if it is its literally about 10m to the grassy lane and 2, its A LOT cheaper. My TB had 4 shoes when i got him, and i kept that up and his feet just got tired and the farrier told me he wouldn't do him again for at LEAST a year but after that year his feet were so strong and i really didnt need shoes. My spanish horse just has rocks for hooves so never needed shoes anyway.


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## Kc Mac (Jul 26, 2011)

My arab is barefoot and has amazing feet 

He was shod when I got him although had previously been barefoot. He had to be shod every 4-5 weeks or would wear his shoes out  He also tripped quite a lot which funnily enough stopped when the shoes came off


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## micki (Apr 27, 2011)

All 4 of mine are kept barefoot. I don't get this thing about not being able to do road work if your horses are barefoot. Mine do roadwork and their feet grow enough so they don't get sore, they never have been sore. You need to make sure that their diet is correct for keeping thm barefoot and that the feet have time to toughen up to cope with the work asked of them. I have used hoof boots on my 16.1hh sports horse last year as he felt the stones on the track but he hasn't had them near him this year as he now goes over them without even noticing that they are there.
Keeping them barefoot isn't the easy option as having shoes on is easier but i believe it is loads better for the horse to be kept barefoot so there wont be any shoes going on my horses feet.


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