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Barefoot horse needs shoes; Any tips for getting up to speed?
Topic Started: Nov 2 2007, 06:10 AM (355 Views)
Trialbyfire
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Sorry this got long. :sigh:

The great news: my OTTB broodmare back in training has been a little touchy; sometimes looks slightly lame, sometimes looks great....had the vet out for a full lameness eval and he thinks she just has typical TB feet and shoes are his one and only recommendation. :clap:

The bad news: I have 3 horses in my barn, all are barefoot and use a farrier that is primarily a barefoot trimmer. I need to learn a lot and quick!!

The vet suggests: front shoes with leather pads and silicone cushions. My question - is this common? Is this especially "hi-tech" or not? He also suggests "corks" or studs for winter turnout - is this common as well?

He also didn't think it was necessary to shoe the back feet right now, and in perusing TOB there is a contentious thread on which some suggest that is bad form to shoe only the fronts.

Obviously I'm putting in a call to my farrier asap to make sure he can actually do this sort of work.....nervous about getting in the middle between the farrier and vet....(my farrier is a great guy but not sure he always agrees with what these "young vets" have to say...) I know I can get a different farrier but I don't want to assume he *can't* do this just because he specializes in barefoot trimming.

Any websites or books you experts would recommend so that I can learn more about shoeing? And making sure I can recognize loose or ill-fitting shoe issues?

:sigh: Just when I feel like I'm really "getting it"......
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Delia
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TBF -- Yes, pads with silicone are common. Another alternative, which my farrier uses on my TB, is "pour in pads." It's sort of semi-liquid composite that hardens to a consistency similar to silicone, but durable enough that you don't need a pad over it. I don't know much about winter studs because our winters usually aren't harsh, but I think they are pretty common farther north. (I also think in snowy areas people use snowball pads to keep snow from balling up in the hooves.) As for not shoeing the hind end, a few weeks ago I took my boy's back shoes off for the first time ever, and he is doing very well. I did it because he's 19 now and only gets flatted a few times a week in a sand ring. The rest of the time he's just hanging out in his stall or the field, which isn't rocky at all. And the quality of his back hooves is much better than the front. The front are crumbly and have very thin walls and soles, but his back feet are beautiful. My farrier said that with that lifestyle he is fine without back shoes, but if I were to start riding him more, add jumping back into his routine, and/or trail ride him on poor footing, then putting hind shoes back on.

Edited to add that I just took a look at the thread on TOB, and some people make the point that if you're shoeing because the horse is sore while barefoot, the back feet must be as sore as the front, and so leaving the hind barefoot will cause the horse to dump on the forehand to get off their sore back feet. But I don't think anyone can make blanket assumptions like that. Your vet saw/examined your horse, so I'd say go with what your vet recommended.
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MayaTy02
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TBF, yes stubs are common in the snowy north, as are pads to keep the snow from balling up (ugh HATE that)...so it sounds like a very reasonable and normal prescription for her shoes :)
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Trialbyfire
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Thanks for the input! Hopefully my farrier will be able to do this [competently]; glad it's not especially high tech. I know he obviously can do shoes, he just doesn't have as many clients with shoes as without. So we'll see.

As far as studs in the shoes, I have never noticed them at the lesson barn I ride at throughout the winter, but they don't have pasture - just turnout paddocks. So not sure if they don't need them or if I'm just especially unobservant. :huh: I have also heard of people who take the shoes off during the winter (my friend's daughter just bought a horse and the seller told them this) which would seem silly - if they need the shoes and it's not a big deal to put stud in them....why take them off??? Of course why make assumptions that everyone cares for their horse the way I would anyway.....

Eventually I'll get it! Thanks again! :)
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Danielle Fournier
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I have a OTTB mare who also gets a little ouchy while barefoot. I keep her barefoot for the reason that I ride in the indoor all winter where it is very soft and nice on the feet. I put shoes on when I plan on riding outside, showing, or even going to any schooling shows.
She has been off for about a year now because I bred her and she had a foal. I have been using a barefoot farrier who specializes in the barefoot method. She is wonderful and I also use her for my baby. The thing with most barefoot farriers is they specialize in it for a reason, most don't believe in shoeing because it is not natural. I will keep her doing my baby and get someone else to do my mare. I have never put pads on her, and shoes alone seemed to be enough for the tenderness and I never had any problems.
I also showed her last year with only fronts on and I did not really notice any difference. I am putting all 4 on this year, but not for any particular reason, I just prefer to have all 4 done.
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OpticalIllusion
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About half of our guys are only shod in the front. Mostly its the ponies and the horses that dont work as hard. As long as they are sound and happy, we dont add back shoes until they start doing a lot of jumping, or if they drag their back toes. The biggest plus side to not having back shoes is you dont have to worry so much about the damage done if she kicks another horse.
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hijumpin1
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Application of Keratex might toughen up the sole.
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Ponysized
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Since she's barefoot now try regular shoes for a few rounds and see if she goes better with those. No need to spend extra money on special shoeing if just plain shoes work fine.

I would also talk to your farrier about her feet. My farrier will let me know if he'd rather put shoes on a horse or go barefoot. Some horses do have naturally sissy feet, others can go sounder with better trimming.
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Kikki
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Your vet's recommendation sounds very reasonable, as others have said. Check with your farrier and see how comfortable he is doing the shoeing - he may very well tell you to use someone else for the shoes. As for the pads, you may not want to spend the money right off. If you are ok spending some time experimenting, just put shoes on her and re-evaluate her in 4-6 weeks. The shoes may very well be all she needs. Did your vet xray her feet to determine sole depth? If she doesn't have much then the pads are a little more necessary. I like the pour in pads, but the gel ones are good too. What I like about the pour ins is that nothing can get under them. I have known horses that, for some reason, always got stuff under their darn pads. Go figure.

As for not shoeing the back, I don't see a problem with it as long as she is not sore behind and is doing just light work on very good surfaces. You might also want to paint her soles with something to toughen them up behind if you are going to leave her barefoot behind.
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Trialbyfire
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Thanks for the tips, everyone! I did talk to the farrier, and he doesn't *disagree*....but we talked about the pros and cons of shoes at this time of year in NY. He is uncomfortable shoeing her right now because there is no snow/ice yet, but before her next trim it is expected. She will need traction devices if it does snow, but doesn't want them in beforehand.

And he said that she will definitely need plastic snowball pads and not leather at this time of year...although he agreed with the vet that leather was a good option when not winter. Her feet are good, but they are TB feet; so he's not disagreeing that shoes might benefit her, but think the cons could outweigh the pros at the moment. For now we agreed that he'll trim her next week and we'll discuss further when he's here.

I discussed with my trainer who actually works for the vet clinic. She actually agrees with the farrier, not the vet - to shoe her now for 1 training ride/week might be overboard and costly. Since she's been barefoot for about 8 years througout the winter, we're not really concerned about her in turnout. She rides (& I work) my mare on our arena and if we can't keep it soft/unfrozen we'll take a break for a month or two and then reevalutate. So nice to have a neutral 3rd party to talk to!
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RBEfarm
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Have you tried hoof boots? Many times they are a solution for a horse that needs a bit of extra protection and can be used only when the horse is working and taken off when not. Boots have come a long long way from the old Easy boot people used as a spare tire and now folks endurance ride in them and use them for just about anything. Here is a website with tons of information on boots and the different kinds as well as they sell them:

http://www.easycareinc.com/
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Trialbyfire
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RBEfarm
Nov 16 2007, 08:22 AM
Have you tried hoof boots?  Many times they are a solution for a horse that needs a bit of extra protection and can be used only when the horse is working and taken off when not.  Boots have come a long long way from the old Easy boot people used as a spare tire and now folks endurance ride in them and use them for just about anything. Here is a website with tons of information on boots and the different kinds as well as they sell them:

http://www.easycareinc.com/

:brickwall: Now why didn't I think of that???? And I even looked into hoof boots for my pony once, so you'd think I'd have thought of them again!

That is a great idea. Thank you!

I will read this site and see if I can't get my farrier to help me measure when he's here on Monday. This could be a great solution if I can figure out how to put them on!

:clap:

Yippee!
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Delia
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If you go the boot route, I strongly recommend Old Mac's. I use them for when mine pulls a front shoe and the farrier can't get out right away, and they are terrific. Very easy on and off, good traction in mud, very sturdy and they don't rub the heel, etc. Good for both turnout and riding.
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goodhors
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If you do end up shoeing, I would recommend using the snow rim pads over the snowball pads. They have a tube that runs inside the edge of the shoe, on sole. Compression of tube ejects snow constantly. We find them better on the feet, since you can clean the frogs and sole. Snow rim pads doesn't give the protection of pour-ins or full leather pads, but do allow the self cleaning for snow. Also no surprises growing under full pads after 6 weeks. They also might load up with mud, if padding comes out, weather changes during shoeing cycle.

We think the rim pads do a much better cleaning job in snow than the snowball full pads. Usually can get two uses from the rim pads. Local Hunt horses wear these, hunt twice a week, all weathers except crusted ice. Those horses MUST have their footing, and with the snow tube, rim pads and ice studs, they do fine. No horses down.

Another idea to offer. Your farrier may not have used the rim pads, so doesn't know about them. Could ask for information on the Farriers board. Great invention.

I would not put her out on icey ground with plain shoes. I also found borium things pretty useless on icy ground. Plain shoes or borium, thery have no grip on the ground. If she must be shod, she needs ice studs in her shoes. She would be better off barefoot, if you can't get ice studs. We use the drive-in ice studs, have had good grip with them in all conditions. Horses are quite confident going when shod this way.

Hope your girl feels better.
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