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Going Barefoot
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 My
horse Mac is obviously not happy walking on the roads
(particularly ridden) - his stride becomes shorter and choppier
and his facial expression changes (looking positively miserable
at times). I want Mac to enjoy our rides out together but
desperately don't want to put metal shoes on his feet. ******* I
have recently taken the shoes off my TB gelding, Ron, but he
still feels every little stone on the road. I wondered if boots
would help. Do you recommend any particular type?
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 I
personally have never used any boots in re-introducing horses to
working barefoot, since it is not just about hardening feet but
also about retraining their locomotion, and boots would
interfere with this. Owners need to expect a degree of
footsoreness at first, especially in a horse who has been shod
for a long time. Until the foot has returned to its normal shape
and function it will feel like we do when we first start to walk
with bare feet on a pebbly beach: the horse will wince. For this
transitional phase, even though I do not use them, I do know
people who have had some success with Old Mac and Marquis
Supergrip boots as an interim measure. If you are looking for a
way to overcome this problem by retraining the locomotion please
contact us about study days, assessments and advice.
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Reilly
has been a really great fun horse: because of him I came back to
eventing in my mid 40s. I have never owned a horse with such a
great heart. Unfortunately he has always had problem feet, his
front feet. I have spent so much time, effort and money trying
to do what is best for him, but I know I haven't really
succeeded. His shoeing history is complicated! He had badly
collapsed heels, the foot was totally unbalanced, but for
several years now he has been wearing bar shoes with a frog
support and his feet have improved. The thing that really
worries me now is how he stands, because he looks so
uncomfortable: he puts his weight on his heels with his back
legs out behind him.
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He
sounds like a really lovely horse; what a shame you have had
such problems. The first thing is that horses do not have
problem feet: shoes cause problems to horses’ feet due to
reduced circulation and increased concussion. I am not a vet or
a remedial farrier, but if he was at Bowhayes Farm I would
remove his shoes and follow the advice of my farrier, Nigel
Gatesman, who specialises in barefoot horses. These problems
tend to reverse themselves when shoes are removed, but the main
factor is the commitment of the owner to the system.
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My
horses have all been barefoot for some time now - ranging from
one to three years - but my problem is trimming. I'm grateful
that my farrier is willing to trim without shoeing (by no means
easy to find) but my 17-year old ex-trotter has come out of his
last two trims terribly tender over stones. My husband is having
the same trouble with another farrier and a (Breton-type) pony
(we have these horses in different parts of Catalonia, hence
different farriers). Spain doesn't seem to be into barefoot, and
consequently it seems that trimming techniques are not adapted.
Does any barefoot-minded trimmer give courses where I could
learn to do it myself? Or does any one come to Barcelona? I
really couldn't face going back to shoeing after seeing how the
real hoof interacts with the ground... Any ideas? Thanks for any
clues you can give me.
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Obviously
you don't want to go back to shoes after all this effort. As for
trimming farriers or trimming courses, try doing a web search on
KC La Pierre. He is from America so may have links
internationally. Really it sounds like your farrier may just be
doing a little too much !
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My
horse has typical Thoroughbred flat feet. Will this make it much
harder to ride him on tarmac or stones without shoes on? Also,
he is only a baby and just starting to hack out on the road. I
don't want to put him off going out by bruising his feet.
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bowhayesfarm@btconnect.com
