shoes!

[Kathryn hemmes]

hey !

i would just like to know different opinions on horses being shoed! Is it better? is it worse? does it make a diffrence?

thanks!

[Chelsea]

hey hey...

i personally don't really like shoes. all our horses are barefoot now and they are doing really well!!!
have the BEST farrier ever so our horses feet are really looking good!
I read on the internet that when horses have shoes on, it feels for them like having
pins and needles in their feet 24/7 and i know if i get pins and needles its quite sore!!!
And if your horse stuggles on the stones for outrides etc there ar ehtese Hoof Boots that you can get from
Western Shoppe called Cavallo Hoof Boots and they work really well. I have them for my one TB that his feet
are abit sore on the stones without shoes and then I just ride with the boots on outrides and he doesn't feel the stones at all! but our other two TB's feet are really good and not sore on the stones.
That is just my opinion on shoes...

[Jenna* Roll Right Up*]

Hey kat!

my personal opinion is that if u dont have shoes u have to really look after ur horses feet like chels here does!! ;)... but it all depends on ur horse... i feel better with my horse having shoes on, and i wont let him be barefoot becuz his feet are very sensitive. and then they crack too easily.. i also hate jumping wifout shoes, i feel too off balanced, but thats with me... it all depends on u..
xxxx

[Fiona Van Zyl]

All my horses are barefoot, I trim the hooves myself with the occasional visit from the farrier when I am lazy. My horses all compete barefoot and they are all thouroghbreds who were previosly shod. I find barefoot horses are less likely to slip on bad going and playing a fast sport like polocrosse you need the extra grip believe me shoes with no studs are way slipperier than barefoot. Some of my horses get sore on stones but nobody should be forced to run on stones shoes or no. It can be quite a difficult process changing a horse to barefoot and you should be well informed as shoes have a place.

[Claire Marshall]

Shoes definitely make a difference to the horses hoof, unfortunately most farriers are trained to shoe and still believe that shoeing is preferable and even necessary. Sadly nailing an iron bar to your horses hoof restricts the movement of the entire hoof capsule and leads to poor circulation. This in turn leads to poorer hoof growth, and often encourages the hoof to contract in the heel.
It is most often this contraction in the heel coupled with the lack of sole callous that causes the horse to be uncomfortable without shoes. It is very important to have the horses feet trimmed well to create what is known as high performance barefootedness. This healthy hoof mechanism is what allows the horse to be safer on its feet as Fiona mentions, but not only is it safer, it's also much more comfortable.

The transition for a horse from shoes to barefoot can often be a very uncomfortable experience. It is our responsibility to make sure that our horses are as comfortable as possible throughout this process. They need to be 100% comfortable on their feet as their continued work is a major contributing factor in creating the high performance barefoot.

As for the amount of care, all it takes is to put on one more set of boots!!! I think that most of us should be able to cope with that ;o)

[Kathryn hemmes]

thanks claire! wow! that really changes my point of view! but my thouroghbred horse is shoed! and how long would it take to de- shoe him if needed! may problems occur! or should i just keep him shoed?

kat ! xxxxx

[Claire Marshall]

The length of time it would take him to transition fully will depend entirely on the state of his feet, the farrier trimming his feet and the tools you use in the transition. Ideally we should keep riding them as this promotes blood flow to the hoof and stimulates correct growth (only where the foot is trimmed correctly tho). The most important thing throughout the transitioning period is to keep the horse 100% comfortable.
The easiest, quickest and best way to transition a horse to barefoot is to buy a pair of hoof boots, this will allow you to work your horse on almost any terrain in complete comfort. Unfortunately the boots are expensive, but if you add up what you'll be spending on shoes, you'll find that it adds up quite fast and makes the boots cheap in comparison!
The best boots to look at are those that cover the foot as they are less likely to come off eg: Old Macs.
It is very important if you are going to be buying a set of boots that you measure your horses feet correctly and get the right size boots otherwise they will cause more problems than they solve.