How are your barefoot hoss's

[Bobbin]

I just wondered how everyones barefoot horses are doing.

There were alot of us who were experiencing footyness, probably caused by the wet weather we had over the winter.

I am pleased to report that Bry seems to be over the worst now and I've been hacking her our without her boots and just been putting the front ones on for long stoney hacks.

So we survived the winter barefoot, lets see what summer brings us:eek:

[domane]

Conversely, Cherry is going through a bad patch. She was pretty much "turned away" for the winter so is only now being exposed to longer periods back on hard ground and with the deeply rutted clay field now drying out, she doesn't get a lot of respite when turned out, poor old gal. She has no heat, lumps or bumps to her feet but you can just see that she is ouchy on the tarmac and makes for the verges whenever she can..... she was trimmed last week too which hasn't helped.... poor gal!!! :(

[Bronya]

On box-rest with laminitis...

[capalldubh]

Larking around in field at all speeds on all types of surface :D Followed me along the stony streambed last week without hobbling. I took his boots off on the other side of the road from the gate last week too, and he walked sound across horrible gravel to get to the gate. EP came last week and says the walking in boots is working and we can hack out (still in boots, but progress!!!). Unfortunately this has coincided with poor Lucyad dislocating her shoulder so I have a novice hacker with no hacking partner - we will just have to brave it alone :eek:

It has been a long nearly 4 months, with abscesses, laminitis scares and lots of hobbling - but it seems to be getting better at last (I am typing this with my fingers crossed because every time I say he's getting better he takes a turn for the worse :) ).

I must do a post on why not to obsessively check your horse's digital pulses too ;)

[Trewsers]

Storm is much better, I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago as I was worried that I might have to put shoes on her - as the hacking we do is mainly on very stoney ground. She seems fine this past couple of days, tho I have tried to vary it where poss by letting her up onto the grass on the way home. I think she was just partly getting used to the hack itself, busy noseying around so causing her to stumble! She doesn't seem at all reluctant to hack either - so am now assuming her feet are coping ok.

[MelanieD]

Both sound, happy and total show-offs :D

Mia can quite happily bounce over any stoney pointy bits without being at all bothered but isn't doing proper work at the moment 'cos she's young and growing very quickly.

Roxy did about 30 miles road work over 4 days and is only having time off now 'cos I'm damaged and have been told not to ride (not good at listening to Drs so that's not going to last long :D ), sound over everything, even walks happily down some stoney bits a lot of horses struggle over with shoes.

Both had major dodgy feet a year or two ago so very nice to have two smug horses who can do everything now :D

[Iron Maiden]

P hasn't missed a beat since she's been barefoot. She's only young so I haven't asked that much of her but nothing foot-related has been a limiting factor so far. I'm just waiting for her to grow new feet that are a bit less flared, then I can get some hoof boots for her - some of the tracks around us get very hard & rough when the weather is dry so I would rather boot her up initially, then I won't worry that footsoreness might put her off this whole hacking thing!

[martini55]

Martini is walking much much better on concrete and she is getting about the field fine. Still ouchy on gravel but 110% in hoof boots :)

[KarinUS]

Larking around in field at all speeds on all types of surface :D

Same here. Especially with the nice cool spring weather they enjoy racing around, cantering down the gravel raod, etc.
But we are in Texas so while we might have a few wet days it always dries out rather quickly and this is also year 3 (!) for them to be barefoot.

[Afellpony]

[CENTER]My boy has never had shoes on and he seems to be fine without. Dont go on roads as he's not traffic proof and also, roads are too busy round where we are - so totally unsuitable for horses. Especially ones that aren't traffic proof. CENTER]

[Yann]

Rio has been flying over pretty much everything with her usual small rider on, but since the grass started growing again is cautious over rough stuff with an adult on board. Nothing has changed other than the new grass, so it's simply a case of giving her plenty of work and booting her when needed until it passes. Wasn't sure what was going on last year with it being early days but I think this is going to be an annual feature.

Tess continues to improve, she's doing well on rough stuff in hand and I give her the odd unbooted ride over easy ground now and again. The grass doesn't seem to be bothering her so far.

[Bay Mare]

Saffy is doing great :D

Her frogs got a little bit stinky with me not being around to obssess over them but they've not been too bad at all. The crack that we've been growing out is superficial now and the end is in sight. Apart from that she's doing really well :D

[Bebe]

Bebe is back on form which is a HUGE relief as we've had a rough winter.

She's had issues with the ground drying out, sole pressure causing discomfort and general not quite rightness, all confused with a back problem and various other woes. I'm sure they're all linked somehow as hoof health is so strongly tied to overall heatlh so I'm hopeful that now she's well on the way to recovery we won't have the same problems next year.

She's been in boots all round for a while now but I long-reined her round the fields last night (clay soil that's rock hard now with little stones over it, though we did go over some grassy bits) without boots and she didn't miss a step so she's getting there. I'll continue to use boots and pads for ridden work, doesn't hurt and it's no effort now that the mud has dried out.

[Laura+Phantom]

Phantom's feet are looking great :) I was worrying they were getting too short but we haven't hacked out for a week or so as he tore his saddle, been lunging and jumping on the lunge in the field, the ground is perfect right now and he doesn't tear it up like a shod horse would. I have been starting to apply keratex hoof hardener every other day at the moment and his frogs are peeling and looking a bit ragged, so when the farrier comes to trim the 3 non ridden ones, i'll get him to check him over. He is a very happy bunny barefoot and has not been sore yet on hacks :)

[pixiepony]

Hi, I thought I'd reply on here rather than starting a new thread....I'm getting a horse on loan (just trying to find livery yard!) and she has no shoes on, her owner said she's been fine without them and her farrier said she doesn't need shoes on atm, although I don't think she's been doing a great deal of work so I was just wondering if you had any advice for me, I'll be doing more road work with her so I'm not sure whether to get some shoes put on or see how she goes?! My last horses always had at least front shoes on but then that was all they were used to.
Any advice greatly appreciated!!
Thanks

[mayoguinness]

Mayo - well Mayo is never sore so I can't complain :D

[Bobbin]

Hi, I thought I'd reply on here rather than starting a new thread....I'm getting a horse on loan (just trying to find livery yard!) and she has no shoes on, her owner said she's been fine without them and her farrier said she doesn't need shoes on atm, although I don't think she's been doing a great deal of work so I was just wondering if you had any advice for me, I'll be doing more road work with her so I'm not sure whether to get some shoes put on or see how she goes?! My last horses always had at least front shoes on but then that was all they were used to.
Any advice greatly appreciated!!
Thanks

Ride the horse as normal and see how she goes. If she's ok then don't put shoes on.
Good luck wuth the new hoss!!

[0dd]

Mine's feet are actually doing really great! He's stomping over pretty much everything around here now in this lovely dry weather.

[Bobbin]

Brys EP came out last night and said apart from the front frogs and a few stress lines Brys feet are looking good.

She doesn't have laminitis either, I've been panicking because of the stress lines but she's assured me that Bry looks fine.

I'll have to think of some other ailment now:rolleyes:

[Yann]

The dry weather and hard ground are doing wonders for their feet, Tess did a full hour's lesson in the school bootless including a bit of pole work and some small jumps and then stomped back to the field afterwards. Yay! :)

[Bobbin]

Its such a relief isn't it, it was a looonnngggg winter