Warm Hooves.

[Tim]

Me hoss, Harry, is without hind shoes at the moment. There are various reasons for this but I won't go into them now. I have noticed over the last few days, (although, I've only checked them the last few days, so it may have been like this before), that the two hind hooves are warmer than the front pair. Now, I've examined his legs, no scratches or swellings, I've examined his hoof soles, no puncture wounds and no foreign matter stuck in them, he is not lame, he is not in any discomfort on the hinds. Both hind hooves are 'hot'. I was thinking that because he has no shoes on the back, the hooves are working like they were intended to work, ie, the sole spreads properly and the hoof is receiving more blood, and the circulation is better and hence the hooves warmer, more blood flow = warmer hoof. I find it a coincidence that BOTH hooves without shoes would be warmer than the two with shoes. What say you?

[Mehitabel]

you are quite right - it is a well documented thing.

[Shadowlark]

Bang on! My horse is four bare and all his hoves are warm, blood circulates better in the foot without the shoes on there is also no cold steel to draw out the heat.

[Tim]

This is interesting and leads me towards H being all four without shoes. I know for a fact he will be footsore on the front without shoes on, and that leaves me the alternative of Old Macs or similar boot for riding in. I will question the farrier on his next visit.:)

[~Perdita.M~]

Yay:D

[Shadowlark]

www.barefoothorse.com

You will probably find that link very interesting! I know I did, and it changed my poor boys life - when I bought him he was lame all the time, now he is happy sound and hard working

good luck!

[Bay Mare]

Plus you can check out the barefoot forums on Enlightened Equitation if you want to see how others have coped with the transition :)

The warmer hooves thing is something that I noticed when I had Saffs' shoes pulled. It's the best thing that I ever did. I'd say to research it first, though, it's not an easy or a cheap option as you have to transition them especially if they've been in shoes a while. Well worth it, though, if you are prepared to go through it :)

[Tim]

I played with his hind hooves today. I had them up , (not both at the same time, he ain't that athletic), and applied pressure to the sides of the heel bulbs and watched the hoof sole flatten out. This, of course, cannot be done with a shoe on since the shoe holds the heel in, hence the unshod hoof is able to move better. It's surprising how easily the soles flatten. I am tempted to have the front shoes off but I know he'll hate me for the sore feet.

[Tots N Dots]

I used to panic when I first went barefoot with mine, I was forever checking feet as I thought there must be an infection or a problem because they felt warmer, :eek: , thought it was just me, lol, I hadn't found this forum then and none of the websites I looked at mentioned it, :)

[domane]

Hehe.... wish I had known this before Christmas! Cherry is only shod on the fronts and had an ouchy foot one evening when coming in from the field, which turned out to be a mere stone wedged - the lameness miraculously went once her front (note - FRONT) foot was picked out:p )

However, as she was known at the yard for having previously had a tendon injury (rear) all the know-alls were "umming" and "aahing" and telling me, the newbie, that her foot felt hot, lots of sharp intakes of breath and head-shaking, despite my nervous attempts at speaking out and daring to suggest that might it have been the stone I had just removed??? Well to me both her back feet felt the same warm temperature and my instinct was telling me that her front foot was slightly bruised from the stone and that was all. Nevertheless I bowed to their "superior" knowledge and kept her in for 24 hours just in case. Needless to say, the following morning she was sound, 24 hours later she dragged ME to her field and has had no problems since!!!

Point I am making is that at no point did I hear anyone of the "know-alls" speaking up and reminding us all that the back feet would be warmer because of the better blood circulation!!! Hmmm.....

[Just.Jump]

There are thermal photographs of horses with bare hooves, shod hooves, and pictures of horses with some shod and some not- and all hpotos and studies PROOVE that circulation to shod feet is incredibly poor. Unshod hooves are the kind of hooves horses need, and in my mind, every measure should be taken to ensure a horse works barefoot. Regardless of whether some people say that their horses hooves fall apart, there is such a myriad of shoesless choices that for all they know, a different, less commercial trim would work, or different nutrition, etc.

That said, the very fine hotbloods would probably suffer in cold wet conditions, and cold bloods may suffer under very hot dry conditions. Yet as tampering humans, we should do the research to aid that. An unshod hoof is a much healthier mechanism

[eventerbabe]

my mare is shod on the front and barefoot behind and i can't say i've noticed a jot of difference in the temperatures of the front and hind feet (i check them regularly, with her being a laminitic). i'll double check tonight but she's been shod like this for nearly 2 years now.....

[Imp]

My pony is shod and I being a new, green horseowner panicked and kept her in the day I found out her rear hooves were warmer than the front ones... The vet just happened to be visiting for another reason and I mentioned it, she felt them and said, yep, they are, that's ok :o :o :o