thinking of going barefoot ...
- Thread starter notpoodle
- Start date
Mmm, I'm finding this now with hoofboots. I got the easyboot gloves and they are fab for going on the road, but even though they're a really tight fit (and a struggle to get on and off) they do get sucked off in muddy areas when we go for a canter. In fact I'm feeling a bit of a nuisance if I'm hacking out with friends - first they have to wait for me to get the boots on, then they have to wait for me while I go and retrieve them when they've come off in the middle of a field! I think in summer they'll be fine but we have such clay soil here that it just gets really sticky when it's wet.
Good luck with going barefoot, fingers crossed everything goes well.
thanks 
hopefully i will NOT chicken out tomorrow! trouble is our farrier doesn't really come out between visits so potentially i could be stuck for 5/6 weeks with a somewhat uncomfortable pony ..
and ... what sort of level of footsie-ness do i expect? i am 100% there is nothing going on LGL wise so can rule this one out, but ... how footie is normal? we have quite a stoney hilly field (eg not a nice soft pokestraight 'meadow' by anyt stretch of the imagination!) ...
hopefully i will NOT chicken out tomorrow! trouble is our farrier doesn't really come out between visits so potentially i could be stuck for 5/6 weeks with a somewhat uncomfortable pony ..and ... what sort of level of footsie-ness do i expect? i am 100% there is nothing going on LGL wise so can rule this one out, but ... how footie is normal? we have quite a stoney hilly field (eg not a nice soft pokestraight 'meadow' by anyt stretch of the imagination!) ...
EnduranceAli
Active Member
Only just caught up with this. I am sure that Angel will thrive without shoes on. Frayne has similar issues, but never actually had lami. She went very footy when she first went barefoot - but it must have been LGL, as after having grass severely restricted (in fact cut out almost totally that first year) and lots of exercise on hard surfaces (using boots all the time to start with and then reducing that as her feet improved), she just came on in leaps and bounds (literally at times :giggle.
For the past year I have not used her boots at all - even on long pleasure rides on stony forest roads. Several of my friends have now converted to barefoot after seeing her doing so well.
However, it is not just about the feet - using a grazing muzzle, keeping her in on a yard a lot of the time, weighing out hay and feeding a molasses/grain-free diet, as much exercise as I could give her .... Sometimes I would wish that I had a pony who could just be out in a field 24/7, but it is worth it in the end and I am proud of my gorgeous Exxie :wub:
Ali xx
ps Boots - only lost one once (after a sudden gallop in long grass on a very uneven bridleway - where the horse in front pulled off a shoe!). Get some Renegades - they come in fab colours and are so easy to put on.
.For the past year I have not used her boots at all - even on long pleasure rides on stony forest roads. Several of my friends have now converted to barefoot after seeing her doing so well.
However, it is not just about the feet - using a grazing muzzle, keeping her in on a yard a lot of the time, weighing out hay and feeding a molasses/grain-free diet, as much exercise as I could give her .... Sometimes I would wish that I had a pony who could just be out in a field 24/7, but it is worth it in the end and I am proud of my gorgeous Exxie :wub:
Ali xx
ps Boots - only lost one once (after a sudden gallop in long grass on a very uneven bridleway - where the horse in front pulled off a shoe!). Get some Renegades - they come in fab colours and are so easy to put on.
If the horse is 'footie' it means there is a problem of some kind. It could be many things, LGL, Coriumitis, thin soles, an inappropriate trim... Your farrier should be able to identify the problem and make suggestions as to how to rectify it.
Yeah me too. I know they do the 2W now. A friend let me try her size 2s and they weren't big enough. I can't remember what her feet measure at last time though. I'm going measure again and see where we stand. I remember from last time that her feet were the same length as width though.
have you actually read through my posts here? my pony has been under vet and farrier supervision for several years now and it was the farriers idea to take the shoes off ...
Er... yes I have (actually) read your posts. I assume you wanted to invite comments and I do know a little bit about the subject.
My comment is that if the horse is 'footie' there will be an underlying reason for it and you should be able to get on top of it.
Encouraging I would have thought? You sound as if you have a problem with that?...
My comment is that if the horse is 'footie' there will be an underlying reason for it and you should be able to get on top of it.
Encouraging I would have thought? You sound as if you have a problem with that?...
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Why would a footy horse always have an underlying problem? Surely a healthy foot can have troubles on difficult terrain? If not does this mean that all equines requiring hoof boots have some sort of disorder?
I don't agree with that premise.
I don't agree with that premise.
sorry if that came out a bit wrong. your posted sounded like you hadnt read mine somehow. angel hasnt been footy in just under two years and had no LGL in that time either, which is brilliant! i think any horse will be sensitive to begin with when you take shoes off, wont neccessarily mean there's an LGL type issue going on. both my farrier and friends (much acclaimed and properly trained) barefoot trimmer agree that pretty much all horses will experience a degree of sensitivity on eg gravel or rocky surfaces, which wont neccessarily mean there's anything wrong with them.
but then of course, theres those of us with ponies who have had lami and LGL many times (mine used to get it at the drop of a hat, before we were lucky enough to move to an ideal environment for her) that i get freaked out if she as much as looks at a stone ... albeit, she's been fine for a long time now, which is why i am wanting to find out how she'll cope barefoot as i dont think shoes are the best way forward with a laminitic/recovered laminitic .
coming back to your post, i think i am 'on top of it' with her overall lami-proneness by having completely changed her management two years ago (she is watched like a hawk still, of course!)
...how did it go today?
For my two pennies worth - I think there is always an underlying issue when they are "footy" - though I would expect 90% of horses to be footy coming out of shoes - and that doesnt mean that management isnt good necessarily - but feet aren't used to the stimulation they suddenly recieve when the shoes come off and they are a bit ouchy as a result. On going issues (like we would have if she wasn't off the grass in summer) are a sign of something wrong in the management - for us grass just sends her over the edge so we generally minimise intake.
For my two pennies worth - I think there is always an underlying issue when they are "footy" - though I would expect 90% of horses to be footy coming out of shoes - and that doesnt mean that management isnt good necessarily - but feet aren't used to the stimulation they suddenly recieve when the shoes come off and they are a bit ouchy as a result. On going issues (like we would have if she wasn't off the grass in summer) are a sign of something wrong in the management - for us grass just sends her over the edge so we generally minimise intake.
If a horse has well developed, healthy, robust feet, with no problems, it will not be footie. If the horse is footie it is a good indication that there is a problem. The good news is that most problems can be addressed.
Yes but the wearing of shoes alone is often enough to not make the feet healthy and robust by the nature of the shoes...thus there is a transition period for most horses to barefoot from shod.
Some horses are fine straight out of shoes. Although quite a high percentage are not. This would make sense when you consider that the footieness can be as a direct result of having shoes on in the first place. Once a horse has shoes on you get trapped into a vicious circle whereby it is footie without them so you put them back on even though they may be causing the problem.
That is why you often need a transition period during which hoofboots can be a very useful compromise. How long depends on the problem (or combination of problems) and how severe it is. As a general rule of thumb I usually caution my clients that it may take up to a year but I would be concerned if I did not see significant improvement within six months and usually expect (although I'm careful not to over promise) to have the horse back up and being ridden within two or three months.
And as I say some horses are fine straight away although I would always recommend a minimum of 4 weeks before riding (although some people have got away with ignoring that advice).
and of course there are, every now and them, horses who are always footie, in which case hoof boots are very useful but I should stress this is often because for whatever reason, the problem is not addressed.
That is why you often need a transition period during which hoofboots can be a very useful compromise. How long depends on the problem (or combination of problems) and how severe it is. As a general rule of thumb I usually caution my clients that it may take up to a year but I would be concerned if I did not see significant improvement within six months and usually expect (although I'm careful not to over promise) to have the horse back up and being ridden within two or three months.
And as I say some horses are fine straight away although I would always recommend a minimum of 4 weeks before riding (although some people have got away with ignoring that advice).
and of course there are, every now and them, horses who are always footie, in which case hoof boots are very useful but I should stress this is often because for whatever reason, the problem is not addressed.
Have to say if I thought it would take three months before I could ride I would tell them to get diet right etc and good hoof growth before taking shoes off,,, three months of a horse uncomfy must be no fun
We were unlucky/lucky... shoe got cast, farrier had no time to replace it... she actually I think had lami as she was crippled and shoes had masked it. But with no diet prep or management, she was sound in six weeks. Cant get boots to fit, so had no options there. But she was only tentative over sharp hardcore paths, not footy per se. Soles thin and stretched with stretched white line so wasnt ideal but a year?! Surely something missing in management if it takes that long to be sound? Ouch!
We were unlucky/lucky... shoe got cast, farrier had no time to replace it... she actually I think had lami as she was crippled and shoes had masked it. But with no diet prep or management, she was sound in six weeks. Cant get boots to fit, so had no options there. But she was only tentative over sharp hardcore paths, not footy per se. Soles thin and stretched with stretched white line so wasnt ideal but a year?! Surely something missing in management if it takes that long to be sound? Ouch!
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