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barefooters-- how do you show?
I'm transitioning my TB out of shoes. We won't be attempting any shows until next year, but he still may be tender on some types of ground/footing. In the interim, I'll be using hoof boots, but obviously those won't fly in the show ring. I want to hear how others deal with this problem. Glue-ons maybe? We'll be doing both dressage and hunter/jumper.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michelle Synnot on
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My horse has been barefoot his whole life, he's got feet like iron.. we show all the time barefoot, I don't find traction to ever be a problem, we do hunters.
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Permalink Reply by Gail Morse on
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Have you consulted with any of the barefoot trimmers in your area. You can likely Google them. If you live in Central Ontario I can help you out! Gail.
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Permalink Reply by Kinni P on
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Thanks Gail. I have a barefoot trimmer (newly acquired), but I like to pick as many brains as possible. My experiences with farriers so far have not been all rainbows, puppy dogs and unicorns.
Michelle, that's super!
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Permalink Reply by Ottilie on
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My horse has been barefoot about 18 months. We do dressage, and have had no problems with feet or soundness. I guess it varies between horses, but my guy now has tough, strong feet and is OK on any footing (I don't do a lot of hacking, though).
I have had shoes put back on (temporarily) twice, once for a show where I knew he would have to go back and forth on sealed roads between the warm up, stables and competition arena, and once for an international, where I was mainly concerned that the ground jury might insist at the trot-up that he have shoes (I would then have to get a strange farrier to shoe him the day before the comp). He only had the shoes on for a few weeks, but in that short time his hind feet got quite unbalanced!
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Speaking to my trimmer, she said his white lines held up well, as the farrier managed to get the shoes a good fit. However he does have a bit of seedy toe on one foot, possibly from the nail hole? Nothing serious though.
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Permalink Reply by Lucy on
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I have my horse barefoot and we show both dressage and hunters. He does it barefoot and does quite well with it. Like Michelle mentioned no problem with traction.
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Permalink Reply by Over Fences on
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Toughen up the feet before you go to the show. One good way is to paint Iodine on the sole twice a week or so but not too often or youll make the foot brittle. Just hacking out on good sandy footing or hard footing will help toughen it. Just avoid little stones as a bruise can take months to fully recover from. The hoof boots are useful to a degree but they protect the foot as much or more than a metal shoe. So your not really getting the foot used to going bare when you wear these.
Remember that every horse is different and not all can remaind sound while barefoot. Especially under the stresses of training for show.
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Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on
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Thank you, Over Fences! I think it's wise to remember that not all horses can go barefoot, and it's quite likely that many will lead lives of pure hell due to their owners'/riders' insistence on bare feet. I keep any of mine who can handle it barefoot, but I have several hard-working dressage horses who will never be barefoot, as they are just so sore when barefoot.
We also evolved as a barefoot species - how would most of you feel if we took away your shoes, and just expected you to "toughen up"?
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Thank you, Jan. I Dont mean to be argumentative with the naturalists. I think barefoot is best. I just felt it was important to point out that there are instances where soundness and or complete comfort cannot be achieved without protecting the hoof with shoes. also to offer suggestions on how to toughen the foot because sometimes when you first pull the shoes you have a week or so of transition time, This doesnt mean you should run and call the shoer, sometimes a few hours of turnout every day on good footing is all you need.
All my horses are barefoot at the moment, I believe that the unshod foot benefits the horse's long term soundness as it allows the natural conformation to dictate the wear and shape of the foot therefore allowing the rest of the leg to be in it's natural alignment.
When at all possible I pull the shoes on my horses to allow the hoof some "breathing room". As long as I'm only trail riding short distances ( up to 10 miles round trip on good trails), Or just arena schooling at home, than I can go barefoot. When trailering out to unfamiliar places I call the shoer a week or two ahead of time. If I plan on going on a very steep or rocky ride, I call the shoer. And If I were going to a show I would definately shoe. A: it looks sharp and finished and B: if your horse takes one "tender" step in the ring it may be mistaken for lameness.
The internal structures of the hoof itself become healthier when unshod, as a result of more stimulation from direct ground contact. Navicular horses particularly benefit from going barefoot because the frog receives so much more stimulation as it expands and contracts against the ground versus suspended a quarter inch (by flat shoes). And even more in 2% wedge pads or bar shoes, or both. However it is important to remember that if the navicular horse is sound in the bar shoes, and miserable out of them than a decision based on the horses comfort & happiness needs to be made.
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Permalink Reply by Karen on
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I certainly don't want to step on your toes or tell you what is best for your horses. I respect your own choice, however, I will answer the comparative of horse to human...in my opinion..as humble as it is...
Given that all horses are born barefoot and if left this way would probably not have a problem, assuming feed and stable practices were appropriate, I don't think we can compare humans to horses. The truth of the matter is, wild horses are unshod, but those with hoof problems get eaten by wild animals. But if we do compare, consider that humans are a predator and horses are a prey animal. Prey animals must run fast from predators. Typically predators are not hooved animals, but they do have thick pads on thier feet, ie the lion, panther, wolf etc. Humans at one time 3000 years ago probably had tougher feet, however as weapons got better, iron and wheels were invented, and they discovered they could ride, the need for humans to run was reduced if not eliminated all together.They could now kill thier prey from distances so they no longer had to use thier feet for transport. They also were far more sensitive to cold so coverings were developed. Remember our native friends wore skins on their feet to protect from cold but did little to protect from stones. If I had remained barefoot my entire life, without the benefit of shoes, my skin on the soles of my feet would toughen up to a degree, but evolution has dictated that our feet will never be the leathery clad hairy feet of cave men days. (THANK YOU EVOLUTION!) My husband walks around the cottage barefoot as he has all his life and he has no problems, where as my soft feet rebel because I am not used to it. This as you pointed out, makes me very uncomfortable. Unlike people, howver, the horse's hoof is capable of transitioning to barefoot given the proper care. Then again, a very interesting study would be to determine if evolution has affected the ability of the horse today, to go barefoot.. Questions, questions....
If you are interested and would like to see a horse hoof in action and see just what nailing a steel shoe can do to impair circulation and disturb the coffin bone, go to youtube and do a search on barefoot hoof. It's quite amazing. Also, soles on horses stay soft if they are pastured on soft or wet ground. Movement on hard ground is key to a good hard foot. Stabled horses will not have this benefit unless they are ridden every day for miles on hard ground. I have three barefoot riding horses who are in a soft paddock and they are tenderfooted on gravel, so I try to avoid riding them on gravel, or boot them for those occassions. I truly wish I could scrape all the soft ground off and lay down limestone or pea stone. They are perfectly sound otherwise. BTW I don't feed them grain either and they are a nice weight and have healthy/shiny coats. My three draft horses are in a paddock that is hard clay based, mostly, and thier soles are much harder, they also tend to self trim more. Dressage horses typically do not perform on gravel. It takes a year to grow out a hoof that has had shoes, and during that time it is important to consider the comfort of the horse by using boots during working, and to turn them out firstly on soft ground that you can gradually harden up.
It is hard for us not to want to buy into all the commercial products made for our equine friends, and I think it makes us humans feel better 'doing' something for our friends by shoeing them. We took our Belgian Drafts out of shoes shortly after we bought them. The current in trend for drafts is for them to be in big shoes with alot of flare on thier hoof wall. I have seen at shows where some of this hoof wall flare has been artificially added. This is not necessary and my husband has worked the team in the bush pulling out logs, in snow, ice and muck without shoes. The horses did fine. In fact, they slipped less. and they no longer cut themselves on the hooks that were on the end of the shoes for traction.
Have we ever considered why it is standard practice to shoe the fronts and not the back hooves on general purpose riding horses? Considering that 60% of the power comes from the back feet, it makes little sense.
One thing must be said, though. A pasture trim by a farrier is not the same as a naturally balanced hoof trim by a barefoot specialist. We need to consider the horse's comfort and make sure we are gradually building up toughness. Just pulling the shoes off does not guarantee the horse's hoof will be happy. The hoof needs to be supported by the entire hoof not just the hoof wall. Some farriers actually scoop out healthy sole and leave the walls and heels too long. This just causes more problems for the unshod hoof. Given my druthers, I would rather have a well shod hoof than a poorly trimmed bare one..
Sometimes you have no choice but to keep shoes on, given all your considerations. In the end, if no harm is done and the horse is comfortable that is all that matters.There is more and more research and work being done to find alternatives, such as hoof casts, rubber shoes, etc. One day maybe we will know it all. Till then we keep searching..for the elusive truth.
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