barefoot in this icy hard ground long post!1

M

minnie mouse

New Member
Sep 11, 2009
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Lancashire uk
4 weeks ago i had my cobs front shoes taken off(backs been off 10months) he is on his winter holidays till January and i wanted to get his front hooves in better shape as they are slightly contracted at the heel and a stretched forward sole with no wall at the quarters! My farrier has been trying for the last 10 months to get his hooves to widen and round but to no avail so thought i would try him barefoot to see if he improves.

He was footsore when first removed then i had a barefoot trimmer come to him and she rounded his toes slightly and said he needs to grow more hoof wall and his horn is hard but toes need to come back more but she could see no reason why he wouldn't improve as his backs are really good and concave.

Anyway he has been extremley footsore the last 2 weeks walking to the field and not happy in the field, not lame but not running around as much but since the ground has got really hard over the last 3 days he seems to be really struggling. He is turned out every other day and is in every night on rubber matting and shavings. I cant keep him in more as he is a stressy type and is only just coping with going out every other day. I have read up lots on barefoot and i know there is a transition period but i am worried that i am doing the wrong thing with the ground being so hard and am worried he will get bruised soles or even an abscess!

Should i get my trimmer back out (she only came 2 weeks ago) to fit some boots? can you turn out in boots? Does every else whos horses are barefoot cope ok with the icy hard ground ? I was hoping to keep him barefoot until spring and either have shoes back on for summer or if he was doing ok leaving him barefoot but im worried about him, is it normal for them to be sore on the hard ground ? His feet havent cracked and i have been applying sole hardner every other day and picking his feet out everyday.

Im even contemplating putting his shoes back on but i really want his hoof shape to improve! i was hoping after 4 weeks without shoes i would see him getting a bit more comfortable but he seems to be getting worse? Is it the wrong time of year to try barefoot? please need advice x
 
Yes there is always a transition period during which time the horse may be sore. Your trimmer should have explained this to you (I'm sure thay did). If the horse is sore there will be a reason for it and as you are worried you should certainly ask your trimmer to come back and have a look and further explain what and why it is happening. They should be able to advise you on boots whilst they are there.

There are pro's and con's of taking a horse out of shoes at any time of the year but generally my answer to this question is that 'the best time is now' because as any good farrier will tell you there is no doubt that shoe's are detrimental to horses feet.

If the feet are healthy and robust (of course your's will not be yet) they should not be sore just because of freezing conditions.

Get your trimmer back and give them a chance to explain what is going on. If they are properly competant they will be able to do so.

Hope this helps.
 
I think the transition period can take a while, especially if you are trying to change things within the hoof itself, Pickle has always been barefoot but was shod on his fronts for a few months while on loan, he was a little footy when they came off?

are you keeping him in every other day as he is going barefoot? or is there some other reason? I am no expert but I would say let him go out everyday if thats the reason as he wont harden off to the harder ground if he is on rubber mats and shavings more than he is out on the ground? persevere if you can as I definitely think its worth it :wink:

though I am sure someone more experienced will be along with some good advice :smile:
 
Though neither of mine are foot sore (rascal doesn't know the meaning of the word!!) they are tentative at the moment. I wad trying to pit Xmas decor on them yesterday and madam was slipping left right and centre as there is no grip in our field ground us very hard and icy to boot. So that may explain part of it:)

The two main things are diet and environment. IMO you can only change a hoof by growing new hoof which requires the right diet combined with stimulation over different terrain I learnt this year how important diet was and actually had to take madam off grass for summer as the reaction was within 12hrs the difference was remarkable.
 
If it's any help putting fronts back on might not make him any happier in this weather - I have to walk across a fairly slippery area of the field to turn my cob out and she walks along very very slowly in this weather trying not to slip and slide with her front shoes on, she seems to go into self preservation mode to avoid falling on her bum? There is certainly none of the usual bouncing around!!
 
My daughter's cob had all four shoes off in September, and he is only just looking better walking over different surfaces. It is my understanding that if you can expose him for a short period every day to different surfaces his recovery may be enhanced. Daughter's cob was took for a very short walk each day, barely getting of the yard initially then on to the lane, then slightly down the lane. It was a very slow and ploddy process, and pone looke very sorry for himself for a while, but he was more than happy out in the mud.

Because your pones shoes are off, he will be experiencing lots of new sensations in his feet, he will be very aware of his feet, daughters pone is now just starting to be ridden out for very short periods, and his hoof shape is coming on, he has been trimmed twice now.

Pay attention to your horses diet, omit as much 'sugar' out of the diet as you can and give a good supplement.
 
I personally wouldn't put fronts back on in snow - you will create him another problem - the snow balls up in their feet and they end up on stilts which puts huge pressure on the frog and sole, and can be dangerous if a stone etc gets trapped. Also, the barefoot hoof has more grip than a shod one on ice.
Perhaps invest in some hoof boots for the short term. I have Old Mac G2 hoof boots which I bought for one of my boys who had to have his shoes off (totally enforced, he had no horn whatsoever to nail or glue a shoe to. He was hopping lame without them - I'm talking a week in bandages on an 8" shavings bed with rubber matting with his hay and water pulled right up to the edges for him, AND bute. He really was crippled. I ordered these boots and I bought the padded insoles too - he managed to walk across the gravel yard (previously impossible he would stop and shake) and to the field, and then have a little canter across to his friends!! He was obviously still lame in them, but within a few hours of having sussed them out, he would play with the rest. I nearly cried :redface:

I only bought fronts, and they were about £100 but I looked at it from the point of view of "that's two sets of shoes" and I have had them years now! I only use them occasionaly now, previously for a lost shoe on one of my boys but now they are all barefoot now. I used them alot during the transitioning period (which to my shock didn't take long). I'm now looking forward to my first winter in a long time with no shoes! :D
 
I would get some boots and pads pronto. You can turn out in them so long as your field isn't all icy ruts, they're fine on frozen grass and snow. You do need to be scrupulous about disinfecting the feet and boots daily though as the risk of thrush is greatly increased. You could also put shoes back on, and they will make your horse comfortable, but they also have drawbacks like the balling up already mentioned and much less traction on packed snow and ice.
I do think every horse with poor feet going barefoot should have a pair of boots as a matter of course.

The other thing which might not be helping (assuming the trim isn't too severe) is diet, what are you feeding? That can make a big difference. My poor footed Tb has just had her shoes off for the winter but this weather isn't causing her much trouble at all.
 
Thank you all so much for your advise, i have emailed my trimmer today and told her what is going on with him and asked her to come back out to assess him and provide some boots for him. I was just really worried about him yesterday with him looking so uncomfortable,

He is only being turned out every other day as that is the policy on our yard in winter...mares one day , geldings the next although on his day in i can turn out in the school or a small paddock for a hour or so but the ground is so frozen at the min even the school is frozen solid so i have left him in today as he was so uncomfortable.

My plan was to lead him out on the tarmac roads and lunge in the school over the next month and then start riding him again after xmas but he is struggling that much i havent even done that. The field is a bit rutted around the gate but fine further up so hopefully he may be ok with boots on. I did ask the trimmer about the easy glove boots when she came but she didn't think they would fit very well with him having long narrow feet but said the epics or bares may and boas too clumsy? but just to try him without for a couple of weeks first to see how he was, i will wait to hear from her tomorrow.

Regarding his diet i feed 1 scoop d&H just grass, a quarter scoop of bran(he has had mild colic in the past and vet recommend it) measure of limestone flour a very small handful of ERS pellets(lowsugar/starch)and ready for barefoot the last month have just added one scoop of allen and page fast fibre instead of his speedi beet as he is not being ridden it has less calories in than the beet, he also has very dry good quality haylage as we cant get decent hay in our area is this ok? the trimmer said that was fine? she also took pictures of his feet when she came out a fortnight ago so i have asked her to look at the pics again and explain to me more about his feet. Thanks again

p.s Yann which hoof disinfectant do you recommend i purchase? The trimmer said he didn't have any thrush and the horn he has is good quality, the hoof hardner i am using is Naf rockhard, oh and i also purchased some Naf biotin to add to his feed last week!
 
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The disinfecting would just be if you were using boots for turnout, something straightforward like Milton or Hibiscrub would be fine. Sounds like the diet is under as much control as you can get, so it is probably just the condition of his feet making him struggle. Hope you can get sorted :)
 
Not sure about easy grass though Yann...? Would have thought it was quite rich?

I feed an all round supp but that's for otter reasons as well as feet but has helped us a lot.
 
Hi

My trimmer has just got back to me and she is coming on Tuesday afternoon to fit some boots and pads for him:smile: hopefully he will be more comfortable then i can stop worrying as much! I will also ask her about his just grass but it is lower than readigrass and its took me months to get condition on him as even though he's a welsh cob he's not greedy and also not really a good doer. The vet condition scored him in Sept as being just right at 15hh and 505kg.

They say it some owners that can't go barefoot not the horse don't they?!LOL I am probably panicking a bit but i can't bear him looking so uncomfortable, i will keep you posted regarding his progress, thanks again x
 
They say it some owners that can't go barefoot not the horse don't they?!
Click to expand...

I don't necessarily agree with that, it all depends. It is worth going the extra mile to make the feet more healthy in the early stages but I think we all owe it to our horses to be realistic about the outcomes in the longer term.
 
Well my trimmer came back out today to try some boots on him and she is ordering the size 3 easy boot Rx's with pads for him, hopefully depending on delivery they should be here by the weekend, she also said that if after a couple of months he didn't need them she would then part ex them for some easygloves that i can then ride him in, so fingers crossed he will be a lot more comfortable soon.

If in time he dosn't improve then i will have his front shoes put back on if only for the summer, but at least i have give it a go!
 
She is my trimmer... wouldnt swap for the world - done so much for my two who both have behavioural issues related to having feet done

When I get some snow free ground!! will take some photos of how much her trimming combined with diet has changed madams feet who was a chronic lami possible founder
 
ohh good! she was a very nice lady and was very good with my 5yr old welsh cob who can be a bit nervous with strangers, she talked to him and patted him all the time and he even gave her a kiss tonight! Glad you have been pleased with her and would love to see some pics!x

P.s what diet have you got yours on?
 
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