Does Your Horse need Shoes
By mosquito
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21st Apr 2010 •
9,291 views
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10 comments
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Many of us call out the farrier and order a full set of shoes for our horse without thinking about it. We continually repair chips and cracks, apply all kinds of ointments and oils, and try our hardest to do whatever we can to keep our horses’ feet healthy. But what if the best thing you could do for your horse’s feet is to do nothing at all?
Horses in their natural habitat – roaming free on grassy plains – don’t need a farrier for a trim, let alone shoes. The miles they cover foraging keep their feet a natural shape, and they seldom suffer from bruised soles, quarter cracks or chips. But most horses today don’t have the privilege of hour after hour and acre after acre to wander and graze. Many horses are kept stabled with their movement restricted for several hours a day, or are turned out into limited acreage, or offered hay and feed from a net or rack so they don’t need to forage. When our horses work, they work hard in a short space of time, do a lot of jumping, and usually carrying the weight of a rider – all of which puts excessive strain on the hooves.
The result is hooves that need a farrier to keep them trimmed and shaped, and for many hard working horses shoes are routine. Yet sometimes the shoes are actually the cause of problems – nail bind, chips, cracks other conditions care often the result of bad farriery, and even the best farriers can make mistakes. And of course, even good shoeing costs money. So, do our horses really need shoes? And are there some things we can do to minimize the need for shoes?
First of all, the best way to care for your horse’s feet is to let them take care of themselves. Allowing as much natural movement as possible ideally plenty of acres of pasture and grazing. Ridden work helps, but moving around freely and without extra weight is the most natural way. Turnout is small paddocks or runs isn’t going to do it – if that’s all you have then you will need a farrier more often than someone who has plenty of acreage.
Next, you can minimize damage to your horse’s feet. Avoid letting your horse stand for prolonged periods in very wet or very dry conditions. Be careful of riding hard over rough surfaces or on paved roads. And limit the impact on your horses feet – don’t ride fast on hard surfaces, jump your horse every day, or let people ride your horse that are too heavy!
Next, if you think you might be able to let horse go barefoot, talk to your farrier about it. The way your horse’s feet are trimmed makes a big difference to their durability without shoes. Talk about a ‘mustang trim’, which is designed to assist your horse in making the transition to going shoeless. With this trim, the hoof wall is slightly beveled and the heel trimmed a little shorter, allowing the sole to thicken and toughen naturally. A skilled farrier is required for this type of work – keeping a working horse sound barefoot almost takes more expertise from a farrier than using shoes!
What if your horse could live quite comfortable most days without shoes, but every now and then you want to hit the roads or ride some tough trails?
Nowadays there are plenty of innovative options for temporary shoes. Hoof boots are a popular choice, even with top level endurance riders who cover dozens of miles in a single day. These thick rubber booties fit over the hoof to provide it with additional cushion and protection, and some models even increase traction. Glue-on temporary shoes (common for racehorses) also have been developed a lot in recent years, and can give you a quick fix for a show or for a trail ride.
Many riders think that if their horse has poor feet or frequent hoof problems then they have to have shoes. In fact, all too often the problem is the shoes themselves. Cracks and chipping can be made worse by frequent removal and replacement of nails. If the shoes prevent the frog from making contact with the ground, then circulation to the lower leg can be impaired, leading to weak hooves, swollen legs, and heat in the lower leg, as well as preventing leg injuries and hoof damage from healing as fast as it could. Dry hooves too can sometimes be corrected by leaving the shoes off, and allowing the hoof and sole to make more contact with the moisture in the ground.
However, for some horses and riders, going barefoot simply isn’t an option. If you need to use studs, the obviously you will need shoes. If you ride in a lot competitions and events, or ride a lot on rocky or hard surfaces you will probably need to use shoes. Some horses with very sensitive soles may need shoes, any horse prone to getting ‘separations’ (where the hoof wall comes away from the rest of the hoof) and horses that have spent a lifetime in shoes may not be able to adapt to going barefoot. Unless your horse falls into one of these categories, take a little time and ask yourself, does my horse really need to use shoes? |
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Savellla
I liked this article. A lot of peopel think shoes are imperative for their horses, when really, they're not. I'm no expert, but just from observing my friend's horses who have been shod since they were young, compared to completely barefot ones, the shod tend to have narrower hooves, which creates more concentrated pressure on the hoof structure. Both of mine are barefoot and have never been shod, and with the activities I plan to do with them all they'll ever need is a pair of Easyboot Epics ^.^
I liked this article. A lot of peopel think shoes are imperative for their horses, when really, they're not. I'm no expert, but just from observing my friend's horses who have been shod since they were young, compared to completely barefot ones, the shod tend to have narrower hooves, which creates more concentrated pressure on the hoof structure. Both of mine are barefoot and have never been shod, and with the activities I plan to do with them all they'll ever need is a pair of Easyboot Epics ^.^
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Apr 21, 2010
• 7,122 views
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MissP
MOD
I am yet to find a pair of "hoof boots" that i would use at all. Due to the fact that one size fits all they tend to slip and slide around the horses foot. When they sweat/get water in them they rub. If they needed shoes i would steer clear of the boots and shoe them instead.
I am yet to find a pair of "hoof boots" that i would use at all. Due to the fact that one size fits all they tend to slip and slide around the horses foot. When they sweat/get water in them they rub. If they needed shoes i would steer clear of the boots and shoe them instead.
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Apr 21, 2010
• 7,052 views
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SnowenSugar
I like the article. I've never put shoes on my horse and she's perfectly fine whether I'm in the arena or on the trails. =)
I like the article. I've never put shoes on my horse and she's perfectly fine whether I'm in the arena or on the trails. =)
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Apr 21, 2010
• 7,045 views
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weezapony
Most of the horses where I ride don't need shoes. My friend read a book about keeping horses as naturally as possible, and spreading out hay on the ground could help make your horse move around and keep his/her feet trim.
Most of the horses where I ride don't need shoes. My friend read a book about keeping horses as naturally as possible, and spreading out hay on the ground could help make your horse move around and keep his/her feet trim.
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Apr 22, 2010
• 6,930 views
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ProDressage
I agree.Horses Shouldn't have shoes at all.The reason why they slip is because you probably weren't using them correctly.If they rub,it's probably too small.If it wiggles it's because it's too big.If you want to find out more read 'The soul Of A Horse' by Joe camp and you'll see why I feel strongly of not having horse shoes.
I agree.Horses Shouldn't have shoes at all.The reason why they slip is because you probably weren't using them correctly.If they rub,it's probably too small.If it wiggles it's because it's too big.If you want to find out more read 'The soul Of A Horse' by Joe camp and you'll see why I feel strongly of not having horse shoes.
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Apr 22, 2010
• 6,981 views
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Violets Victory
my friend has a horse that needed front shoes really bad his feet were hurting and he couldn't walk so finaly she got them for him and he got better. That was before she bought him. I think horses need shoes, well mostly depends on where they are riddin.
my friend has a horse that needed front shoes really bad his feet were hurting and he couldn't walk so finaly she got them for him and he got better. That was before she bought him. I think horses need shoes, well mostly depends on where they are riddin.
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Apr 22, 2010
• 7,009 views
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ProDressage
Violets: Not to be rude,but, horseshoes won't make him better.They will make it worse.In the future,if you ever choose to take them off,your horse's feet will -may be- suffer from the pain.Horseshoes,cause horses to go lame,cracking hoofs.Anything you can imagine
Violets: Not to be rude,but, horseshoes won't make him better.They will make it worse.In the future,if you ever choose to take them off,your horse's feet will -may be- suffer from the pain.Horseshoes,cause horses to go lame,cracking hoofs.Anything you can imagine
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Apr 23, 2010
• 6,981 views
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Goodbye
Actully, Violet, that is what happened to my horse. And Pro, It made my horse MUCH better. His feet do not hurt anymore and he is great. He couldn't walk in the middle of the trail, on concrete or rocks. He can walk good now.
Actully, Violet, that is what happened to my horse. And Pro, It made my horse MUCH better. His feet do not hurt anymore and he is great. He couldn't walk in the middle of the trail, on concrete or rocks. He can walk good now.
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May 22, 2010
• 6,940 views
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Goodbye
And he used to limp. Now he doesn't.
And he used to limp. Now he doesn't.
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Aug 27, 2010
• 6,952 views
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Cruisin Past Curfew
Only one of our horses does have shoes. I personally don't like 'em. I keep my horse barefoot. But when you mentioned hoof boots, I found them really interesting and I really want to get a pair!
Only one of our horses does have shoes. I personally don't like 'em. I keep my horse barefoot. But when you mentioned hoof boots, I found them really interesting and I really want to get a pair!
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Apr 24, 2012
• 6,935 views
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