To shoe, or not to shoe?

[classydancer]

Hey everyone I own a 16 year old Standardbred mare. She is currently barefoot, and is semi-comfortable. Unfortunatly on dirt/gravel roads which makes it iffy for her to walk, as I have to walk from my barn to my arena. On the rocks, she's sketchy, and walks like she's in pain, but as soon as I get to the soft sand in the arena, she's 100% fine. I'm just wondering if it would be benefitial to shoe her, as she does have some difficulty. I have discussed this with my farrier, and she says it's entirly up to me as it's only a short distance for her to be walking on the road... I just hate seeing her looking like she's in pain! The more suggestions, the better. Thanks; Sara.

[peppysan]

Hi there,

How long has your mare been barefoot for and how long has she worn shoes prior to this? If she has been shod for years and years and is now barefoot, the transition period can take some time for them to be totally comfortable again. Also on what kind of footing is your mare turned out in? Horses that are kept only on soft ground will not have any callous built up so they are ouchy when they walk on sharper rocks because they are not used to it. A lot of barefoot horses that are kept in hogful paddocks and are ridden only in soft arena footing have the same problem as your mare. Whereas horses that are kept on varied terrain with rocky patches and gravel and such are used to it so when they come across gravel it's no big deal...

If you want to stay barefoot, to toughen up her feet I would suggest keeping her on crusher dust for a while, or at least have some in her turnout area. Also a lot of movement is essential to the health of the hoof and the barefoot horse as it promotes healthy tissue growth and gets blood flowing to all the parts of the hoof. Shoes can stunt this tissue growth and blood flow because they do not allow the frog to come into contact with the ground and the frog acts as a "pump" for the hoof. Horses in nature are meant to roam over several miles a day so make sure she has a lot of turnout or you are getting her out daily for some sort of exercise. If you plan on doing road and trail riding, just get her the hoof boots, they work quite well.

Being barefoot is not always easy nor convenient and I do think shoes have their place, but I do believe that it's healthier for the hoof and the horse in the long run if the hooves are able to function as nature intended, or as close to as possible.

[horse99]

Hmmm, I would say you are probably fine keeping her barefoot if it's only a short distance every day for her to walk on the rocks to the arena. Like peppy mentioned above, if you were to do any trail or road riding, I would just slap on the hoof boots. When your farrier trims her, maybe get them to not take too much off the sole and the frog as she needs this for protection. If she is sound and happy on the footing that she is regularly ridden on and turnout out in, I would say that is the biggest thing. If she was uncomfortable all the time, that is another issue. If a horse's feet are always in pain and they are always worried every time they take a step, they are going to tense up in other parts of the body and cause you more problems there.

[FEIJuniorBound]

Do you do a lot of shows with your mare? If you only ride at home and on trails then you might be fine with no shoes. BUT, if she is expected to go to shows regularly with footing that she is not used to (often the footing is harder at shows), then I don't think it's fair to expect her to preform without them.

[saber]

Perhaps you could try hoof boots instead of shoes. I Trail ride and have been using Renegade Hoof Boots for a few years now. I also have freinds who do shows and use boots on their horses too. My horse is an 11 yr old QH and has never had shoes on. A freind of mine pulled her shoes because her horse was haveing truoble and is now using hoof boots. They are great because you don't have to leave them on all the time and offer the protection that you might want for your horses feet. There's many different types of hoof boots. I think it's somewhat a matter of personal prefference.

[peppysan]

Perhaps you could try hoof boots instead of shoes. I Trail ride and have been using Renegade Hoof Boots for a few years now. I also have freinds who do shows and use boots on their horses too. My horse is an 11 yr old QH and has never had shoes on. A freind of mine pulled her shoes because her horse was haveing truoble and is now using hoof boots. They are great because you don't have to leave them on all the time and offer the protection that you might want for your horses feet. There's many different types of hoof boots. I think it's somewhat a matter of personal prefference.

I second this! Hoof boots are a great idea for sure.