Anyone doing low level eventing in full egg bar shoes on the front?

[CindyCRNA]

So my nice big eventing mare is off for a year from serious riding and won’t return to eventing due to suspensory surgery. I dusted the cobwebs off of my 14 year old TB gelding and will try a little starter division with him. He is in full egg bars on the fronts due to a very mild pigeon toe on the front that has resulted in lateral quarter cracks that are being managed with egg bars.

My question is how do you jump, even lightly and not grab a front shoe? I am thinking about maybe squaring off the back toe a little. Has anyone found a bell boot or anything to help?

[Janet]

I evented Belle at Training level in eggbar shoes (with studholes) for many years. She did not wear studes EVERY time, but more often than if she had regular shoes. She only pulled a shoe once, while schooling. She sometimes wore bell boots, but not always.

Many years ago, I evented Moo at Training level for in Eggbar shoes with studholess. It was a while ago, but I do not remember losing a shoe eventing on him.

I would probabky not event a horse wearing eggbars WITHOUT studholes

[CindyCRNA]

[QUOTE=Janet;7814289]
I evented Belle at Training level in eggbar shoes (with studholes) for many years. She did not wear studes EVERY time, but more often than if she had regular shoes. She only pulled a shoe once, while schooling. She sometimes wore bell boots, but not always.

Many years ago, I evented Moo at Training level for in Eggbar shoes with studholess. It was a while ago, but I do not remember losing a shoe eventing on him.

I would probabky not event a horse wearing eggbars WITHOUT studholes[/QUOTE]

Ok, I am blonde, lol but aren’t stud holes for studs? Help me understand how they help in this situation.

[Brigitte]

From one blond to another! Stud holes with studs in them! The bar shoes could be more slippery on grass than conventional shoes.

I also competed a mare through Training level with bar shoes and studs with no problems.

[Janet]

Studholes so I have the option of putting studs in.

At the lower levels, I do not always have regular shoes drilled and tapped for studs. In fact, I am taking Belle Novice next weekend with regular shoes and no stud holes, so no option for studs.

But with egg bar shoes I ALWAYS have then drilled and tapped for studs, because I want to have the option of using studs, even at the lower levels.

Eggbars without studs can be slippery on many kinds of footing.

[FLeventer]

Have run through prelim with them. Mare at the time needed them to stay comfortable and sound. She dropped to the lower levels and ran around them with egg bar shoes. I have no issues with them. She was drilled and tapped and wore studs during slick dressage morning rides when we had extensions. Wore studs when needed on xc and in sj. Had her in rubber pull on bell boots 24/7.

Great mare, loved her job, and never had a lame step when I was running her. Dropped her down due to some fitness issues as she got older. It was almost impossible to keep weight on her while keeping her prelim fit. Dropped down due to that, not shoeing problems or lameness.

[teddygirl]

My guy has done BN & Nov with 4 eggbar shoes without studs, not that I disagree with the recommendation. He does, however, live in bell boots. He usually wears 4 bell boots for everything except dressage because he’s always stepping on his feet, front and back. He has some conformational issues that led to some soundness issues, hence the bar shoes. He’s much happier in them and has no trouble. Make sure that the bellboots you get are big enough and cover the back of the shoe, even if you have to go up a size. Otherwise they’re useless. Ask me how I know

[yellowbritches]

I’ve known plenty of horses at all levels to event in them. Bell boots tend to be necessary, and studs are pretty necessary past the occasional plop around a baby novice type outing. The more steel you’ve got, the more likely you’ll slip on grass.

[beowulf]

Keep bellboots on 24/7 if your horse can tolerate them. Two of the horses at the farm I managed run in full bars – one is a retired 2* horse who now does prelim and the other is a BN/N school horse.

[CindyCRNA]

I am going to ask my farrier about straight bar shoes and squaring off the backs. Vic is an over reacher which doesn’t help. Thank you for the encouragement! And stud holes! For studs! lol

As for bell boots, I see a lot (on other sites) recommend the gum pull ons. Is that what you all are doing?

[WNT]

My guy was in egg bars (for a resection due to WLD) many moons ago, and has worn double thick bottom pull on bell boots ever since. Even though he is regular shoes now, I find it to be cheap peace of mind that he has to try really hard to pull a shoe.

We evented through Prelim, but I think he was in straight bars by then (drilled/tapped with quarter clips).

[asterix]

Bell boots are pretty specific to your horse. I gave up on gum pull ons because I really couldn’t find any truly big enough for my big horse…and getting them off for dressage invariably gave me scraped knuckles.
I started using Davis bell boots - much easier! Come in big sizes! Horses live in them 24-7 and, yes, they lose them after a few weeks, but they are not expensive.

For a smaller horse, the pull ons might be a good answer.

[CindyCRNA]

[QUOTE=asterix;7819926]
Bell boots are pretty specific to your horse. I gave up on gum pull ons because I really couldn’t find any truly big enough for my big horse…and getting them off for dressage invariably gave me scraped knuckles.
I started using Davis bell boots - much easier! Come in big sizes! Horses live in them 24-7 and, yes, they lose them after a few weeks, but they are not expensive.

For a smaller horse, the pull ons might be a good answer.[/QUOTE]

My gelding is 15.3 but I threw a pair of his sister’s Eskadron size XL and they came to the ground in the back which is what you want so we used those. I am going to ask his farrier if we can go to a straight bar front and maybe square off the toe in the back.