Barefoot and the dressage horse

[RA12]

I am in desperate need for advice. I have received much advice at home on this topic but it has relatively been 50/50 from experienced equestrians varying in disciplines.

I have a 12yr old gelding who is schooling Level 1, showing Training Level, and has been shod on all four feet for the past 5 years, at least. Recently, I have decided to try barefoot due to the fact that my previous farrier was not leaving the best looking hoof, and was reusing worn shoes. My horse has been through 2 barefoot trims now with a barefoot trimmer and is on the 3rd week of the 2nd trim. Where he stays, there is a lot of gravel even in the pasture (though not a lot) as it was once a road. Even after this second trim, he is still sore. I have tried leaving boots on him in the pasture, but he pretty much destroys them, even though they fit him properly. I have also tried riding in the boots but that didn’t go well either. The arenas I am able to ride in are soft and wonderful for any type of horse, but my guy still likes to watch where every foot is placed. I feel at this time having him barefoot has more than set us back on our schooling, as his collection is definitely not where it was a few months ago. I explained to the barefoot trimmer my worries, and he states that my horse should be better after the next trim and how having him barefoot will prolong his overall well-being. I totally get this, but my horse seems so uncomfortable. I have given him bute from time to time as well, just to help him out a little. I am also the only one who cares for him 24/7, though he is fed by the stable manager. I also work full time so it is more than difficult to keep an eye on how he is doing during the day. I am also aware of pro level riders who are able to have their horses preform exponentially well barefoot, but they also have teams dedicated to providing undivided attention to that horse.

Am I just being too impatient and should wait through a few more trims? Are there any dressage riders out there experiencing similar situations? I am open to any opinions, suggestions, etc.

Thank you!

[coloredhorse]

It’s not uncommon to take a good amount of time (even a year or more in some cases) for a horse to become accustomed enough to going barefoot to perform reliably enough to show. This requires dedication on the owner’s part, as well, to deliberately condition him on different types of footing. Consult your farrier/trimmer for advice.

And some horses just can’t make the switch. They may transition well enough for casual riding, but will always be too sensitive to footing changes to perform reliably, particularly for dressage, where the quality of the gaits is so important.

How’s that for a non-answer? :winkgrin: I’d say, yes, you are quite early in the process, especially if your horse has been shod for years and is new to being unshod. If it were my horse and I really wanted to try to go sans shoes, I’d give it much more time and work on the conditioning. But keep an open mind in BOTH directions–that it may work out given time, but also that it may not work out for a horse intended to compete in dressage.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

That (coloredhorse’s) is a really good reply and pretty much sums up what I would say. I would add you can try pour in pads (which could fall out pretty quickly) and /or sole hardeners to help him a bit. I had a horse that couldn’t do barefoot. One thing I thought was helpful is we had hoof rads to see what where his sole depth and trim angle was at at the beginning and end of the process. He actually increased sole depth going back into shoes (glued on) with pour-in pads and a different trim, but he was an extreme case of almost no sole to start with.

Also, grass and hay can have a big impact on foot sensitivity. Just one more thing to pay more attention to when barefoot.

[beowulf]

Like Coloredhorse replied, it is not uncommon for horses to be sore and take a while to acclimate. There is unfortunately no gradual change from shod to barefoot, so it is up to the owner to decide if the transition is going “sorely but surely” or if the horse truly needs to be shod.

We’ve had a couple of OTTBs barefoot at the farm and the first week of pulling their shoes NONE of them looked pretty. We had one that was so bad we were sure he had foundered - he was an example of a horse that absolutely needed shoes. The others have taken a while to acclimate, but one is barefoot and absolutely going great.

You are still relatively early in the process – if I were you, I would think about applying Keratex to the soles. It helped our horses tremendously.

[Kimchi]

I am no expert but I have kept both my horses barefoot. My currant horse has never had shoes so I didn’t have to transition her. My previous horse was going lame because shoes were not flexible enough for her, but once she healed her feet had adjusted to barefoot. So I guess I am saying it worries me that your horse is so uncomfortable because of the trimming.

Was your horse having issues with being shod? Would you consider a plastic glue on shoe? It might just be taking him a long time to adjust but maybe barefoot isn’t the right thing for your guy? Also I will say this, you do need a very good barefoot guy for it to be worth while (Yours might be fantastic I don’t know), my past farrier was creating more problems than he was fixing.

Best of luck to you in what ever decision you make!

[RA12]

Thank you all for your opinions! I greatly appreciate it. I do have Keratex and have been following the directions to it to a T. His feet are looking pretty good, but just sore. I will give his feet some more time, and might even just invest in different boots, or the glue ons.
Thank you all.
Having more opinions is wonderful.

[millerra]

I’m not sure what is wrong w/ reusing shoes, though. I always try to get as much wear out of a shoe as possible - up to 3 resets based on work load and footing for work (here sand is harder on shoes than grass). IMHO there is nothing wrong w/ reusing shoes - especially the custom built/fit ones.

If he were my horse, I’d forget the barefoot thing until there was down time (here it’s winter), find a different farrier who shoes more to my liking, put shoes back on, w/ pour in pads if necessary, and get back to riding and conditioning my horse. If he goes sound over the down time barefoot, then I’d try to go bare foot at the start of the next season and go from there.

PS - not anti-barefoot. mine go barefoot during the winter. during spring, summer and fall, they have shoes on. One needs them for work; the other needs his drilled and tapped for eventing.

[beowulf]

I forgot to ask - are you using the same farrier as before, or a different one? My parent’s farm has an AMAZING farrier, however, they do use a different farrier that specializes in barefoot trimming for their other OTTB. Sometimes you have to go with the specialty/skilled tradesman rather than use the regular farrier.

[merrygoround]

The term I’m familiar with is “resetting” shoes. So long as the wear on the shoe has not left notches in the sole-facing surface, the shoe is not worn thin, it is quite practical to “reset” shoes, especially on horses on good footing who are done every five weeks.

Insisting that the horse remain barefoot despite being sore is just not fair to the horse.

This from a rider who doesn’t shoe unless necessary. But a hbbling barefoot horse is just not acceptable here.

[EmilyF]

What is your horse eating? 80%, if not more, of hoof health is related to the diet. I would be concerned if your horse has been barefoot for a few months and is still struggling considerably and the first place I would look is diet - the 2nd would be the trim. Some photos of the hooves would be awesome if you could upload them.

A good diet guide is here:
http://www.pacifichoofcare.org/trainingnew.html

Go to the 2nd step and under there is a diet guide in PDF or Powerpoint.

Your horse may need some extra minerals (zinc and copper especially) to become truly rock crunching. It will also need a low sugar diet. If the diet is high in sugar you might actually have Low-Grade lamintis making your horse footsore.

In an ideal world the diet would be rectified at least 6 weeks before a horse was taken out of shoes - so it had the best chance of transitioning without soreness.

I keep my dressage horses barefoot - and one of them is a TB. Once I got his minerals right he’s been rock-crunching ever since - although luckily for me he was never shod in the first place!

Hope that helps. Feel free to pm me for more info.

[merrygoround]

EmilyF-Quote"-In an ideal world the diet would be rectified at least 6 weeks before a horse was taken out of shoes - so it had the best chance of transitioning without soreness."

Six weeks? Try 9 months.

[RA12]

[QUOTE=beowulf;7185483]
I forgot to ask - are you using the same farrier as before, or a different one? My parent’s farm has an AMAZING farrier, however, they do use a different farrier that specializes in barefoot trimming for their other OTTB. Sometimes you have to go with the specialty/skilled tradesman rather than use the regular farrier.[/QUOTE]

Definitely a new farrier, one that specializes in barefoot. Thank you for asking.

[trubandloki]

I do not think it is fair to the horse to expect it to perform while having sore feet.

If you want your horse to go thru what is a clearly painful transition for him then stop expecting him to work too.

A bad farrier does not equal toss out shoes and go barefoot.
It means find a new farrier.

Note:

1. All three of my horses are barefoot right now so I am clearly not against barefoot or insisting all horses must wear shoes.
2. I have no issue with resetting shoes.

[norton]

I think your horse should have toughened up in a few weeks. Two trimmings is a long time for the horse to be sore. If your pasture is really wet, it might be taking a little longer, but still shouldn’t take more than a month. Are you sure your horse doesn’t have some degree of laminitis? If you want to keep riding, try easy boots or glue on shoes. I’ve had good luck with both. Easy boots can flip off sometimes during a ride and you have to protect the glue on shoes with limited turnout and bell boots. I wouldn’t sit on a horse with sore feet.

[RA12]

Yes, I definitely have not been working him to the point where is uncomfortable. I have only asked him to do what I feel he is capable of, and if at that time he is uncomfortable, we do not proceed or just limit the exercise. Most of our rides lately have been exercises at the walk and light trot work.

[Manahmanah]

Be careful not to drink too much of the barefoot kool aid. I would be really weary of any “barefoot farrier” who claims a horse is better off in the long run without shoes. Not every horse needs shoes, but some horses just won’t adapt to being barefoot. They aren’t all mustangs. There is a cult like strasser-esque following that insists shoes are detrimental to a horse and they are healthier without them. Run away from these people like they have leprosy.

These is nothing wrong with a farrier reusing shoes, btw. The fact that you cite this as problem indicates to me that you are possibly being fed a line of bull by a cult of barefoot follower or at a minimum need to educate yourself a little more about hoof care via an unbiased medium. Ie: not information from the trimmer.

[alto]

[QUOTE=RA12;7185381]

I have a 12yr old gelding who is schooling Level 1, showing Training Level, and has been shod on all four feet for the past 5 years, at least. Recently, I have decided to try barefoot due to the fact that my previous farrier was not leaving the best looking hoof, and was reusing worn shoes. My horse has been through 2 barefoot trims now with a barefoot trimmer and is on the 3rd week of the 2nd trim. Where he stays, there is a lot of gravel even in the pasture (though not a lot) as it was once a road. Even after this second trim, he is still sore.[/QUOTE]

FP was barefoot until 4, at that point we wanted to get him out on the roads & rocky trails intermittently, so he was shod, then shoes off again for the winter. He definitely prefers barefoot - quite funny to see him with his first shoes & then when they came off again.
At 5 he was shod again for the same reasons, but remained in shoes as he was at a new barn that has gravel paddocks, sand arenas, gravel trails, and beach.
We tried pulling the shoes for the wet winter, but there was so much wear on his feet from the constant gravel/sand, & not wanting to step back from the training, that after 7 weeks, we went back to shoes: farrier has no bias, but he will give his opinion if solicited.
FP exhibited NO soreness/tenderness when going from shoes to barefoot - it’s not a phase that a horse must go through when transitioning - there was some pretty impressive cracking & breakage but he never missed a step or thought twice about his footing (& he is Mr Sensitive with not an ounce of stoicism in his soul).
Trainer thought she saw a small difference in his collection; there was no significant difference when the shoes were reinstated, so it was likely just his temperament that day.

Before deciding to re-shoe, I did a survey of the 40 or so horses at the barn, any that were barefoot, had less than impressive feet - even those that did little work.

I have tried leaving boots on him in the pasture, but he pretty much destroys them, even though they fit him properly.

Which boots are you trying? did your barefoot guy help with boot selection & fit?

The arenas I am able to ride in are soft and wonderful for any type of horse, but my guy still likes to watch where every foot is placed.

If this is new with being barefoot, it’s significant.

I feel at this time having him barefoot has more than set us back on our schooling, as his collection is definitely not where it was a few months ago. I explained to the barefoot trimmer my worries, and he states that my horse should be better after the next trim and how having him barefoot will prolong his overall well-being. I totally get this, but my horse seems so uncomfortable.

I would not be comfortable with the degree of discomfort your horse is showing - if you want to persist with the barefoot transition, then change something.

• stop riding, a footsore horse doesn’t benefit from carrying/balancing a rider
• stall him at night under conditions where he IS comfortable, whether that’s a deep straw bed or shavings or mats etc.
• keep him on limited turnout on softer footing until he looks/acts comfortable there, then transition him to the usual footing.

I have given him bute from time to time as well, just to help him out a little. I am also the only one who cares for him 24/7, though he is fed by the stable manager. I also work full time so it is more than difficult to keep an eye on how he is doing during the day.

Try to remain at the barn for several hours on your days off so you can monitor him.

If you want to bute during the transition, talk to your vet about efficient use of the drug rather than giving it erratically ie as horse seems consistently uncomfortable, get him on the minimal dosage at correct intervals (based upon drug half life & blood levels needed for pain relief).

[JB]

[QUOTE=RA12;7185381]
Recently, I have decided to try barefoot due to the fact that my previous farrier was not leaving the best looking hoof[/QUOTE]
This wasn’t the best place in the hoof’s health history to take the shoes off. Feet that are not in good balance are more likely to be sore than well-balanced feet, and when sore, are likely to be more sore

Even after this second trim, he is still sore. I have tried leaving boots on him in the pasture, but he pretty much destroys them, even though they fit him properly. I have also tried riding in the boots but that didn’t go well either. The arenas I am able to ride in are soft and wonderful for any type of horse, but my guy still likes to watch where every foot is placed. I feel at this time having him barefoot has more than set us back on our schooling, as his collection is definitely not where it was a few months ago.

You might just need to first find a competent farrier, get the feet in better shape with shoes, before you take the shoes off again

I explained to the barefoot trimmer my worries, and he states that my horse should be better after the next trim

Based on what?

and how having him barefoot will prolong his overall well-being.

This just really creeps me out, because it means the trimmer does not have the horse’s best interest TRULY at heart. some horses CANNOT be barefoot and be happy. Just a fact

Am I just being too impatient and should wait through a few more trims?

Every day and week that goes by that he’s this sore, you are increase the odds of bruising, abscessing, and possible pedal osteitis. Have you had xrays done of the feet? I’d want to know at this point how thick his soles are. If they are thin, then he may be a walking timebomb, at least at this point with this described footing

At the very least get Keratex or Durasole on the soles to help harden them.

[LarkspurCO]

In my opinion, because the current set of options isn’t working, you need one or more of the following:

1. A farrier
2. A different hoof trimmer
3. Some different footing for the horse to live on
4. Some more shoes on the horse
5. A different horse
6. A smack on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper

It’s up to you to decide what is in your horse’s best interest.

If you believe that gimping around for weeks is good for him, by all means continue your quest. Buy some supplements, change your hay, get some more hoof boots, drink some kool-aid, it will all be worth it in the end (whether or not the horse agrees).

[alibi_18]

“Ugly” feet but sound and going well vs “pretty” feet but sore and all your good training is suffering?

I don’t believe in the ‘transition’ period. Either the horse can be left barefoot or not.

Maybe your farrier wasn’t good but so maybe is your trimmer…

Find yourself a reputable farrier who will help you decide what is best for your horse. My mare is shod all around + leather rim pads because she needs it and the gelding I’m taking care is barefoot because he’s a good with shoes than without!, my farrier does them both.