First pair of shoes for a youngster - when and why

[JustMyStyle]

My “baby” is coming 4.5yrs this winter (born 8/28/12) and he’s possibly coming down to Florida for the season. He has always been barefoot, but also in a very very low-key program.

Started him summer 2015 very lightly. Little walk trot, mostly out of the arena. Started some canter and got ridden maybe twice a week but more like two rides a month for the next year.

Started jumping this spring very causally.

This July we did 3x wk and spent Derby Finals in KY just hacking around and checking things out (did not show). Finished the year with a local show in October jumping around baby greens at 2ft which was the most jumps we’ve done in a row.

Since then we’ve trail ridden and he’s worked maybe once a week.

We moved from super humid Houston to outside Atlanta GA last winter, and his feet definitely are tending to crack and chip. I’d also like a little bit more foot on him.

I was concerned shoes would make the chipping worse during the summer here with all the flies and dry ground (he lives outside). However, I’m wondering if we should try shoes if he comes to Florida. The idea being he’ll start into regular work and not be outside stomping at flies all day. I have a farrier that travels to WEF that I love, so I’m not concerned about that aspect.

I’d love others thoughts, opinions, experiences!

[GraceLikeRain]

Personally, I like to go barefoot if at all possible. I’d be more inclined to start keratex on a regular basis, perhaps durasole if I noticed any sole sensitivity, and schedule trims a touch sooner to stay on top of flaring and the resulting cracks.

If he is wearing down foot quicker than it can grow, needs the ability to put in studs, farrier feels shoes are necessary, etc. then it is always easy enough to put them on. However, he may continue to be just fine barefoot and in work.

[starsandsun]

I only went with front shoes on my youngster when it became apparent he didn’t have enough sole depth and was tender footed in work because of it. Ouchy without shoes; 100% sound immediately after shoes nailed on. We never had a problem with any hoof chipping with or without shoes. He is on Platinum Performance and great hay so we have good hoof growth all year long.

[ChocoMare]

I’d avoid it at much as humanly possible. If they’re chipping, the hoof is telling you “I’ve grown and I’m now out of balance.” Shorten the trim cycle. I now have 68 horses in my part-time trim rotation and every single one of them is on a 4-week cycle. This go round, I was sick and many missed a week. When I got to them, they were chipping-- over-ready for a trim.

[specifiedcupcake]

What ChocoMare says- usually chips bother us more than they bother the horse, but usually it’s telling you where they need a trim.

Do you use hoof dressing? This can actually worsen chipping. A lot of those petroleum derivatives and aldehydes in those products are really good at denaturing (aka “breaking”) protein… and hooves are made of protein. So it can weaken them and you want hooves nice and hard. If the hoof needed oil, they would have glands like the skin/coat does.

If the horse gets turnout and a low-sugar diet, he may never need shoes. Also, living in Florida and NOT stomping flies is a bit of a pipe dream.

[PNWjumper]

I typically shoe my horses all around as soon as they are in work >3 days a week.

I used to wait longer, and also used to do fronts only with hinds to follow maybe 6 mos to a year later.

But I had a couple of horses who started getting a bit tender as the work load increased and I realized that playing on that line of sore/not sore is a TERRIBLE idea with a young, impressionable horse, with the worst piece of that plan being the period of time between being comfortable to the moments before they SHOW tenderness. I don’t want them feeling ANY discomfort that’s easily preventable when they’re learning how to go under saddle.

And in regard to the fronts-first-hinds-later plan, I had two horses in a row who improved dramatically when I finally put hinds on them. I wish I hadn’t mucked around without the hind shoes for the first 6ish months. Neither were particularly tender without the hinds, but the additional power and support I felt behind after adding the shoes was, well…surprising.

So now I put them in shoes all around at the beginning of their coming 4/at 4 year old year.

That means that they’re typically barefoot in their 3yo year where I’m backing them and putting 60-90 days on them over the course of the summer.

But once they’re ready to be ridden more regularly and start jumping they all go into shoes all around.

Now with that being said, another component that plays into my decision is the fact that my arena footing is coarse sand and isn’t the easiest on bare hooves. And also, I don’t find the horseshow venues to be great for non-shod horses. Several of our venues have dirt paths with a fair number of rocks between rings and around the show grounds, and I want the babies more protected for that too since I have my 4 year olds out at all of the shows my older horses go to.

[JustMyStyle]

He is definitely a little sore on rough ground, rocks, gravel, etc… but fine on grass or in decent footing.

He’s getting trimmed every 5 weeks, but he always seems a bit short to me when he gets done. Though I’ve been in H/J land for awhile I grew up with Morgans so I may not be the best judge :lol:

I don’t use any hoof dressing, I’ve never really noticed a difference. It sounds like maybe it would be worth it to try a supplement.

What is Keratex? I’ve always loved Platinum Performance, anyone have experience with only their hoof supplement or do you have to do their regular + hoof?

[JB]

I too would avoid them unless and until the horse says he needs them.

Going to FL is going to make it less likely he’d need shoes to protect his feet from the ground, since the soil is a lot softer/sandier, in general, than in Ga.

A tendency to chip and crack doesn’t tell us anything on its own. Maybe he was going a bit too long between trims, maybe the feet were just a little too long all the time, and self-trimming. Maybe it was purely a factor of stomping around on hard ground. I can tell you that when my 4 are trimmed regularly enough, there is very little in the way of chips and cracks even during a long hot dry Summer of farting around on rock-hard red clay footing. That doesn’t mean no horse would, since there are other factors at play too, like genetic wall thickness, nutrition, etc. I’m just pointing out that being on hard(er) footing and stomping doesn’t automatically equate to chips and cracks.

[2miniB]

Why not use hoof boots when you ride, so he can live barefoot?

Diet changes could also account for any chipping or cracking.

[Scribbler]

[QUOTE=2miniB;8937291]
Why not use hoof boots when you ride, so he can live barefoot?

Diet changes could also account for any chipping or cracking.[/QUOTE]

I use hoof boots when needed on the trails, but am not sure I would feel comfortable jumping in them.

OP: Keratex and Durasole are both formaldehyde formulations that harden and preserve the hoof, and keep it from breaking off. They change the protein bonds in dead protein, which is why Formaldehyde is used to preserve lab specimens. I’ve never used it, and wonder what effect it would really have. Would it make retained sole less likely to slough off? That might not be a good thing.

[outside_leg]

Do you have a farrier you trust? Honestly, the best place to turn for advice would be someone who knows this horse and knows their trade. There’s plenty of conflicting advice about barefoot vs. shoes. The truth often lies in the anatomy of the individual horse, and that’s hard to guess at online. Talk to your farrier or your vet. Get a couple of opinions from people who can watch him go and whose advice you trust. Their feet are too important to get wrong IMO.

[Kolsch]

I’d ask the farrier you love about what to expect. What sort of footing will you be on?

I thought the typical white sand Welly footing was very drying and very abrasive. I’m a little envoious of it actually, as a DQ I love how it rides and wish I could have it here up north. If you’re on a modern footing it will be different. As I said, your farrier will know how horses typically respond.

[ThirdCharm]

I’m with PNWJumper. I don’t want a young horse to say “you know, I don’t want to extend/jump/carry myself because it makes my feet sting a little bit”. If my horse is trying to do what is asked it should not be painful for him, I think that erodes the trust that is essential for animals that are going to hurl themselves over huge solid obstacles on my behalf.

Jennifer

[Palm_Beach]

Shoes will give him a bit more traction and protect him a bit if the ground is hard. If his feet tend to crack and chip, he may need them. I agree with PNW about the hinds - they can make a world of difference and help him feel secure. I only shoe behind for competition purposes - anything that is just being ridden recreationally goes barefoot or just in fronts. I hate hoof boots - they will change your horse’s action for the worse.

[Foxtrot_s]

Was going to post about hinds - but don’t need to = it has been said.
A horse will go more on the forehand if shod in front and will protect the hinds
if they are not hind shod.

Horses will move better and if in work will be more willing if they do not expect twinges.

OTOH - if a horse can truly go barefoot or is not in a program of real work, then
who would put shoes on if not necessary.

In a herd, some people are worried about kicks.

Go with the recommendations of your farrier and study your own horse in front of you.

[specifiedcupcake]

[QUOTE=Scribbler;8937370]
Would it make retained sole less likely to slough off? That might not be a good thing.[/QUOTE]

That actually exactly what I’ve found. In a pinch, on a thin soled horse on wet ground, it’s great for sole application periodically. But it will cause retained sole with long term use, which isn’t so ideal on harder ground, or when the horse is not being worked enough to wear that chemically-induced callus down.

I don’t mind using it regularly around the outer wall on the bottom 3rd of the hoof wall though- I DO find it helps with chipping if you’re out riding in mud and rocks and rustic terrain (I ride with endurance horses to keep my jumper fit - barefoot thoroughbred at that).

[Meshach]

I really struggled with this. My last horse from 16 months to when I sold him at 6-ish never had to put shoes on him. His bare feet were beautiful, he was never ouchy and I never had a moment’s worry about them, it was wonderful.

The current horse turned 3 in April and I had no intention of shoeing him any time soon of course … until his feet just fell apart this summer. He started showing up lame about beginning of June just walking in pasture (he was not in any kind of work), he got seedy toe and gravel started getting up in there. I did all I could per vet and trimmer’s advice. Lame. Then the hooves started breaking up (was always on a strict 4 week trim cycle) and the abscesses started. 3 in one foot alone. I think gravel and crap was getting up in there in spite of my attempts to fix. Two different vets told me he would benefit from shoes at least up front. They said his feet are a bit flat although have good sole depth.

Then the trimmer started to get really weird. He has an unreasonable hatred of vet advice, I think especially “lady vets”. Was in complete denial that the hooves were that bad off (vet also said hooves were starting to flare which I never mentioned to him because he would have hit the roof) and he was adamant that the abscesses were coming down from the leg (???) even faced with x-rays showing the tracts.

I had plans to send him to my trainer to be lightly started this fall and like others mentioned on this thread the last thing I wanted to do was make him work when his bare feet would be ouchy. and he wouldn’t want to go forward. And more important than that, I certainly didn’t want him to be ouchy even when wandering around his own pasture. He was lame the entire summer in spite of all my work to try and fix his feet (hoof boots would not have worked for his turn out situation) so I put front shoes on him 8/30 and he’s been sound and problem free since. New farrier doing great job. My trainer recommended putting hinds on him in spring. He’ll be getting the winter off and is being super lightly ridden now. I hate that he has shoes so young but I also don’t want him to be sore.

[fordtraktor]

I usually pull shoes in winter and on any horse that isn’t doing much but I find that once I am riding a horse 4-5 days a week, the hooves don’t hold up to my arena footing and they need shoes. I think I have similar footing to PNWjumper (fines). I do think it is very important that they not go “ouch!” when jumping. it can create confidence issues, just like having sore hocks or any other small lameness issue.

I don’t tend to shoe 3 year olds either, they don’t work hard enough to need it.

If sending to WEF I would definitely shoe. the circuit can be draining on horses…we always shod and also poulticed soles after all jumping days to keep the horses happy. and a week “off” in the middle.

[Dune]

[QUOTE=PNWjumper;8937141]
I typically shoe my horses all around as soon as they are in work >3 days a week.

I used to wait longer, and also used to do fronts only with hinds to follow maybe 6 mos to a year later.

But I had a couple of horses who started getting a bit tender as the work load increased and I realized that playing on that line of sore/not sore is a TERRIBLE idea with a young, impressionable horse, with the worst piece of that plan being the period of time between being comfortable to the moments before they SHOW tenderness. I don’t want them feeling ANY discomfort that’s easily preventable when they’re learning how to go under saddle.

And in regard to the fronts-first-hinds-later plan, I had two horses in a row who improved dramatically when I finally put hinds on them. I wish I hadn’t mucked around without the hind shoes for the first 6ish months. Neither were particularly tender without the hinds, but the additional power and support I felt behind after adding the shoes was, well…surprising.

So now I put them in shoes all around at the beginning of their coming 4/at 4 year old year.

That means that they’re typically barefoot in their 3yo year where I’m backing them and putting 60-90 days on them over the course of the summer.

But once they’re ready to be ridden more regularly and start jumping they all go into shoes all around.

Now with that being said, another component that plays into my decision is the fact that my arena footing is coarse sand and isn’t the easiest on bare hooves. And also, I don’t find the horseshow venues to be great for non-shod horses. Several of our venues have dirt paths with a fair number of rocks between rings and around the show grounds, and I want the babies more protected for that too since I have my 4 year olds out at all of the shows my older horses go to.[/QUOTE]

THIS^^^ in spades. Plus, remember, if these horses are sore bilaterally, you won’t see “lameness”. Trust me, once you put the shoes on, you’ll be kicking yourself for waiting if it’s gone on too long…

[ChocoMare]

As a trimmer, I have more and more clients staying barefoot, sound, on a majority of surfaces all year round–up to Training Level in eventing. If you’re doing low-level fences/eventing, let the horse build the hoof…

No/low sugar in the diet, super low starch (like 10% or less NSC percentage) and movement, movement, movement on all types of surfaces as tolerated. You cannot ever expect a hoof with a thin sole to handle hard rocks. That’s cruel. If you’re riding on a surfaces he’s ouchy on, boot him up. LOVE the Equine Jogging Shoe. This way, the hoof is still operating as designed…expanding & contracting, building deeper digital cushion. Plus, when you’re done, off they come and you hose 'em off.

Here is an album of one of the first eventers I trimmed. He was sore in the hocks & stifles and the owner was going to inject him. She agreed to try barefoot first, during the off season, and then we’d reevaluate. He’s been barefoot now for 5 years–still sound, even jumping.

Jeffrey–Perch/TB cross gelding.

As to Keratex: it’s an excellent hardener and great for toughening the sole. Durasole is terrific too.