My horse has extremely sensitive feet, but he only gets one day off then a light hack.
[QUOTE=Daisyesq;8360036]
We trim and re-shoe them every 5 weeks. No rest day.[/QUOTE]
^ this.
I’ve heard of this but do not follow this practice. I very rarely have a horse come up sore after the farrier comes out and, if one does, I make sure the farrier knows so it doesn’t happen again. I think this recommendation is more common among farriers who routinely trim horses too short or who go long periods of time between appointments. In my opinion, horses should not be sore after seeing the farrier (a few possible exceptions may apply).
I’ve never needed to give any of mine a rest day.
I have never needed to give any of mine a rest day.
No .
red flag.
[QUOTE=Crockpot;8360783]
No .
red flag.[/QUOTE]
Yes but of course it depends on the farrier and their experience level and of course whether or not you trust them and their knowledge - I had a master farrier for 20 years in France who recommended no riding (turn out or handwalking permitted) the day of the shoeing. However the next day we were back in the irons.
In fact several barns I worked at all over Europe had farriers who practised this routine.
I still adher to it with my guy and as he gets shod usually in the morning he’ll get a T/O in the afternoon and start working again the next day.
I asked my old French farrier why he recommended this. Beside tradition, he said that in the case of hot shoeing and/or corrective shoeing every 6 - 7 weeks, he likes the foot to rest and the nails and shoe to set before working them again.
[QUOTE=Crockpot;8360783]
No .
red flag.[/QUOTE]
I disagree.
Most people in the US seem to be on a 6 week cycle. That is enough growth in the hoof that changes, however minute, can be significant.
It’s common sense, really. Small adjustments in the hoof significantly impact the ligament/tendon structure… just think how one degree in the palmar angle makes for a sound or unsound horse…
Rest Day After New Shoes?
Yes. The day after shoeing, mine are turned out. Day after that, lightly ridden. Then back to regular work. Same farrier for 20+ years. This has been my program for as long as I can remember, with no regrets.
1 Like
[QUOTE=beowulf;8360909]
I disagree.
Most people in the US seem to be on a 6 week cycle. That is enough growth in the hoof that changes, however minute, can be significant.
It’s common sense, really. Small adjustments in the hoof significantly impact the ligament/tendon structure… just think how one degree in the palmar angle makes for a sound or unsound horse…[/QUOTE]
This is the reasoning someone gave on this forum which made me decide to follow the idea.
I had never had problems riding the day my horses were re-shod, but my gelding was on a 7 week shoe cycle exactly, because less and he didn’t have enough hoof to hold a shoe, and longer and he would lose a shoe. So when I thought about it, 1 day just to let them move around on their own and adjust seemed reasonable and it doesn’t harm anything in their fitness or training.
[QUOTE=Crockpot;8360783]
No .
red flag.[/QUOTE]
Not necessarily.
I was taught to not jump the day after shoeing-- to allow the ligaments and such a minute to adjust to new angles before putting them under maximal strain. Flat work for the in-work horse was not considered too much.
So I’d give a horse a day off after shoeing if:
-
The farrier did make a significant change in trimming or shoeing. This might be that, say, the horse had a wedge on for the first time, or someone had let him go a couple of weeks too long.
-
The horse just has thin soles such that he’s really, really hard to trim without getting a little bit tender. This isn’t the horse you’d call “unsound” unless you knew him. It might be a horse you keep barefoot. It might be one with inconvenient foot genetics.
But giving a horse a day off doesn’t categorically mean that the farrier is unskilled or too aggressive, or even that the horse is being managed badly. Sometimes horses are Fragile Flowers who take special care. And sometimes HOs’ standards for soundness are extraordinarily high, so they are really conservative in their management practices.
Thanks for the insight all. Farrier came out this AM and did a great job of explaining the changes she was making to my horse’s feet. FTR - he was about 2 weeks long due to the fact that the date I had to ship him vs the date I moved just fell poorly in-between old farrier and new farrier schedule (moving is such a pain in the butt!)
Some pretty big changes were made, but she said walking under saddle in the arena is fine later today and return to light work tomorrow depending on how he feels. makes sense to me. Just goes to show each horse is different, and each pro’s treatment plan will differ.
[QUOTE=belgianWBLuver;8360901]
the nails and shoe to set before working them again.[/QUOTE]
They are nails, not glue. If anything, nails will loosen as time goes on. They don’t magically tighten.
As to the shoe “setting” or even settling, well, if it’s been properly fitted and quenched before nailing, well, that doesn’t make any sense either.
I can totally see giving a day or more if there’s been a change. A normal trim and reset/new shoes on a normal foot where angles are not being changed? Makes no sense.
I have always ridden my horses on the day of. I have gotten on directly after shoeing, but would prefer to give them a couple hours, just so they aren’t grumpy from standing still in cross ties and having their feet worked on. I have heard of a couple horses who tend to be tender on the day of shoeing, but I think that is the exception, and would not hesitate to ride the horse unless he has shown problems with that in the past.
Nope. Every once in a while (like no more than once a year) my mare might be a little sore after the farrier but I generally do whatever I normally do with her.
I tend to do a relatively simple ride the DAY of the hoe/trim/reset, but regular work the next day.
