I tried boots, at some point. We seem to grow rocks in this part of the country. Gave my horses abscesses that would pop out around the heel or the hairline. I tried a few brands, even custom. My speculation is that tiny pieces of rock/sand would be kicked into the boot and rub. Both are shod now, one just in the front. No more abscesses.
I did keep the boots, though, and use them when somebody pulls a shoe while I’m waiting for farrier to come.
As a 4-H kid in SE PA in the 90s the horses I was around were owned by people who were knowledgeable but not involved in anything competitive, though some had been in the past. Horses only got shoes if they needed them, only fronts was common, but horses who needed more got it. Now I’m curious how they came to that if it wasn’t a common approach.
I do not want to own a horse that requires shoes. Period. The only exception to this is if I’m riding in the mountains and the horse absolutely needs them. That’s actually one of my requirements when buying a horse. I want something with healthy feet.
I’ve had one horse that required shoes. She was a neglect case that had navicular syndrome and thin soles. She eventually went barefoot and thrived.
Unless your horse has a problem that needs correcting or you are working them on poor footing, they should be okay without shoes.
We probably ran in the same circles.
I can say that people absolutely knew horses should only get shoes if they needed them. Many of the lightly worked or strictly pleasure horses on our farm were barefoot or only shod in the front, too. But for whatever reason, that knowledge went out the window when your horse made it to the show ring; then the horse needed shoes.
25 years ago my horse only got shoes on all 4 when we were going to show on grass and needed studs. Otherwise we did shoes in front or went barefoot. Most everyone pulled shoes in winter and the feet got a break.
Now there are a plethora more options for boots. Scoot boots in particular are low profile and if they fit well can be used in all sorts of terrain, stay on, and don’t cause rubs. For a horse that is mostly arena ridden, it’s nice to keep them barefoot and just throw the boots on before heading out on the trail.
The cost of shoeing has also doubled (or more) in the past 20 years, one or two cycles will easily pay for boots.
Availability of good farriers must have an influence too.
What part of the US/world do you live in, generally?
If the boots are sized correctly there is room to accommodate growth. My horse is trimmed every 6 weeks, and his boots (Scoots) fit the entire 6 weeks. Of course, they are a little roomier just after a trim and a little snug just before a trim, but he goes well in them the entire 6 weeks. He’s never had a boot come off just after a trim or had any rubs just before a trim. Of course, if you wait too long between trims the hooves will grow enough that you can’t get boots on, but you shouldn’t be waiting that long between trims even for a pasture pet.
Where I live, almost all horses except pasture pets are shod. In fact, my farrier says I’m his only client that uses boots. I think that for cutting cows or barrel racing or other work that requires sharp turns at speed shoes are probably better, but I don’t understand why more people don’t use boots for trail riding.
Even horses with hard, healthy feet may need shoes depending on what you ask of them?
When I was younger I rode my horses hard enough and every day that their shoes were paper thin when the shoeing cycle came round. I fear they would have had no foot left if I didn’t!
I do believe that the majority of horses are not ridden like that today. I know mine aren’t.
Honestly, it’s often the places plagued with less knowledgeable farriers where you find all the horses in shoes. Poor trimming creates problems like cracking and soreness, which are interpreted as, “the horse needs shoes.” The shoes seem to solve the problem once applied. But then a few months later, other problems creep up and the subpar farrier just says, “your horse has bad feet, try a hoof supplement.” And the cycle continues. #hoofcareinamerica
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