Should I put shoes on my retired TB?

[NaturalSelection]

I have five barefoot horses and a fantastic barefoot trimmer (only does barefoot). However now that the horses are home on our hobby farm and I can see them all the time I am really noticing how uncomfortable my older, retired TB (Apollo) is after a trim. Apollo is very foot sore and with the frozen mud, it’s terrible. Apollo has been barefoot for the past eight years and has been home for the past two years, but I really think this past year he looks sore. The herd lives out 24/7 and has room to move around but after a trim, Apollo just wants to stay in his shed. I’ve tried giving him bute for a couple of days after a trim, but it’s a total PITA, he won’t eat his grain if it’s laced with bute powder and he’s terrible about the paste, on top of that I’m not even certain that it’s helping! I’m starting to think he may be happier with shoes.

I plan to keep the rest of the horses barefoot since they seem fine. Has anyone else ever given up on the barefoot lifestyle for a particular horse?

[Guilherme]

You give the horse what it needs, when it needs it, and in appropriate quantity and quality.

You give the horse what the HORSE says it needs, not what any human says the horse ought to need; or not need.

Apollo is screaming a message at you; pay attention and act accordingly.

G.

[tabula_rashah]

I would say, yes, for now put shoes on him to make him comfortable. But I would also question what is going on with his feet and the trim that he is sore afterwards- that shouldn’t be the norm.

[trubandloki]

If your horse is not willing to move around after a trim when left barefoot then you either need to change the trim or add shoes.

[NaturalSelection]

Thank you for your responses. I will look for a farrier.

I don’t need the horse to be ridden, but I do want him to be comfortable. I also wanted to add, I believe his nutritional needs are being met with constant hay buffet and ration balancer.

Would a vet be able to determine if a horse needs shoes or not? If Apollo wore shoes for the winter how would I know if he could go barefoot in the summer? Is there benefit to switching shoes/barefoot seasonally? (Benefit for the horse, not the human or the pocketbook).

[JB]

How long have you used this trimmer? How old is Apollo?

First the reason for the soreness needs to be investigated. Sometimes the first sign of Cushing’s is low-grade laminitis which can be made more visible with a fresh trim - less ground clearance.

Is he actually foot sore, or is he body sore due to the torquing of the trimming process?

How long does it typically take for him to become comfortable again? Boots for a few days are an option to full time shoes. But they are still a bandaid if the cause isn’t determined and, ideally, resolved.

[Scribbler]

You are right to be concerned if your horse is uncomfortable in his turnout. A lack of movement will compound the problemd.

However a horse should not be sore after a trim. Discuss this with your trimmer.

If it is temporary, like 2 or 3 days, there are padded boots that can be left on 24/7 (need to come off daily for check and clean). If he is only sore for less than a week after trims, I would try this route first.

You could also try the hoof hardeners, either keratex/ durasole which are formeldahyde based, or hoof armor which is I believe a polymer glue formulation?

A vet can tell you if there are structural problems inside the foot. A vet cannot make the decision for shoes versus barefoot versus boots because that is dependent on many daily variables about use and terrain.

You probably only need to protect the front feet. You may end up needing pads in shoes if his soles are very thin.

[NaturalSelection]

Great comments and questions.

Apollo will be sore for at least a week. Many years ago I used hoof boots on him for light trail riding…but hoof boots on for a week straight seems like a lot.

Apollo is 15 yrs old this year and has been retired from riding due to arthritis and bone spurs since 2010. I haven’t considered Cushing, he doesn’t have a cresty neck and still has a typical TB high metabolism. I’ll read up on other Cushing indicators.

I’m a fairly experienced horse woman with a decent eye for lameness. Apollo never looks “great”, but I usually chalk that up to general body soreness. However foot sore is definitely the dominant factor after a trim. He looks most comfortable in the summer when he’s moving around out on our big grass pastures. He is generally a happy guy and seems to enjoy life on the farm, he’s boss over the two 2yos and weanling. The quick transition to frozen mud in the dry lot is the worst.

Have been using the same barefoot trimmer for the past two years. We’re going to reduce the time between trims (from 8wks to 6wks). Apollo’s front feet have some long cracks that never grow out.

[Scribbler]

It’s not that the cracks don’t grow out. It’s that the hoof keeps cracking. That’s enough to make a horse sore and to introduce infection. Dissections of cracked hooves are really interesting for showing the spread of pathology into the surrounding tissue.

You need to get your trimmer to address the unbalance that’s causing the hoof to continually crack at that place and take pressure off the crack area. You also need to get some extra protein and biotin and perhaps more minerals into the horse to promote faster and harder hoof growth.

Cracks that “never grow out” aren’t just a cosmetic thing. They can be very painful or mildly painful and certainly introduce infection into the deeper layers.

Get this fixed. It will take time.

That will be a huge part of the puzzle of keeping him sound.

[Hej]

Apollo, like lots of thoroughbreds, might just have thin soles and need more protection than your other horses.
I had a lovely TB guy who retired from showing(dressage through I1) at 21 and from riding at 25. He needed front shoes all his life (lost him last winter at 34), even though he lived in a sand/grass field - soft with no rocks.

During his working life he wore shoes with pour in pads on all 4. He never became comfortable without shoes in front, but did not need pads or hind shoes in his very exuberant retirement years.

[JB]

It does sound like there are possibly some trimming issues, and if that’s the case, you need a whole new trimmer - not necessarily a farrier, but possibly. Can you get some good pictures?

8 weeks is pretty long for most horses, especially Spring-Fall when feet tend to grow fastest. If 8 weeks means he gets way too long, stretching the sole, then is trimmed “short”, that alone can cause this cycle of soreness.

A crack that “never grows out” is either one that is continuing to crack due to poor balance, or it’s a permanent superficial crack that is a defect in the wall, originating usually at the coronet band.

[SuzieQNutter]

I have gone through horses being uncomfortable after a trim. I changed back to my old farrier and now they are not uncomfortable ever and they do not have shoes on.

[S1969]

My retired TB mare is in shoes and pads all year long while all my others are barefoot. Because she has thin soles and hard packed clay in summer as well as frozen mud/ruts and ice in winter hurt her feet. Believe me, if there was an easy fix, we’d be doing it, but there isn’t. She needs them.

That said, being sore for a week is not really a sign of typical “sensitive soles”. Nor are cracks that reoccur. I might have a new farrier look at her and give you a recommendation.

I agree that reducing from 8 weeks to 6 weeks should help most horses.

[Chall]

After 13 years of retirement my TB needed borium hind shoes, he refused to move one winter day because of ice/footing. He had hind shoes for the rest of his life.

[longlanefarm]

I had a young TB whose “crack was never growing out”…until I switched farrier/trimmer and her feet were properly balanced. It started to grow out. I tried every supplement, hoof hardener, etc…but without a proper trim it didn’t do anything.

[Bluey]

We have a 20 year old horse with Cushings, on medication for it for four years now.
He was barefoot before, was fine for two years after diagnosis, then just was not any more.
He had an episode of laminitis and after that he just gets sore easily.
Vet looked at him, good hooves, enough sole, good on x-rays and testing, but sure sore walking.
We put front shoes and he was fine then, has been since for two years now, as long as he has shoes.
He was running and playing around in the cold weather this morning, with front shoes.
Because of Cushings he grows toe way too fast, so we have to trim around 5 weeks and reapply shoes.
Before I could address that by a bit of trimming between regular trims.

If a horse tells you it needs any one kind of management, here maybe shoes and your vet doesn’t find any other to address, putting shoes on makes sense.
Easy to see if that will work for him, see if it helps him.

Don’t be surprised if other crops up again, is the way it goes with horses.
Being watchful and concerned as you are and proactive about their needs is what keeps them happy.

[NaturalSelection]

Thank you for all the responses. Your advice and experiences are really helpful. I found a farrier who is recommended by several folks in the area. New farrier will be out on Saturday to assess and can put on shoes.

[SuzieQNutter]

Sigh the farrier that was totally useless was the highest recommended farrier here by vets and customers.

In the end he was lame for 5 weeks after the last trim. I mentally couldn’t get him again and after 10 weeks. Yes you read right 10 weeks I put him on the float and took him to my old farrier who I totally trust.

He said that the off fore is a slightly club foot. The near fore is pigeon toed. They had not trimmed the pigeon toed hoof as a pigeon toed hoof but instead had trimmed it to match the club foot and there was still not enough hoof on it for him to trim.

It costs a heap to get him out here but my horses are happy again.