Talk to me about your Barefoot Transition/Experiences

[FjordBCRF]

Hello!

30+ year equestrian here. I have recently got back into horse ownership this summer with a wonderful 3-year-old fjord gelding named Charlie. He came to me shod with borium on all fours as he had been trained to drive and needed the extra traction on the road. Totally understandable. After our first two weeks, I noticed that the shoe nails were starting to protrude from his hoof wall and even though it was only about 4 weeks total from his last reset, I had my blacksmith come out to take a look and have him reset. At 2.5 weeks from his reset with me, the hoof nails were starting to protrude again. I didn’t like how sharp they were and how quickly this was happening…nor the implications of his shoes shifting and having to have new nail holes potentially at an increased rate.

The root cause of this as it was explained by my blacksmith is a combination of A) 12+ hour daily turnout time (4 geldings on 30 acres), B) hoof swell/softening of standing in grass with morning dew on it, C) impact from stomping flies. His recommended was essentially less turnout if I wanted to keep the shoes on and not have this happen so quickly. I want my horses to have as much turnout as possible so needless to say, I wasn’t all about this suggestion. I asked his opinion on boots, and to my surprise, he seemed to think that could be a good solution and recommended Scoot Boots which I am impatiently awaiting their arrival haha.

I had his shoes pulled last Wednesday the 19th and he seems to be doing ok. I know that that it will take some time for him to develop callouses and strength on different terrain to be completely sound barefoot. This is where I could use some advice/support as I am a huge worrier. I understood for this to happen, he needs to move, and he needs to be slowly introduced to the harsher terrains.

My boarding barn has 900+ acres of trails (it’s amazing) and a large outdoor sand arena. To get to the softer trails, there is gravel all-weather trails you have to walk on first so I have put a pause on any trail riding until I get my Scoots in. I gave him Wednesday off, did a very light 20-minute ride in the arena Thursday and he was ok, had a 40-minute lesson with my trainer Friday which he was solid during the ride mostly walking, a little bit of trotting and a brief canter both directions. I could tell he was tender later after the ride but again, was doing ok. He had Saturday off and I did 20 mins today in the arena of light (mostly walking/lateral work) and I felt him take a couple off steps but otherwise felt normal.

I have never transitioned a horse to barefoot before, and thankfully do have my trainer to get insight from and am working Charlie under her guidance. I tend to err on being super conservative/worry wort with things like this, probably to the point of shying away from much that I know will make him ouchy and I feel conflicted about even the light work that I have done. If he is stepping carefully out of his stall or on the grass, I wouldn’t think about riding at even the walk in the sand, but he has been ok on the softer terrains. He is a fjord, and therefore really a draft pony and his hooves seem to be in pretty good shape with no concerns from my blacksmith or trainer. No issues with his hoof shape for fitting the Scoots (they sized him via photos/measurements) either. In theory, we should be ok given some time and I am in no rush with him, especially with him still being on the younger side and working on foundational training and relaxing/balance on the trails.

Any advice? Even with the Scoots, I know I will have to introduce to rougher terrain barefoot if I want him to acclimate. I am so conditioned to see a horse take a misstep and having it be a cause for concern and not part of conditioning. I know how I walk barefoot outside on gravel with not being used to it and it’s not pretty lol, but the more I do it, the less discomfort. I should add that I intend to give him time off until the Scoots arrive to let him heal any sore spots he may have developed.

[goodhors]

You might put some hoof hardener on his soles , see if that helps right now.

Ask Farrier (blacksmiths work iron, not hooves) to not remove much sole on the next trim. You want sole depth to protect the bones inside, not trimmed out much to look pretty, Horse might also need more toe length left on for abrasion of dirt trail riding, outside travel. Farrier SHOULD trim slightly longer for barefoot use by leaving on a bit more hoof length and sole to wear off between trims, than when preparing hoof for shoes that have no hoof wear between trims.

Fjords I know have very good hoof quality, though fly stomping, wet grass and mud DO affect it in keeping shoes tight. Most Fjords I know go barefoot unless being worked a lot to wear hoof off or need traction for road driving. Keeping good hooves under the Fjord horses is a breed goal.

I commend you on going slow with him, at 3 yrs he is very physically immature. They are very willing though, so it is easy to overwork them for their age. Still growing, they have soft bones, at only 3yrs. Being bigger boned also means it can take longer to finish maturing at 6-7 years. There are NO “early maturing” breeds, despite otherwise “knowledgable” people saying there are! Straight line riding on trails is very good for young horses, not the constant circles of a ring, once you get good control on him. Not 15-20 mile rides, but 4 to 6 at easy gaits, a couple times a week should be fine. The gentle impact exercise helps harden bone too. Trail riding is very mentally stimulating for horses, no boring walls. New things to see, get accepting about.

You may need the boots only for a short time! Then you don’t have to bother with them. If you like turnout, is it possible for night turnout, in during the day? He will have less fly biting, less wet grass to go thru. Will be waiting in the barn when you arrive to ride! Ha ha Horses do fine with night turnout instead of daylight turnout…

Congratulations on your new boy! Those who own them, love them.

[FjordBCRF]

Thank you for the response goodhors! I should add that he did have a true barefoot trim and I am also using Keratex hoof hardener. He has only been on pasture and hay (easy keepers) but I also started him on Life Data Farriers Formula Double Strength to make sure he is getting anything he could be missing otherwise. Everything I’ve read on fjords points to barefoot unless they really need shoes for their work. I talked to the seller as well before we pulled them and he thought that he would acclimate just fine.

My blacksmith/farrier gave me a rasp to take off any ugly edges in between his visits if needed especially as the nail holes grow out. I’m also fortunate to share our barn with a couple that does 50-100 miles endurance races. They are mostly barefoot but will use boots as needed and shoe for the long races. The husband of the couple took some barefoot trimming courses through a nearby university and has been doing their trims for the last 8 years and offered to teach me. My trainer has had him trim some of her horses and trusts his skills so I’m excited to learn more and hopefully be able to do a little myself. And at least have the extra eyes if need be.

Were in no rush, and he already has a solid foundation, good manners and a heart of gold. Your are 100% with fjords being so willing, that has completely been my experience and part of why I pulled in a trainer to make sure we pace ourselves. 20 min sessions on a horse that tries, is willing and picks new concepts up quickly goes by so fast and is easy to want to keep going! I wasn’t looking for a 3 year old, he just happened to check every other box and is the youngest horse I’ve worked with. The intention with training now is to work on foundational skills that can be practiced on the trail; shoulder movement/lateral work, balance, manners, unexpected things etc. And of course just enjoying the scenery. And we’re right in the 4-6 mile range/several times a week as well which he seems to do well on and enjoy.

I did the showing thing and that burnt me out in my early 20’s. I’ve been finishing welsh cobs over fences for the last 15 years (love me a pony) and have worked with several drafts/draft crosses over those years too. A fjord seemed like the perfect combination! I’ll be 37 in October and the intention is for us to be a pair well into both of our later years. Starting off slow to get to that is a small price to pay. This part is just nerve wracking!

[FjordBCRF]

Thank you for the response goodhors! I should add that he did have a true barefoot trim and I am also using Keratex hoof hardener. He has only been on pasture and hay (easy keepers) but I also started him on Life Data Farriers Formula Double Strength to make sure he is getting anything he could be missing otherwise. Everything I’ve read on fjords points to barefoot unless they really need shoes for their work. I talked to the seller as well before we pulled them and he thought that he would acclimate just fine. He also does get turned out overnight! Usually around 7PM to 8 or 9AM.

My blacksmith/farrier gave me a rasp to take off any ugly edges in between his visits if needed especially as the nail holes grow out. I’m also fortunate to share our barn with a couple that does 50-100 miles endurance races. They are mostly barefoot but will use boots as needed and shoe for the long races. The husband of the couple took some barefoot trimming courses through a nearby university and has been doing their trims for the last 8 years and offered to teach me. My trainer has had him trim some of her horses and trusts his skills so I’m excited to learn more and hopefully be able to do a little myself. And at least have the extra eyes if need be.

Were in no rush, and he already has a solid foundation, good manners and a heart of gold. You are 100% with fjords being so willing, that has completely been my experience and part of why I pulled in a trainer to make sure we pace ourselves. 20 min sessions on a horse that tries, is willing and picks new concepts up quickly goes by so fast, and is easy to want to keep going! I wasn’t looking for a 3-year-old, he just happened to check every other box and is the youngest horse I’ve worked with in this capcaity. The intention with training now is to work on foundational skills that can be practiced on the trail as well as the arena; shoulder movement/lateral work, balance, transitions, manners, unexpected things etc. And of course just enjoying the scenery. And we’re right in the 4-6 mile range/several times a week as well which he seems to do well on and enjoy.

I did the showing thing and that burnt me out in my early 20’s. I’ve been finishing welsh cobs over fences for the last 15 years (love me a pony) and have worked with several drafts/draft crosses over those years too. A fjord seemed like the perfect combination! I’ll be 37 in October and the intention is for us to be a pair well into both of our later years. Starting off slow to get to that is a small price to pay. This part is just nerve-wracking!

[anon6003733]

del

[catchcan]

If he is a little footy, Farrier’s Fix Hoof Oil can help. It is just a generally good hoof conditioner but also has mild natural analgesic properties that helps with low grade tenderness. If possible, a load of pea gravel in the most popular standing area of his paddock does wonders to acclimate their feet to barefoot. Work him on a variety of surfaces, slowly increasing time per day and difficulty of terrain over time. When I say work, that can mean mostly in hand with this young horse. The idea is to put some miles on the hooves most days so that the tissues can adapt and the movement can help send blood flow to the area. A healthy barefoot frog literally acts as a pump with each step, but it needs time to get back to doing that after being in shoes. Make sure that the frog is not trimmed much if at all. It needs to have contact with the ground to function properly but you may need to get to that place slowly if it is tender at first. My eventer is barefoot and, with a correct barefoot trim every 6 weeks, is sound and sure in any footing I encounter. Always glad to hear about folks letting horses that can be barefoot do so.

[Scribbler]

I’ve been in Barefoot World for the past decade.

It’s the PNW so it’s soft damp paddocks and lots of hogfuel. It’s the suburbs so our trails are mostly purpose built cinder or crusher dust trails in mixed use parks.

My conclusion is that in our particular environment, almost no horse can go truly barefoot year around, meaning do a big trot and gallop happily on those cinder trails. But the barefoot horses all perform very happily in boots, my preference right now being Scoots, but I’ve also used and liked Renegades. Usually just front boots are enough.

If you listen to your horse you will be able to feel when he is sucking back on a given footing. For instance my mare was doing big trot and canter barefoot on crusher dust trails in February and March. In April she started to suck back a little so I put her Scoot Boots back on in front. Either she had worn her toes down enough to want boots or the warmer wetter weather was making her feet more tender.

Any healthy horse should be comfortable on sand and turf barefoot, however.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

The very best thing you can do to help the transition is with the diet, next the trim and boots to help him if he’s going to be sore and I love love hoof armor to help build sole. Switch the diet 4-6 weeks before pulling the shoes.

Easy Boot gloves (if they fit) are great to help them transition and I also like to use EVO foam for padding if they need it. Address any whiteline or thrush the horse may have as well… If there is thrush in the central sulcus (the buttcrack at the back of the frog) can hinder a heel first landing if there is soreness from it. Keratex can help control the moisture as it sounds like he’s in a wet environment, which can wreak havoc on the feet.

A forage first low starch/sugar diet with sufficient magnesium, copper and zinc, balanced with the iron in the diet. Test your hay!

Pete Ramey has a lot of good information on his website as well as the article on diet https://www.hoofrehab.com/Articles.html
Page Poss has a lot of great stuff too http://www.ironfreehoof.com/

[FjordBCRF]

Thanks all, this conversation is proving really helpful to me. In his paddock, there is ground asphalt around the area where their shed is as well as around the water trough, so that should help condition. I live where our climate is all over the place…right now things are horridly dry and hard. His feet get soggy in the mornings from the dew in the grass but any other time its very dry and hard ground so there is constant expanding/swelling of the hooves then going back once they dry out again. We tend to get more mud in the spring and while our winters have been mild recently, snow/ice/mud on any given day as well in the pasture, and we will have to stick to the all weather trails during that time of the year. I believe they get a bit less turnout time during the cold half of the year and are switch to daytime vs overnight.

BoyleHeightsKid, I have been learning more about diet related to healthy hooves and think we are in a good place at the moment; pasture 12-14 hours/day, access to hay in his stall the rest of the time he is in, plus the Farriers Formula supplement and salt/mineral blocks. I’ll have to ask if their has been any testing on their hay!

He had a day off from riding today and when I turned him out, he was on the ground asphalt a bit longer than Ive seen him and was moving around just fine, so hopefully we are on our way

[ToTheNines]

When you pull shoes, the worst phase is while the nail holes are growing out. I smeared hoof putty into the holes on one of mine recently and it seemed to help

Keep his feet as dry as possible.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@FjordBCRF

BoyleHeightsKid, I have been learning more about diet related to healthy hooves and think we are in a good place at the moment; pasture 12-14 hours/day, access to hay in his stall the rest of the time he is in, plus the Farriers Formula supplement and salt/mineral blocks. I’ll have to ask if their has been any testing on their hay!

Try to estimate how much iron is in the diet… most likely you’re going to need to add more copper and zinc as the FF does not have adequate amounts. Ideally you would like a iron/copper/zinc ratio of 4:1:3

[stb]

@BoyleHeightsKid

Try to estimate how much iron is in the diet… most likely you’re going to need to add more copper and zinc as the FF does not have adequate amounts. Ideally you would like a iron/copper/zinc ratio of 4:1:3

Agreed. Also, mineral blocks have added iron and that works against the copper and zinc. Best to use plain salt.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@stb

Agreed. Also, mineral blocks have added iron and that works against the copper and zinc. Best to use plain salt.

Yes… I add 2tb of plain iodized salt directly to their feed and white salt blocks only. I try to avoid added iron as much as possible because they are getting more than what they need from water/hay/pasture.

[kashmere]

Ok when I see a post with a title like this I have to give myself a stern talking-to that it’s not time to write my personal memoirs in response :lol: But this is one of my favourite things to do and talk about!

OP, I think you’re already starting off in a great place because you are thinking about this as a transition and being careful and smart about how you go about this change for your horse. You’ve also probably got some advantage with a young horse whose digital cushion and other soft tissues of the hoof are likely in pretty tip top shape - and he’s still developing physically, so lots of time to set him up for a lifetime of sound feet. So exciting!

Like @BoyleHeightsKid mentioned, diet is a key part of growing and keeping a foot healthy: low sugar, forage-first, and adequate supplementation of minerals to balance the rest of the diet. If your barn has a regular hay supplier, you might be able to see if they have their hay tested and could give you the results so you can really customize your supplementation. If that’s not an option, there are a few great “all around” supplements - KIS Trace, California Trace +, Amino Trace + from MadBarn, Vermont Blend, Arizona Copper Complete from Horsetech - that can work with most forage. The thing you’ll want to figure out for sure is whether your hay is coming from a high or low selenium area so you can choose appropriately.

I reiterated the diet aspect because it’s so often something that holds horses back from success that we don’t realize - excess sugars or a deficiency in key minerals can cause poor laminar connection and make it really really challenging to get a horse comfortable!

Something I think is super super important is figuring out what a successful barefoot horse means to you, and then figuring out whether that’s realistic with your horse’s lifestyle. If our reference point is a shod horse who can go over just about any terrain without a second thought, and we consider our horses unsuitable for BF if that’s not also the case with them, we are pretty well setting ourselves up for failure. I’d argue that most horses - without significant chronic pathology - can indeed get to the point of being barefoot “rock eaters” if they are given a dialed in diet and the opportunity to move most of the day over varied terrain conditioning their feet, but in reality most of us as owners - especially when we board - aren’t able to provide that kind of lifestyle. My goal is to get the horse moving and standing comfortably on the surfaces on which they’re turned out and bedded, and then boot as necessary for any activity I want to do with them. Sometimes that’s as simple as pulling shoes and the horse moves out like a champ in their turnout environment and maybe only needs boots on rocky trails. Sometimes it’s a full on rehab process. Sounds like you’re much closer to the first scenario (and those Fjord feet are probably working in your favour! ). It also sounds like you already have this sort of mindset going into the process, so I hope this doesn’t sound preachy!

You say you’ve noticed some tenderness after a lesson - not super surprising, he’s using his feet in different ways and that takes adjustment. On the other hand, you’ll want to make sure there is nothing lurking that will set you back in your transition, like thrush in the central sulcus of the frog - often missed because that telltale thrushy smell can be absent. Fjords tend to have pretty big, robust frogs by nature (lucky ducks) - so what you’re looking for is a crack in the centre of the frog, up in between the heel bulbs - I’ve attached a picture of my most recent personal rehab from not long after I pulled his shoes this past January. He had a severe central sulcus infection that took months of treatment to resolve - same hoof is attached just this past week, you can see how the central area of the frog has gone from a deep crevice to a shallow indent. There is still a small crease at the bottom, as we are continuing to work on expanding his heels, so I’m not putting it forward as an “ideal” image, just a good contrast between a healthy frog and one with the dreaded CS crevice. This horse was written off as essentially permanently lame - mostly because of unrecognized thrush. I suspect you don’t have anything quite so dramatic going on, but it’s a good thing to be aware of and look for because it is so often overlooked and so often extremely painful to the horse and a major roadblock in soundness. When a horse is shod with its frog out of contact with the ground (not always necessarily the case, but the majority of shod horses I see do not make frog/ground contact), even very severe cases of thrush often don’t cause lameness, so it can be hard to wrap our head around the fact that it’s possible for something as “simple” as thrush to have such a huge impact.

Last thing - promise! sorry, the memoir has come out after all! - is just a word not to be discouraged if the boots you receive from Scoot aren’t the right fit. I use Scoots as well and I love them. I initially ordered through the main company page and was sized incorrectly twice. They were super sweet and helpful, but the whole shipping to and from Australia was a biiiit of a bummer! I ended up finding a rep to work with who could send me a fit kit and help me evaluate fit via pics/videos and we’ve been good to go ever since! Not saying that will be the case for you necessarily, but just a word not to give up if it doesn’t work first shot

[kande04]

As his hooves develop and become stronger you may want to take his boots with you when you ride, but delay putting them on until he really needs them, because part of developing a strong bare hoof is allowing the ground to stimulate the hoof. And because of that, over-protection is the enemy, and especially so for those of us who tend to be that way with our horses.

Get the hooves healthy, and then challenge them.

I take the nosebands off my bridles and leave a halter on underneath instead so that I can tie them out on trail, and that makes it a lot easier to get off and put on or take off boots.

IOW, I try not to miss any opportunities to further condition the hooves.

[FjordBCRF]

@kashmere Thank you for the personal memoir!! All of this info on the diet is really helpful, and not terribly surprising as we has humans tend to eat a crap diet and then wonder why we have chronic health issues I was also hoping that with him being so young, and not really having had shoes on for very long, we would be at an advantage to transition vs a horse that has had shoes on for a decade plus of their life. I have attached the photos I submitted to Scoot to give an idea of where we are starting from at least. I just ordered The Essential Hoof book and am anxious to dive into that to learn more. For being around horses most of my life, I don’t know nearly enough about their feet as I would like to. My order from Scoots has been moving very slowly and I just got confirmation today that it was off delivery exception and should be here next Thursday the 3rd which is much later than expected. The tack stores in my area do not have his size, and neither does the stockist in the area. If they do not fit well when they do arrive, I am going to have the stockist come out and fit him. I feel like by the time that is all sorted he’s going to be adjusted hahaha.

@kande04 That thought crossed my mind! I have pack for my saddle that I can use to carry them and have as needed. I also was looking at those trail bridles that have the bit part on snaps…so that is also a really good thought for this, thanks! Right now since it’s looking like the boots will be taking longer than I expected to arrive, I am thinking to work on conditioning him every other day to give him a day in-between to toughen up. Short rides in the arena and on the grass trails around the pastures plus hand walking on some of the gravely spots. Not getting the boots so quickly might actually be better to NOT have them as an option at the moment for these first couple weeks.

Here are the photos of where we are starting from as of last Wednesday right after his trim.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@FjordBCRF

I was also hoping that with him being so young, and not really having had shoes on for very long.

I do think you’re at an advantage there… my younger OTTB came off the track and was on stall rest for an injury @7, he was by far the easiest one to transition. It’s my senior OTTB who has been a challenge. He had been in shoes with short breaks here and there most of his 22 years. He’s been barefoot now for 1 1/2 years… he’s comfortable now in turnout but still needs boots under saddle and I also use Hoof Armor which does help him.

[FjordBCRF]

@BoyleHeightsKid - Could you tell me a little more about the hoof armor? I rode in the arena yesterday and he was solid and has been good in his pasture, and seemingly even on the crushed asphalt that is in the paddock. Today I gave him the day off from riding but did take a walk up and down the driveway (gave him the option to walk on the grass if he wanted) where it’s a little more stoney and larger chunks than the crushed asphalt in places and he took some big ouch steps. Farrier said he likely would, and I have kept him off it until today. Boy does it hurt my heart to see it!! Does the hoof armor offer additional protection that is more than barefoot but not boot level?

[FjordBCRF]

I look forward to the day when myself and my support group can look back and say, “remember when you literally stressed out over EVERY step Charlie took, and look at him now, he’s just fine.”

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@FjordBCRF

@BoyleHeightsKid - Could you tell me a little more about the hoof armor? I rode in the arena yesterday and he was solid and has been good in his pasture, and seemingly even on the crushed asphalt that is in the paddock. Today I gave him the day off from riding but did take a walk up and down the driveway (gave him the option to walk on the grass if he wanted) where it’s a little more stoney and larger chunks than the crushed asphalt in places and he took some big ouch steps. Farrier said he likely would, and I have kept him off it until today. Boy does it hurt my heart to see it!! Does the hoof armor offer additional protection that is more than barefoot but not boot level?

https://hoofarmor.com/

It helps protect the sole from wear… it’s almost like a coating of super glue. It also helps to toughen the sole and it’s easy to apply yourself.
RIding Warehouse has the starter kit and refill at the best price and free shipping over $75
https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Hoof…page-HASK.html
https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Hoof…page-HARK.html

Video on how to apply it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuYLMreKosw&t=25s

The developer of hoof armor David Jones also has a group on facebook called The Successful Hoof Care Group.