shod hooves.... how do you keep them healthy?

[tidy rabbit]

So my horse has been barefoot for about 7 weeks now. His feet look the best they ever have.

Eventually I want to put the horse back to work and get back to horse showing. I am fairly sure that he will need shoes when he returns to his previous level of work.

My question is this... how do you keep a horse's feet healthy when they are shod? So many people say it's all in the trim, but I've yet to see a horse or pictures of a horse's foot, who has been in shoes for a while that has great looking frogs & heels and nice firm soles.

Is it possible? If so, what does the shoeing job look like? I've been trying to learn as much about feet as I can so your feedback would be much appreciated! :)

[sublimequine]

So my horse has been barefoot for about 7 weeks now. His feet look the best they ever have.

Eventually I want to put the horse back to work and get back to horse showing. I am fairly sure that he will need shoes when he returns to his previous level of work.

My question is this... how do you keep a horse's feet healthy when they are shod? So many people say it's all in the trim, but I've yet to see a horse or pictures of a horse's foot, who has been in shoes for a while that has great looking frogs & heels and nice firm soles.

Is it possible? If so, what does the shoeing job look like? I've been trying to learn as much about feet as I can so your feedback would be much appreciated! :)

I'd say at least give the horse a chance barefoot, don't throw shoes on just because you're riding more. He may need shoes, he may not. But I'd say make sure ya have a real reason to put them on. :)

As for keeping the hoof itself nice, my farrier does a good job keeping my mare's feet healthy in shoes. He doesn't shoe her too tight so the heels have room to go, trims heel accordingly each visit so she doesn't get contracted or upright, and basically does all the things he does when she's barefoot, honestly. I also find keeping them on a strict schedule REALLY helps. I don't think I'll be doing any more 8 week rotations, unless its the dead of winter, where she's barefoot anyways.

[JHUshoer20]

So my horse has been barefoot for about 7 weeks now. His feet look the best they ever have.


My question is this... how do you keep a horse's feet healthy when they are shod? So many people say it's all in the trim, but I've yet to see a horse or pictures of a horse's foot, who has been in shoes for a while that has great looking frogs & heels and nice firm soles.

Is it possible? If so, what does the shoeing job look like? I've been trying to learn as much about feet as I can so your feedback would be much appreciated! :) Through the services of a competent horseshoer. Understand this, when barefoot the feet wear down and can for lack of a better word largely self maintain. When shod this is not possible so all hoofgrowth is there. This MUST be maintained by frequent trimming. Keep your horse on a schedule possibly shorter than the usual 6 weeks. If you and your shoer try to stretch him out as long as you can he'd be better off staying barefoot for sure.

I also find keeping them on a strict schedule REALLY helps. I don't think I'll be doing any more 8 week rotations, unless its the dead of winter, where she's barefoot anyways.
Absolutely

George

[cosmos mom]

I keep shoes on from about April to November. I make sure that they are reshod every 5-6 weeks. I never put traditional hoof oil on their feet. If I'm at a horse show, I use the Effol lanolin (it's a green gel). I don't bathe the horses frequently in the summer, just sponge them off when they are sweaty to minimize the constant wet-then-dry that causes hoof crumbling. If needed, I use keratex hoof gel, but that's basically the only thing I would apply to the hoof. Oil and water wreck them. I definitely believe that the trim is key. My horses have the same foot barefoot and shod. big, wide frogs and good soles. My gelding used to have a problem with being trimmed to "grow a heel". He threw shoes all the time- now he is kept with low heels, the same as if he were barefoot and he is perfect.

[AppJumpr08]

As the others have said, an excellent farrier is key.

I feed Farrier's Formula to my horses with less then ideal feet, and I swear by it.

[tidy rabbit]

I hope he can stay barefoot, but the demands of the jumper ring probably wont allow for it. Maybe he'll be fine, maybe he wont, time will tell... I'm just curious about horses who have been in shoes for a long long time with no barefoot breaks, how do they keep decent feet? Is it even possible? If a horse is left barefoot until 4 or 5 years old, is it likely that it wont have the type of foot problems you see in horses that have been shod since they were 2 y.o.s (eg... race horses)?

My horse was on a schedule to be reset every 3 weeks on his front feet and gets his hind feet reshod every 6 weeks. I think that I'm going to pull the hind shoes in Dec. I noticed the hind feet were looking crumbly and shelly this last shoeing and I think the hind frogs look a little prolasped. How do you keep that from happening short of heart bar shoes?

Does anyone have any suggestions on good books to read on this subject?

[jetsmom]

Jet's had shoes since he was 2, and will be 11 Jan 1st. I have a wonderful farrier. Jet's feet look great, and have never had any problems. My farrier tells me that he wishes they were allowed to bring their own horses to horse-shoeing competitions, as he says he would take Jet, because he has such nice feet.

(Healthy frogs, never had an abcess or thrush, never off due to shoeing, never had a hot nail from this farrier on any horse I've sen him shoe).

We are normally dry here, so daily hosing isn't a problem for them. When we do get rain and it is muddy, I don't turn out, but will ride instead. I will also use Thrush X/Koppertox a couple of times during the week of mud.

[Daydream Believer]

Old timers used to recommend pulling shoes in the winter and I think that is a very good idea if at all possible.

[JSwan]

I'd say keep the shoes off and see how the horse does. If it turns out you need to have shoes, then just insist on a really good trim.

And like DB says - remove the shoes when the horse is not in work. I'm on a different schedule - (I remove them in spring and give the horse a vacation) because I foxhunt.

My field hunter does have very healthy hooves - nice healthy frog, heels etc.

But I have a good farrier who trims as well as shoes.

A shod horse may have more wear and tear due to the stresses of his/her job - but there is no reason horse shoes (or lack of shoes) should cause it.

Good luck.

[irishcas]

Jet's had shoes since he was 2, and will be 11 Jan 1st. I have a wonderful farrier. Jet's feet look great, and have never had any problems. My farrier tells me that he wishes they were allowed to bring their own horses to horse-shoeing competitions, as he says he would take Jet, because he has such nice feet.

(Healthy frogs, never had an abcess or thrush, never off due to shoeing, never had a hot nail from this farrier on any horse I've sen him shoe).

We are normally dry here, so daily hosing isn't a problem for them. When we do get rain and it is muddy, I don't turn out, but will ride instead. I will also use Thrush X/Koppertox a couple of times during the week of mud.

I for one would love to see clear photos of Jets feet, both lateral and sole shots. I'm dying to find good quality healthy feet that have been shod a long time.

I hear that they are out there but haven't seen. Would you be kind (brave) enough to share :)

Regards,

[monstrpony]

I have one who has worn shoes for at least the last eight years. He has excellent hoof wall and sole quality, but I'm not happy with his growth pattern--he gets too long in the toe and underrun in the heel--nor with the substance of his frog. He's currently barefoot, has been for just over three weeks, and is still adjusting--pretty sound at the walk, but tentative and a bit sore doing anything else. Alas, I live in a remote area and the farrier I have is most talented one around, but he's difficult to schedule, period, never mind more often than six weeks ... and he isn't thrilled with me taking this horse barefoot, even for the winter. But I've come to believe it is the best thing for the horse, and if he can't deal with that, well ... I may be shooting myself in the foot, but we'll see.

Anyhow, the horse does have good quality wall and sole, in spite of being shod. I think that part comes from what goes inside. But I'm no longer convinced that his feet are as healthy as they might be.

[tidy rabbit]

and he isn't thrilled with me taking this horse barefoot, even for the winter.

My farrier said the same thing, funny though when he was here last week he said "I think now you should leave his shoes off as long as he's progressively getting better."

I think we all tend to get in the mindset of there has to be a way to fix the feet with shoes and keep the horse going that we forget that it's best to give them a break sometimes.

[cosmos mom]

I for one would love to see clear photos of Jets feet, both lateral and sole shots. I'm dying to find good quality healthy feet that have been shod a long time.

I hear that they are out there but haven't seen. Would you be kind (brave) enough to share :)

Regards,

Having seen what happens on this board, I think most folks would prefer swimming with the Great Whites with tuna tied to their butts ;)

[oldenmare]

I have two horses BF and two horses shod.

The shod horses stay that way year round as they are in work year round - they have very good feet - the Oldenmare herself has feet of steel, awesome soles, good growth patterns - started with her BF but in constant work, her feet would inevitably become tender and after a large show, she came back with a stone bruise and that, as they say, was that. Been shod ever since (she hates being tenderfooted).

The Boychild has those lovely TB front feet - that as long as we keep him shod -he has decent sole (not fabulous but not as poor as when he was BF) and good growth.

A good farrier is key. Fortunately, I have a great farrier (he keeps the "retired' event horse sound barefoot and that's something many couldn't do with shoes - she now totes a kid around willingly but isn't in "real" work).

As for the "healthy" - good farrier, good care, good nutrition and especially, good forage. Farrier's formula is wonderful for horses that have less than great feet.

Post pictures - you gotta be kidding me - so that someone I don't know who has a background that may/may not be educated can "enlighten" me - I Do Not Think So!!! And based on a picture - not actually knowing the horse / horse's history in question - Ummmm, Thank you for the offer - but NO, thank you.... not going to open that can of worms (and this is not aimed at any one poster - just my comment on "not going there" on this or any other board).

Unless, of course, I can convince the Oldenmare to wear stilettos - she certainly has the personality for it!!! Vanity and ego - she's got plenty!

[Daydream Believer]

Having seen what happens on this board, I think most folks would prefer swimming with the Great Whites with tuna tied to their butts ;)

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

That was funny! Sadly true though!

[J.D.]

I for one would love to see clear photos of Jets feet, both lateral and sole shots. I'm dying to find good quality healthy feet that have been shod a long time.

I hear that they are out there but haven't seen. Would you be kind (brave) enough to share :)

Regards,

"I'll be your Huckleberry"!!!!!!!!!

Horse is 19, shod 16 years!!!! It's my personal horse and my wife trimmed him last time/\ She don't trimmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cool:

[irishcas]

"I'll be your Huckleberry"!!!!!!!!!

Horse is 19, shod 16 years!!!! It's my personal horse and my wife trimmed him last time/\ She don't trimmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cool:


Give me pictures baby, give me pix :)

;)

Regards,

[Personal Champ]

I have 2 horses, one bare, one shod. I tried taking the 16 y.o. TB bare, but it just didn't work.

Both my shod and unshod horses are on a 5 week schedule in summer, 6-7 weeks in winter, but usually 6. I've found this is key for both of them. My TB's feet look awesome on this rotation, and I have an excellent farrier. Before using this guy, the TB always needed pads (had them on for 4 years), but since the new shoer and schedule, is happy to wear shoes only.

[jetsmom]

I for one would love to see clear photos of Jets feet, both lateral and sole shots. I'm dying to find good quality healthy feet that have been shod a long time.

I hear that they are out there but haven't seen. Would you be kind (brave) enough to share :)

Regards,

I'll try to get pics when he get's his feet done next time, so I can post pics w/o the shoes on, so you can see hoof walls. He;ll be due for new shoes in about 3 weeks. If you will PM me so I can remember who wanted them, I'd appreciate it.

[jetsmom]

Having seen what happens on this board, I think most folks would prefer swimming with the Great Whites with tuna tied to their butts ;)

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Hence the reason I said I would PM her!!!!! I'm a blonde, but I'm not stupid!!!!

[irishcas]

I'll try to get pics when he get's his feet done next time, so I can post pics w/o the shoes on, so you can see hoof walls. He;ll be due for new shoes in about 3 weeks. If you will PM me so I can remember who wanted them, I'd appreciate it.

Hi Jetsmom,

I'll send you a PM. I'd love to see the foot both naked and shod :)

Regards,

[Tom Bloomer]

. . . but I've yet to see a horse or pictures of a horse's foot, who has been in shoes for a while that has great looking frogs & heels and nice firm soles.

Is it possible? If so, what does the shoeing job look like?
Yes it is possible. It might look like this (http://blackburnforge.com/images/hf2.jpg) and this (http://blackburnforge.com/images/hf3.jpg).

Or it might look like this (http://blackburnforge.com/images/P1010177.JPG).

It depends.

[irishcas]

Yes it is possible. It might look like this (http://blackburnforge.com/images/hf2.jpg) and this (http://blackburnforge.com/images/hf3.jpg).

Or it might look like this (http://blackburnforge.com/images/P1010177.JPG).

It depends.

Hi Tom:

The first two images are of the same horse I think... right? How long has this horse been wearing shoes? 365/24/7? Does the horse get a break at all? How long has the horse been your customer?

Nice looking feet and nice shoe job, probably the first one I've ever seen :)

Regards,

[PNWjumper]

I hope he can stay barefoot, but the demands of the jumper ring probably wont allow for it. Maybe he'll be fine, maybe he wont, time will tell... I'm just curious about horses who have been in shoes for a long long time with no barefoot breaks, how do they keep decent feet? Is it even possible? If a horse is left barefoot until 4 or 5 years old, is it likely that it wont have the type of foot problems you see in horses that have been shod since they were 2 y.o.s (eg... race horses)?

My horse was on a schedule to be reset every 3 weeks on his front feet and gets his hind feet reshod every 6 weeks. I think that I'm going to pull the hind shoes in Dec. I noticed the hind feet were looking crumbly and shelly this last shoeing and I think the hind frogs look a little prolasped. How do you keep that from happening short of heart bar shoes?

Does anyone have any suggestions on good books to read on this subject?

All of mine go into shoes when they start work and don't ever come out of them (unless they're going into a 2+ month break from riding). I've seen a HUGE difference between the general condition of the feet and the competency of the shoer who's doing them. My shoer has done my guys for the last 5ish years and they all look fantastic despite the lack of "barefoot breaks." Another shoer was doing a couple of my boarders (when I still had them) and two of those horses had feet that looked pretty bad (chronically bad) until they moved over to my shoer.

Of course it's not ALL about the shoer. A horse that has naturally bad feet can be a tough case. Maybe Havoline is a horse who just needs to have breaks???

[Dune]

The trick is getting a good farrier and then staying on a schedule that is just right, not too short so that you have a ton of nail holes and not too long so that they get out of balance or the worst, pull off a shoe and damage the hoof. :no: You have to be very diligent as an owner, too, about caring for the foot and if your horse needs extras like feed supplements, or Keratex, or whatever, you gotta be on it.:yes:

[tidy rabbit]

Of course it's not ALL about the shoer. A horse that has naturally bad feet can be a tough case. Maybe Havoline is a horse who just needs to have breaks???


I think that may be the case. He improved so quickly and his hoof quality is really good barefoot. Maybe he can be one that just gets shod for the summer & horse showing? I feel bad now that I waited so long to pull him out of shoes. :(

[Tom Bloomer]

Hi Tom:

The first two images are of the same horse I think... right? How long has this horse been wearing shoes? 365/24/7?
Note. Without shoes, this horse's feet peel in layers like an onion. So, no to giving the feet a "break." We tried, and the feet broke, er peeled. ;)
These pictures are about 2 years after I started shoeing him. He was in training the whole time.

Does the horse get a break at all? How long has the horse been your customer?After 2 years traveling 65miles each way, I turned the account over to another farrier (one of my mentors) who lives closer to this client. Far as I know the horse remains in daily work and remains in shoes. 16.3h "sport horse" wears size 0 shoes.

Nice looking feet and nice shoe job, probably the first one I've ever seen :)You need to get out more.:winkgrin: That job is probably as close to the AFA certification standard as anything I ever do in the field. I don't usually perimeter fit a front foot unless that's what the horse needs. This one goes well shod that way. If you ever go to an AFA certification or read the certification study guide, that is pretty much what they are looking for in the live shoeing - except for the hoof polish. ;) Its just everyday work.

[tidy rabbit]

Hey Tom,

Thank you for posting the pictures and the providing some details.

[irishcas]

You need to get out more.:winkgrin:

Sadly I am out a lot and in horse country where people supposedly hire and pay for the best. I've said this a million times, the shoes in my area cost anywhere from 250 to 350 every 6ish weeks and all I see is SH*T.

George Geist has volunteered to come and play with me and I have said I"ll show him around.

I was commenting on the nice looking quality of the trim more than the shoes as maybe I'm not qualified to judge the actual shoeing :) The feet look good and that is why I'd love to see a sole shot/heel shot to look at the frog and DC.

Thanks for sharing.

[Tom Bloomer]

George Geist has volunteered to come and play with me and I have said I"ll show him around.Yea, he's gonna play with you and you're gonna show him around . . . but what about looking at horses? :lol:

[SaddleFitterVA]

Tom,

Nice work. In that last picture, is that some kind of pad under that shoe?

As for the original topic, I have one horse who is barefoot and in regular work, but she wears Old Mac's if we go out on rocky trails. For grass/sand ring work, she is fine so far. She has been in work for a year now (she is 4). The rest, they wear shoes. 23 yr old TB hates being barefoot. 16 year old TB prefers shoes, 10 year old QH/App, more comfortable with shoes.

Mel

[Blinkers On]

I shoe every 4 weeks.
Diligent hoof packing (of whatever packing is required per individual) and valentines. Supplement with zinpro and gelatain. We have great feet with shoes.

[tkhawk]

So my horse has been barefoot for about 7 weeks now. His feet look the best they ever have.

Eventually I want to put the horse back to work and get back to horse showing. I am fairly sure that he will need shoes when he returns to his previous level of work.

My question is this... how do you keep a horse's feet healthy when they are shod? So many people say it's all in the trim, but I've yet to see a horse or pictures of a horse's foot, who has been in shoes for a while that has great looking frogs & heels and nice firm soles.

Is it possible? If so, what does the shoeing job look like? I've been trying to learn as much about feet as I can so your feedback would be much appreciated! :)

I don't have pictures of my mare's feet. She has been shod the five-well it will be six years next May -I have had her. She was born at the track-race home and was there for six years. So I assume she has been shod since like 2? She is great-about 6 or 7 wks you can see the frog kind of get a little icky-not bad but a litle icky. But I trail ride her extensively throgh all kinds of terrain and all gaits and she has never been lame-except once when she cut her leg in pasture-but that has nothing to do with shoeing.
I tried to go barefoot-her feet fall apart and she gets footsore very easily. She is comfortable in shoes and it works for me and she will be 15 this March-so I leave it alone and leave the shoes on.
Hopefully with the mustang I can keep him barefoot-cheaper....

[irishcas]

Yea, he's gonna play with you and you're gonna show him around . . . but what about looking at horses? :lol:

I guess that did sound funny didn't it :) I meant he has volunteered to show me some shoeing techniques and I've volunteered to go look at shoe jobs at some barns I frequent.

The playing all involves horses and their feet ;)

[Tom Bloomer]

Tom,

Nice work. In that last picture, is that some kind of pad under that shoe?
Yes. It is a leather pad (http://blackburnforge.com/images/P1010178.JPG) used to protect the foot from water saturation. It took me about a year to get the back half of this horse's foot to remodel. Started with contracted and crushed heels, chronic heel pain.

It was a very wet year and without the leather pads the back half of the foot kept collapsing inward. Once I got the foot healthy we switched over to barefoot. That was over 2 years ago. So far his feet have stayed healthy with regular maintenance.

Many MANY times in my practice I put shoes on a barefoot horse, grow a better foot, and then pull the shoes and maintain the horse barefoot. The shoes give the feet a "break" so that the horse can grow a healthier foot while continuing to work. You could say I use shoes to help a horse "transition" from unsound barefoot to sound barefoot. Go figure? ;)

[Tom Bloomer]

I guess that did sound funny didn't it :) I meant he has volunteered to show me some shoeing techniques and I've volunteered to go look at shoe jobs at some barns I frequent.

The playing all involves horses and their feet ;)
Yea right. Once he hypnotizes you with the smell the coal smoke and delicate hammer work on the swage blocks, there's no turning back. Next thing you know you'll be a Union Journeyman . . . :lol:

[NSF]

I have several horses that have been shod for years (at least a decade). My first farrier was very good. However, there is a noticeable difference in the quality of my horses hooves with my new farrier. They have healthier frogs, fewer surface cracks, very tough soles. Also, I don't know if this is the right way to describe it, but on a couple, he's been able to get their heels to widen (spread farther apart). My horses hooves have NEVER been so healthy and strong.

[ThirdCharm]

I agree, lovely jobs Tom!

A good basic trim, shoeing with an appropriate size and type of shoe, correctly fitted, using the smallest nails possible (I like 5 slim blades), as few nails as possible (my event horses get four nails per foot), not overdoing the groove under the clinches, trimming the frog only as necessary to keep dirt and bacteria from getting trapped, trimming dead sole to encourage new growth and prevent bruising, proper nutrition, dry clean stalls, dry clean turnouts, appropriate turnout groups, riding correctly and doing an appropriate type and amount of work for the horse, etc. etc. Nothing fancy for any of my show horses except my Prelim horse who gets pads and Equipak only b/c a stone bruise put her out of work for two months that I could ill-afford..... and they all have great feet. I'll get some pics.... I'm shoeing all day at my own barn tomorrow.

Jennifer

[goodhors]

The working horses were shod year round for about 8 years, then had no shoes last winter. Husband had arm surgery, couldn't use them and pulled the shoes. He actually then wished the shoes were on, giving more grip on last years ground. Bare hooves were not grippy.

Any of our horses could model for the trimmed hoof, freshly shod hoof in the photos. They are larger hoofed. I would call the 16.3H animal with 0 hooves, a bit small footed, not a horse I would want to own. The job done on him looks very nice though.

We purposely look at animals with good hooves and legs, before checking the rest of the animal out. That old saying "No hoof, no horse" is real important to us. Those cute little feet are not tolerated here, they seldom hold up in hard work and we use our animals hard. We have Cleveland Bay cross horses, with solid hoof structure an important part of the breeding goals and inspection of the Purebred breeding animals. Part of the reason we checked Cleveland Bay crosses out to buy. Lots of good hoof quality mentioned in Cleveland breed remarks from ALL folks. I believe hoof sizes are very important, meaning small hooves are not as good, even on smaller animals. As a kid the Western horses then wore ones and twos when shod, even at only 15 hands. Those animals stayed sound for years.

Our horses have nice thick walls, good soles, frogs. They get our own grain mix, lots of hay or pasture. Turned out daily, sound all the time. The barefoot youngsters have nice feet too, sound, solid. No "issues" if changed from shod to bare or back to shod, no transition times needed. They go to work right after the farrier truck pulls out of the barn aisle. No lamenesses unless injured by stepping on something.