Barefoot vs Shod, an aspect not yet discussed

[Amchara]

My horse has been barefoot for the past few months, and today her shoes went back on.

It takes considerably less time to trim a horse than to shoe one, and I didn't realize how much I missed chatting with my farrier!

[goeslikestink]

depends on the farrier and depends on what the horse needs as to how
fast one goes with a trim or shoe

[ThoroughbredFancy]

My horse has been barefoot the past few months and has been sound and his feet look great. I don't fix what's not broken!


Sometimes I find it odd that people pull the horses shoes in the winter and the hoof grows great, wears great and the horse is overall a very sound horse...then they put the shoes back on. Why? If the horse is fine barefoot then why?

I know people have different reasons and I am just curious.

For my horse I was nervous his bare fronts would not do well on rocks but so far they are ok and I have a pair of EZ boots that he could wear or I could carry along if need be. And it's still a heck of a lot cheaper than keeping his fronts shod when he is just fine without the shoes.

[Tif_Ann]

Sometimes I find it odd that people pull the horses shoes in the winter and the hoof grows great, wears great and the horse is overall a very sound horse...then they put the shoes back on. Why? If the horse is fine barefoot then why?

Well, I have two boys, a mustang who has amazing mustang feet that definitely does better barefoot (and has trims every four weeks in the summer because they grow so fast), and a QH who has sucky feet and bruises his soles as soon as the ground dries up in the spring so he needs shoes. I do pull the shoes in the winter, and his feet look great and he's sound. We pull the shoes because of the snow and slipperyness issues, etc., and because his problems are caused mostly by hard ground and gravel, he's good on grass.

As soon as it dries up, though, and he shows any signs of soreness on the gravel, he'll get his shoes back. It's worth it to me to have a quiet horse without sore feet. When I originally got him it was the end of summer and he had all four soles bruised, one so bad that it would bleed just standing there. Took about six months for those bruises to grow out and he was an absolute grump. So to me, the shoes are well worth it.

re: Original chatting topic: just get more horses. ;) Our family has 5 and we get lots of time to chat with our great farrier LOL!

[webmistress32]

my old farrier was a drunk and a chain smoker.

my natural hoof trimmer is tall, blonde, straight and smart and looks great with no shirt and his blacksmith chaps and jeans.

there must be a reason my horses are all barefoot ... hhhmmmm, wonder what that could be?

[deltawave]

So true! The only mitigating circumstance is that my showing horse is bare in the winter, and I have to admit I'm just a little grateful that the trimming sessions are shorter when it's 10 degrees than in the summer, when my farrier and I get to catch up on 6 weeks' worth of gossip and horsey chitchat! :D It really doesn't take him that long to shoe one and trim two, but we certainly spend a lot of time laughing and telling tales! :lol:

Sometimes I find it odd that people pull the horses shoes in the winter and the hoof grows great, wears great and the horse is overall a very sound horse...then they put the shoes back on. Why? If the horse is fine barefoot then why?


In my case, the above all applies, but when summer comes and the critter is then being ridden outside, jumping XC and galloping (as opposed to winter's typical flatwork and gymnastics) the shoes are needed. Very simple, not a bit of theology or agenda there. I'm a believer in "whatever works". ;) Barefoot is fine for my horse when she's ridden indoors on 100% good footing. When I ask her to do more, I have to give her more protection. I do like giving her feet a break when I can, but when that's no longer workable, on the shoes go.

[luvmywalkers]

My previous farrier would talk more than trim. Coming in at 9, leaving at 4 and only 6 out of 9 horses trimmed was the norm. Some chatting is o.k., but geeeeez...

[Guilherme]

Sometimes I find it odd that people pull the horses shoes in the winter and the hoof grows great, wears great and the horse is overall a very sound horse...then they put the shoes back on. Why? If the horse is fine barefoot then why?

For us it's a question of wear rate.

Right now most everybody is barefoot 'cause the mares are all pregnant and not doing much besides slowly ambling around the pasture and eating. One is shod because she wears badly even doing this.

When they go back to work the shoes will go back on because they will wear excessively if we don't. We don't follow any "philosophy", we watch the what's happing where the "hoof meets the road." That usually requires shoes on our working horses; the ones not working stay "nekkid." :lol:

Maybe we do follow a philosophy. We give the horse what it needs, when it needs in, and in appropriate quantity and quality. Works for us!!! :)

G.

[Amchara]

My farrier is just an awesome sounding board. Yesterday while talking about school I learned a lot about him and what classes he took back in the day, as well as talking about horses and shoeing/trimming.

[Daatje]

My horse has been barefoot for the past few months, and today her shoes went back on.

It takes considerably less time to trim a horse than to shoe one, and I didn't realize how much I missed chatting with my farrier!

Or how about when you go from having your farrier trim, to trimming yourself.

No one to talk to but the horses and they're not really conversationalists....:) I do miss chatting with my farrier...

[trubandloki]

Sometimes I find it odd that people pull the horses shoes in the winter and the hoof grows great, wears great and the horse is overall a very sound horse...then they put the shoes back on. Why? If the horse is fine barefoot then why?


There is no cushion on the ground during the summer, there is cushion, AKA snow, all winter. Being able to be barefoot on snow and mud is very different than being able to be barefoot on rock hard dried out ground. Add that he does no work all winter and shoes are not required.


OP - I agree, talking with my farrier is a blast. He has some of the best stories. Add that he is a very knowledgeable horse person and his visits are always a good time.

[esdressage]

my natural hoof trimmer is tall, blonde, straight and smart and looks great with no shirt and his blacksmith chaps and jeans.

there must be a reason my horses are all barefoot ... hhhmmmm, wonder what that could be?

oooooh, and dang, don't think he'd come all the way to AZ to trim :lol:

[Dune]

my old farrier was a drunk and a chain smoker.

my natural hoof trimmer is tall, blonde, straight and smart and looks great with no shirt and his blacksmith chaps and jeans.

there must be a reason my horses are all barefoot ... hhhmmmm, wonder what that could be?

Hmmmm....what were we tallking about here? :winkgrin: (where's that dreamy-eyed emoticon??):lol:



In my case, the above all applies, but when summer comes and the critter is then being ridden outside, jumping XC and galloping (as opposed to winter's typical flatwork and gymnastics) the shoes are needed. Very simple, not a bit of theology or agenda there. I'm a believer in "whatever works". ;) Barefoot is fine for my horse when she's ridden indoors on 100% good footing. When I ask her to do more, I have to give her more protection. I do like giving her feet a break when I can, but when that's no longer workable, on the shoes go.

Well, darn, that just makes too much sense. ;)

For us it's a question of wear rate.

Right now most everybody is barefoot 'cause the mares are all pregnant and not doing much besides slowly ambling around the pasture and eating. One is shod because she wears badly even doing this.

When they go back to work the shoes will go back on because they will wear excessively if we don't. We don't follow any "philosophy", we watch the what's happing where the "hoof meets the road." That usually requires shoes on our working horses; the ones not working stay "nekkid." :lol:

Maybe we do follow a philosophy. We give the horse what it needs, when it needs in, and in appropriate quantity and quality. Works for us!!! :)

G.

Seriously, another post that MAKES SENSE, I don't think it belongs on a hoofcare thread. :winkgrin::D

[BuddyRoo]

I miss chatting with my farrier too! And I miss poker and beers afterwards!

It's a lot less entertaining having the convo with myself as I trim. It mostly goes like this:

"Chey. Whoa"

What was I thinking? I hate doing this.

"Stop it!"

My back is going to kill me tomorrow. And my hamstrings


I should've sharpened my hoof knife last night.

Am I going to have time to ride after this?

"Good girl" pat pat. "Back in your stall."


I could probably just do Fancy tomorrow, eh?

Oh...that beer sure is nice.

[twofatponies]

My horse has been barefoot for the past few months, and today her shoes went back on.

It takes considerably less time to trim a horse than to shoe one, and I didn't realize how much I missed chatting with my farrier!

I always enjoy the chats with farriers, and in my case now my trimmer. Two horses, plus conversation, takes at least an hour. This is a second (or third?) career for him, and he tells some fantastic stories!

The vets are fun to talk to, but often in more of hurry, with very busy schedules. But in all cases it's the best way to keep up with the gossip. :D

[Daydream Believer]

Funny...now that I'm trimming for others, I find myself sometimes in the unenviable situation of being the captive audience of some overly gabby clients or unable to get away from some of them when I'm done. I did a client today who follows me to the truck and then stands and gabs for another 20 minutes before I can get away! Lovely sweet lady who loves her horses but obviously lonely and I'm getting so busy that may days are tight..it's hard to find time to stand around chatting.

I don't mind talking and discussing the horses and their issues but I sometimes find it hard to gab about various unrelated topics and work at the same time..gossip, the local show scene, who's winning what at shows, vacations, etc.... I don't like to be distracted when I'm under a horse...I need to pay attention to the horse I'm working on and be aware of what that horse is doing 100% of the time. Nothing makes me crazier than a client that hovers constantly beside me or tries to manhandle the horse if it pulls it leg or wiggles while all the while keeping up a steady barrage of questions and chatter.

That said I enjoy seeing my clients and catching up on things within reason...so I'm not a grump...I just need to focus on what I'm doing. I guess I never realized though how much of a farrier's job is social and client relations until I found myself in that position. I think people skills are as important as good horse skills for a hoof care practitioner.

[MunchkinsMom]

I have found that I get just as much chatting in with all 3 horses now barefoot as I did when I had one that was shod, since it is hard to carry on conversation while the farrier is banging away shaping the shoe anyway, and he can't talk with a mouth full of shoeing nails while nailing them on.

I do agree that most farriers have the best stories, especially those with other careers or hobbies.

[rainechyldes]

My horse has been barefoot the past few months and has been sound and his feet look great. I don't fix what's not broken!


Sometimes I find it odd that people pull the horses shoes in the winter and the hoof grows great, wears great and the horse is overall a very sound horse...then they put the shoes back on. Why? If the horse is fine barefoot then why?

I know people have different reasons and I am just curious.

For my horse I was nervous his bare fronts would not do well on rocks but so far they are ok and I have a pair of EZ boots that he could wear or I could carry along if need be. And it's still a heck of a lot cheaper than keeping his fronts shod when he is just fine without the shoes.


I can answer this: Have 3 of the 8 horses we own do this.

All are competition horses, but - in the summer/fall we have rock hard ground here, and these 3, their feet just can't stand up to the wear and tear of granite/shale/clay and much riding when the ground has dried out. Basically why they are shod in the 'nicer' seasons and not in the winter.