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Helen N · Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 195 Location: North Wales

23rd May 2003 was the last time Carly wore metal shoes! I can hardly believe that it was so long ago Shocked

He had just been given the all clear after his check ligament injuries and a long period of box rest. I was determined that this wasn't going to happen again, something told me that shoeing had not helped his situation Wink

, so the shoes were off, a trimmer was found and the rest is history! Sarah B and I came to the same conclusion at around the same time. She took it so seriously she was off to America to find out more and train with the best Smile

Shoes became a thing of the past. From the moment Carly became shoe free he stopped tripping Surprised

Touch wood he has not tripped or slipped on the roads since that time. Over four years ago I bought another arab, Rooster, the first thing that happened to him when he arrived at the yard was Sarah taking his shoes off. Since then he has done many miles of endurance both barefoot and booted. I trim their hooves myself with Sarah advising me when necessary Wink

I would never have shoes nailed onto my horse's feet, I am proud to say I would rather use boots Wink

I am not one to preach about barefoot, I would rather quietly get on with it and if other people like what they see and become barefoot with their horses as a result, direct or otherwise, I feel I have done my bit for the cause Wink

stormybracken · Joined: 31 Aug 2009 Posts: 101 Location: Dorset

I'd buy that t-shirt! Although talking of spending money, this is possibly why some owners can't be successful - it isn't about buying a fix, and like so many other areas of horsemanship the truth keeps coming.

I was telling the farrier about Nic & Sarah's marketing ideas for Magic Barefoot Powder and Magic Barefoot Liquid, and he commented on the number of horses he is seeing who are having so many supplements you can call these others "Laxatives", because that seems to be the end result. Perhaps it's not just owners whose brain starts to work... Wink

Sooph · Joined: 06 May 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Selby

Took Ruby's shoes off August 2008 - we'd been through several saddle fitters - tried conventional, flair, treeless, half trees etc and been generally told horse was just naughty, vet thought she had kissing spines. Finally worked out (took me a year!) she had sore feet and kidneys - now works nicely in balance saddle when sound. We still have major problems with keeping lami under control, however if she does have a problem at least I know about it and can start to deal with it straight away.

micki · Joined: 03 Nov 2009 Posts: 18 Location: North Notts

I went barefoot because i stopped riding when i had my kids. I tried to put my horse back in work just after having my second child and she damaged a ligament so was still out of work. I am now just trying to bring her back into work after 5 years of not being ridden. She has an upright foot and as soon as she has shoes put on her heels contract so i'm now trying barefoot as i don't want to make her hooves bad again as they are in good condition for her. I'm trying to find some boots to be able to work her so i don't ware her foot too much when she is ridden.
My other horse is a 2 year old and i'm not shoeing him as i would rather work him in boots if he needs them.
I may be asking lots of daft questions as i really want this to work for both of them

rose · Joined: 07 May 2007 Posts: 129

My girl is home bred. She was unbroken and barefoot until she was 4 lived out with shelter in a large field with her mum. She got laminitis in the summer of her 4th year and was on six weeks box rest. I then moved her with me from Scotland to England and had to put her on to livery. She was in at night and out during the day. I broke her then started shoeing her fronts only for two rounds of shoes then a full set. I shod her because thats what you did when you started riding. I never gave it a thought. Then there was an article in one of the horse magazines discussing barefoot riding. She had been shod for about 3 months by then. I decided that as she had managed for 4 years barefoot I would give it a go so off came her shoes. She was blacksmith trimmed and I had no problems. I kept her bare for 2 years until I moved yards and the riding was so flinty that I decided to shoe her. I used cytex shoes because they sounded like a more natural option that the more traditional rimmed shoes. She was shod for 4 years with no problems then I started reading more and more about the barefoot option.

I had her shoes taken off and continued with my blacksmith trim. She has now been barefoot for about 4 years. I changed my trimmer because she was always sore after each trim and she is now trimmed by a uknhcp trimmer. However without the invention of viable hoofboots she would not be comfortable enough to ride barefoot.

Her main problem is not her feet but her metabolic problems ie IR which shows up in her feet. Her IR seems to be getting worse as she gets older making her much more sensitive and therefore needing very careful management.

So she has been barefoot for the greater part of her life.

babyjay · Joined: 25 Sep 2009 Posts: 34 Location: Dorset

I bought a 5yo (Jay my mare) 2yrs ago who never seemed 'right' shod and I don't mean in a lame way, in a just didn't seem right way (oh I can't explain it).
Now for me to feel and think that was VERY unusual for me as I have never ever considered barefoot a possibility! (been brought up the BHS way (shame)!
I kept her shod for a year. She occasionally threw a front! The last time she thew a front we had to hack a good 2 mile back home along the pebbley/shingley beach track, I thought cripes this is going to cripple her Sad

She never flinched!
I now know in hindsight why she didn't flinch -all because of the shoeing bad effects! But at the time I thought it was amazing!
So end of Feb 09 the shoes came off. This year has been the transition period and I think we are pretty much over it now (Nov 09).
There is no reputable local trimmer I know of so I did it myself along with my 'barefoot novice' farrier Smile

It sounds terrible and cringe worthy to some of you I expect, but I'm not daft to make me hos lame so caution was taken all the way.
I am still learning and fumbling my way through, but boy am I learning loads because of it Smile

To date been out showing succsefully and hunter trialing succsesfully. Spring and summer was bit of a bore as in not being able to get out and do the fun rides we like, but can't see nothing stopping us next year Smile

cptrayes · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 396

"terrible" "cring worthy"

Those aren't words you'll hear from anyone on this forum! We are a supportive bunch, especially when anyone is trying to do the best for their horse like you are.

Plenty of us learnt to trim from Ramey's book!

C
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babyjay · Joined: 25 Sep 2009 Posts: 34 Location: Dorset

Oh sorry didn't mean it to sound offensive or defensive Laughing

vic_s · Joined: 23 Oct 2009 Posts: 19 Location: cheshire

I Bought my horse Katy about this time last year then around new years time she was lame I just thought typical TB feet and she must of been daft running round on the hard icy ground so gave her some time off and she was ok.
Then some days as i was riding she didnt feel right, had the vet out in march and he did xrays and nerve blocks and told me my lovely horse has navicular and was i insured for loss of use. Which I wasnt. I have a friend who keeps her horses barefoot and she pointed me in this direction. So in April shoes came off and Sarah B started trimmimg her Smile

So fingers crossed Katy will be another barefoot sucess story.

sarahh · Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 281

My friend did it, I rode her barefoot horses and went WOW! Read lots of books, ummed and ahhhed, spoke to my farrier (who said Boy would never cope without shoes). Couldn't get a trimmer so started training. Nic came, removed Boys shoes (was fab barefoot from the outset), did a couple of trims then sent me on my way to do it myself!
Very Happy