|
|
Veteran
Posts: 120
| I pulled shoes for the winter but am starting to get my horse back into competition shape and was wondering if anyone has ran their horses without shoes? Opinions/experiences? I am wanting to go to a few local jackpots before my first rodeo in March but I wanted to keep him barefoot until the first of March and the barrel races are in February. He has pretty strong feet but has never ran without shoes. |
|
| |
|
Official Butt Slapper
Posts: 11055
  
Location: guthrie | I run mine barefoot with no issues. The Etbauers also run theirs barefoot .I have numerous friends that run barefoot with no problems.. If your horse has good feet I would go for it..much healthier foot without shoes
Edited by streaknpete 2016-01-17 7:08 PM
|
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 926
| I have a little FWF bred gelding that I don't run a lot but he's coming 7 and he's never had on a set of shoes. Pretty good feet and regular care works for me. Now if you haul a lot on crappy/hard ground around the arenas, I'd invest in a pair of soft rides. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 2013
Location: Piedmont, OK | You can always try and seehow they do |
|
| |
|
 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I pulled my mares shoes last year and she did fine. No transitioning period and she clocked the same as she always does. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 285
| My made goes without. Years ago when we hauled all the time, I had shoes on her, but couldn't tell the difference. She's got good feet and unless I go on a trail ride somewhere really rocky, I just leave her barefoot. |
|
| |
|
 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | I've done either way. If the ground is good, my mare can really clock without shoes. If the ground is kind of deep or slippery (not muddy, but maybe shifty is the right word) she does better with shoes. I have not issues with barefoot as long as they are trimmed well. |
|
| |
|
 Regular
Posts: 96
Location: Rocky Mountains | I personally don't run without shoes. but I see multiple girls everywhere tuning barefoot with no problems! Making some dam good runs to. I'd say shoot for it! But make sure she's trimmed to be barefooted. The hood should be trimmed differently than you would for shoes.. I assume your fairier probably did it already. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 169
| The way I feel is horses feet are designed to go barefoot, not have shoes on. When I was younger and ran my girl, at the time, had shoes. My horses now do not, a total of 6. The only one that has problems is my horse that had heaves. The steroid shot messed his feet up and it is taking time to get them back where they should be. |
|
| |
|
 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I have 4 horses - 2 who can run barefoot, 1 who cannot and 1 who might be able to but I've never tried. My gray horse doesn't get his shoes pulled EVER because he can't handle being worked without shoes...his feet are just not good. My old bay horse is 23 and has never had shoes on. He's got great feet and handles being barefoot so I've never messed with shoeing him. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1074
| I ran my barefoot for about a year or so. I went back to shoes because I hated watching him hobble across the parking lots. Any kind of rock or hard surface would cause him to tip toe and I couldn't stand it. He will stride out and move across any ground with his shoes on. Much easier to just have shoes on him. |
|
| |
|
 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | If my horses can go barefoot, that's my first option. It is easier to maintain and cheaper too!
But if the horse tells me they need shoes, then they will get them. My horse Red needs them on the front for lameness issues, and then I started shoeing him in back too when he started slipping when we added speed to his pattern. He rarely slips when he's got his shoes on.
My coming 5-year-old has always been barefoot, and he will be barefoot until he tells me he needs otherwise.
I'd say give it a shot. You won't know how your horse does barefoot unless you try.
|
|
| |
|
Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| r_beau - 2016-01-18 10:47 AM
If my horses can go barefoot, that's my first option. It is easier to maintain and cheaper too!
But if the horse tells me they need shoes, then they will get them. My horse Red needs them on the front for lameness issues, and then I started shoeing him in back too when he started slipping when we added speed to his pattern. He rarely slips when he's got his shoes on.
My coming 5-year-old has always been barefoot, and he will be barefoot until he tells me he needs otherwise.
I'd say give it a shot. You won't know how your horse does barefoot unless you try.
This!! I've had some who were thin-soled (and would NEVER get thicker no matter what I tried and believe me, I tried it all), that HAD to have shoes. But the ones that don't - heck yeah. Never have to worry about hot nails, pulling shoes - not to mention- the EXPENSE! |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | I run several horses and unless they require shoes to remain sound I run them barefoot. I live where there is a lot of clay and I've had more issues with shoes being twisted, or pulled off so I've just switched to running everyone barefoot. If a horse needs it I don't hesitate to put shoes on but otherwise barefoot it is. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 120
| Thank you for all of the advice!! He hasn't been tender so far, even walking on the rocks so that is a good sign! I think I will go ahead and see how he runs without shoes at the next race we go to. |
|
| |
|
 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | Tsy - 2016-01-18 7:41 AM The way I feel is horses feet are designed to go barefoot, not have shoes on. When I was younger and ran my girl, at the time, had shoes. My horses now do not, a total of 6. The only one that has problems is my horse that had heaves. The steroid shot messed his feet up and it is taking time to get them back where they should be.
You would think so, but that pretty much only applies to wild horses who have not been influenced by specialized breeding. Unfortunately, if breeding for a specific characteristic, hoof quality becomes an afterthought because we can now use shoes and corrective trimming to make up for the lack of breeding for good feet. So although horses' feet WERE originally designed to go barefoot, humans went and screwed it all up.
To answer the OP, I do run barefoot when possible. Mine is currently barefoot, always has been, and will stay that way as long as he's sound. I was leasing a horse for a while that could NOT go without shoes. If he pulled a shoe, he would be so tender-footed and lame. I tried venice turpentine and other methods to try and toughen his feet, but the only way to keep him comfortable was with shoes. |
|
| |
|
 Veteran
Posts: 158
| I had alot of success running one of my geldings barefoot for years until I moved across the country, not sure if the dramatic weather change had something to do with it but I blame it on going from sandy pens to harder dirt pens and he just wasnt able to give 100% barefoot. Im sure I still COULD run him barefoot but I dont think I would expect to get the best out of him... on the other hand I know alot of girls that have horses that can run barefoot on rocky trash rodeo ground and can sure enough clock, so I may just be too chicken to try it |
|
| |
|
 pressure dripper
Posts: 8699
Location: the end of the rainbow | barrelrider - 2016-01-18 8:02 AM
I ran my barefoot for about a year or so. I went back to shoes because I hated watching him hobble across the parking lots. Any kind of rock or hard surface would cause him to tip toe and I couldn't stand it. He will stride out and move across any ground with his shoes on. Much easier to just have shoes on him.
In our area we have some great arenas but parking lots & warm up areas are pretty bad. Makes it really had to leave them barefoot. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1261
| I have run both my mares barefoot with no issues. One has feet that farriers dream of and the other had decent feet and only wore shoes when we started hauling heavily and being on gravel often. |
|
| |
|
 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 486
Location: CentralTexas | I would take x-rays of their feet and see how much sole they have. I ran my futurity colt barefoot, and he was always a little slow and kind of ran on his tip toes, which i thought that was just how he ran. I took him to the farrier at the vet, just because i was there, and he told me to get x-rays. Turns out, he had no sole, and his feet were hurting. I put shoes on him, took him to the BFA, he took half a second off, and he's almost due for a reset, and he just took another 3/10ths off this past weekend. It really depends on the horse, despite what we want. |
|
| |
Running a barefoot horse?