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Veteran
Posts: 148
 
| Does anyone run their horses with shoes on the front and barefoot in the back? Would like opinion |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
 
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | We've done it for years on ranch horses. In 20 some yrs we have only had 2 that were thin soled and needed shoes in the summer, we just did front shoes. For my barrel horses, when I am starting to haul and get serious I'll shoe but I just do all 4. It wouldn't bother me to leave the back bare if I felt they didn't need any extra traction. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 324
| My good 1/2d barrel horse runs in just front shoes. She's got great feet and I just never felt like she needed shoes on back. The only reason we put them on her front is because we were doing a lot of hauling and her fronts seemed to just be getting just a little more worn down barefoot than I like... so we put front shoes on her and never had an issue since. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
Location: on the fine line between insanity and geniusness | I had a mare that was super straight in the backend, we kept her barefoot on the back. That was the only way to keep her front getting sore. Heck out of 10 head we only have 2 with shoes right now! |
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Regular
Posts: 71
| I run my good 1D horse barefoot in hind. He has bone spurs in both hocks and every time we have tried shoes on back feet he gets sore and requires hock injections more quickly. He can go a year on one injection when barefoot but when we put shoes on hind he has to be injected around 5 to 6 months...He does have awesome back feet though. On another note his full brother has flat thin back & front feet & Has to be shod all around. I think it just depends on the horse & how they feel to you.. I can tell a difference in how my 1D horse travels when he's barefoot or shod in backs....he seems so much more comfortable and moves smoother to me when he's barefoot in hinds.
Edited by sjoyner 2017-12-14 11:08 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
Location: Ohio girl moved to PA | My main mount for the longest time was only shod on the front. He has very solid feet, but when were hauling a ton and going to so many different places with different ground i put shoes all around, he prefers it that way and works better when he is. He seems more confident lol now that hes off for the winter ill pull them all off untill we start running again at the end of Feb. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | My older horse who ive had 13+ years has had just front shoes on for most of it. Think i tried back shoes on him once or twice but it didnt make a difference. He has soft flat front feet and just can not be barefoot other then in soft arenas. If you try and take him trail riding barefoot he about falls over. So he keeps his front shoes |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
Location: MN | The only time I ever have to put back shoes on is if we are having a dry summer. Otherwise, my horse stays barefoot on the back until he absolutely needs them. He is built more down hill so I feel like he is more leveled out with he has fronts only! |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3310
Location: Jersey Girl | Thats all I've ever really done, especially since now it costs $175 for a full set  |
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Member
Posts: 30
| I have a mare that was very prone to abscesses in the back from stepping on herself and tearing up her hoof wall. Pulled her back shoes and haven't had any issues with abscesses since. No ground trouble or anything else.
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 Ms Bling Bling Sleeze Kitty
Posts: 20904
Location: LouLouVille, OK | The only horses on our place that get all 4 feet shod, are the rope horses because they work on trash ground most of the time... Otherwise, I only put shoes on the fronts of my barrel horses :) As long as they have good strong hooves, you are good!  |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| My ottb is barefoot and has very strong, solid feet! I may decide to put fronts on again this summer, but his feet hold up really well =] The only way to get their feet used to going barefoot, is to go barefoot! He used to have brittle feet when he wore shoes all the time. Now, tough as nails =] |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | Red I run with all 4 shoes. He has corrective shoeing on his front feet, and then the rear shoes we do solely for traction. If the ground is not perfect, he will have trouble. He's normally in the 2D. Once in a while in the 1D. If we make a mistake, then 3D.
Shotgun is still learning, but he has not had any ground trouble yet. I'm really impressed with how well he handles ground. I did shoe him in front this year at the suggestion of my vet, although I'm not convinced he needs them. Left him barefoot behind and he did just fine. His personal best thus far has been 3D. I might leave him barefoot all around next year and see how he does, because it's cheaper and I don't have to worry about pulled shoes, LOL.
I think it just depends what an individual horse needs.
Edited by r_beau 2017-12-15 12:36 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 912
Location: Alabama | I haven't had a horse shod at all in about 7 years. Have hauled all over and ran on all sorts of ground. I feel barefoot allows better traction personally. I see no reason why shod on front and bare on rear would cause a problem.  |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | fulltiltfilly - 2017-12-15 8:50 AM Thats all I've ever really done, especially since now it costs $175 for a full set
 yikes! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Lots just shoe the front and leave bare in the back, I have done this for 30 years plus.. I like just leaving bare footed on all four's but have one that is very thin soled in his front so got to keeped shoed. The only reason I keep one shoed in the front is when I have a problem child. |
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 ...Dot Dot Dot...
Posts: 2062
Location: SW New Mexico | I'm very interested in this thread..
I just had chips removed out of Dave's left carpus.. He still has residual swelling..after 1 month..
My farrier is suggesting that I try just front rocker toes and bare in back..
He hasn't been barefoot ..ever.... probably not since he was a foal..he's been worked and on the track.., since he was 2..
I'm all for it...and Dave's a few months away from hauling and running barrels.
Just sharing..he does have thin walls.(. genetics..)
Edited by jettster 2017-12-20 10:41 PM
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I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3310
Location: Jersey Girl | total performance - 2017-12-20 11:40 AM fulltiltfilly - 2017-12-15 8:50 AM Thats all I've ever really done, especially since now it costs $175 for a full set yikes!
Exactly!!! My horse needs to get a job before I would be able to pay that!! |
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 Sorry I don't have any advice
Posts: 1975
Location: Sunnyland Florida |
A few years back I had an excellent veterinarian (who's also a chiropractor, acupuncturist & holistic medicine vet) tell me that if I was going to shoe, to always do all 4. The reasoning (from a chiropractor standpoint) is that if you raise the front feet and not the back, the spine and/or hip are out of their "original" line and that it can cause problems, things have to shift to compensate. That made complete sense to me and I have always shod all 4.
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 Ima Cool Kid
Posts: 3496
Location: TN | We have shown horses for 30 + years too. Never had a horse shod in back. I beleive they have better traction. funny how much better the back feet hold up? no nail holes to weaken the hoof. |
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Chi Chi Mama
Posts: 11212
Location: Spokompton, Wa | I was just in Arizona at a ranch that does trail rides. Their 100+ head only have fronts on since that is where they carry a majority of their weight. All of their back feet looked amazing barefoot. I'll only shoe my colts in the front until I feel they need it when they start running. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| I had fronts only on my big gelding for awhile bc he had thin soles but bc of his turning style we added back shoes and works for him. I also have a 9 yr old gelding, i just started running this year, who has NEVER had a set of shoes and has the best feet ever on a horse. My farrier mentioned shoes once and I just don't feel he needs them. He does great without. I get him trimmed every 4-6 weeks. |
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Leaving a horse barefoot in the back