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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 713
 
Location: ND | What are some of the reasons you put on shoes? My mare has pretty good feet.. But i feel like she just doesnt get good grip when running.. Would you put shoes on her? Why or why not? She does better in deep ground, as long as it isnt slick.. Hard ground she has trouble gripping.. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
 
Location: Bandera, TX | Protect the sole and to get grip on nasty ground. Key point, I want my horses to stay sound. I tried the barefoot thing and admit my horses won lots of money one year running that way but two of them were hurt. One is now a broodmare she fx her pelvis during a run and the other horse was NFR material he suffered a suspensory injury. Would have runs of brillance then be so sore for a time you had to give him a break because he would bleed due to the pain response. |
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Expert
Posts: 2122
Location: The Great Northwest | Shoes are needed on most horses in training. They protect the hooves from excessive wear and chipping. Hoof boots would also be a way to help protect the hoof. However, just general riding in terrain accustomed, they generally are fine. I know i but a lot of miles on horses in training more than a mustangs average on most days. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 713
Location: ND | Would it be worth it to do just the back possibly? |
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Veteran
Posts: 294
| Mine is barefoot and we are running every week. Nutrition is very important to keep a good hoof. Also never get a trim right before a race. A little bit of bar and hoof wall will help with grip. Thats my opinion. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | I'm somewhat new to the shoeing world.
I had to put front shoes on my gelding last year due to a lameness issue (shoes fix it 100%). I started with fronts only. I noticed on certain ground that he would slip in his hind end. I tried putting back shoes on him for traction and it seems to help.
This year, I put shoes on all the way around (rims) and out of all the barrel races we have gone to this year, I only recall him slipping once ... and that was actually at home when we were doing a practice run! I feel they help him tremendously with keeping his grip on the ground.
My 3-year-old is barefoot and will be barefoot until he proves he needs it otherwise.
I think it depends on the horse. If I have a horse that I feel slips, then I will shoe them for traction.
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| I have my own two horses in shoes - aluminum. I am riding two others that have hard, solid feet and are not in shoes. That decision is up to their owners, not me. I keep them trimmed correctly and don't' work them in crap ground with rocks, dirt clods, etc.
I shoe to protect my horses feet. I am continually hauling to arenas that have rocks, gravel, and bad footing outside the arena. Yes, I have a pair of softrides and use them too.
Also - my filly is rode much harder and for longer periods of time compared to my finished mare. I expect more out of the filly and my farrier and I work hard to keep her comfortable and sound.
I'd re-evaluate just putting shoes on the back end of a horse - think about the weight distribution of a horse with that decision. If you're having problems with slipping, honestly, I'd shoe all the way around, but that is just my opinion.
ETD for my spelling.
Edited by lindseylou2290 2014-06-02 11:53 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | If we are riding ours regularly they will have all four feet with shoes. If we turn them out, we pull them and let them just be horses for a couple months. Our broodmares and retirees don't have shoes either, being out to pasture 24/7. We usually have 3-4 horses with shoes at any time and we rotate them in/out for rest periods. Helps cut down on bills too. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | I put shoes all the way around because my mare is developing a 4x4 turning style and she will slip all over the place and lose her footing if left barefoot. Front shoes she loses her back end a lot. I tried shoes all the way around and now she is starting to run harder and we keep our ground. If I didn't need them then I wouldn't have them. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 713
Location: ND | Thanks for the replies.. I think I'll talk to my vet and she what she thinks.. (her husband does shoes and she barrel races).. Thanks again! |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | RidinOnFaith35 - 2014-06-02 2:39 PM Thanks for the replies.. I think I'll talk to my vet and she what she thinks.. (her husband does shoes and she barrel races).. Thanks again!
Bet I use the same vet. 
Pretty darn sure Tex has shoes on too. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 713
Location: ND | Those that do use shoes.. Educate me! What are the best? Cost? How often do they have to be reset? What happens if you throw one? |
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | RidinOnFaith35 - 2014-06-02 6:01 PM Those that do use shoes.. Educate me! What are the best? Cost? How often do they have to be reset? What happens if you throw one?
I like an aluminum shoe. You can get an aluminum shoe with a rim for extra grip if you need. Resetting depends on the horse. Some need to be reset every 6 wks while others can go for 8wks before needing to be reset. |
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 Go For It!
Location: Texas | Here is why I do not shoe my horses… I hate messing with a farrier. Having to set aside a day every 4 to 5 weeks to get my horses shod is a pain… I don't want to have to worry about them being a horse and getting in the tank and mud, and running around like fools in the pasture and pulling a shoe, and then having to get that dang farrier out again. And then there's the hot nail thing or some weird mess up by the shoer that cripples my horse. Not to mention I save myself a minimum of $2400.00 a year on farrier work. I can use that money on Adequan to prolong my horses competition career. Or on a massage for myself!
My horses do okay barefoot on all types of ground… and even win a little. They slip on occasion, but so do tons of shod horses. And quite frankly, I think they handle bad ground better than most horses.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | RidinOnFaith35 - 2014-06-02 6:01 PM Those that do use shoes.. Educate me! What are the best? Cost? How often do they have to be reset? What happens if you throw one?
I have an aluminum rim shoe on all 4 of my horse's feet. Since his front shoes are for a lameness issue, I change them every 5 to 6 weeks on the nose. We had him in a 2 degree wedige on front last year, but tried a regular shoe this year and he's doing great with it. Every horse will "grow" out of their shoes at a different pace. Just depends on the horse.
With my farrier, it is around $90 to shoe all 4 feet.
Last fall (before I knew Red had a stifle problem) he was pulling/bending shoes left and right. I'd call up my farrier, and he'd squeeze me in somewhere to get it taken care of. He did not charge me for any in-between visits to reset or replace shoes (I know some farriers do). One day, he even fixed it early in the morning because I had a rodeo to get to. This year **knock on wood** Red hasn't pulled a shoe yet (hopefully because his stifle problem is better).
So if they throw a shoe you just take care of it.
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  Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | grinandbareit - 2014-06-02 8:58 PM Here is why I do not shoe my horses… I hate messing with a farrier. Having to set aside a day every 4 to 5 weeks to get my horses shod is a pain… I don't want to have to worry about them being a horse and getting in the tank and mud, and running around like fools in the pasture and pulling a shoe, and then having to get that dang farrier out again. And then there's the hot nail thing or some weird mess up by the shoer that cripples my horse. Not to mention I save myself a minimum of $2400.00 a year on farrier work. I can use that money on Adequan to prolong my horses competition career. Or on a massage for myself! My horses do okay barefoot on all types of ground… and even win a little. They slip on occasion, but so do tons of shod horses. And quite frankly, I think they handle bad ground better than most horses. Good luck with whatever you decide.
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 "Drank the Kool Aid"
Posts: 5496
Location: Iowa, LA | grinandbareit - 2014-06-02 8:58 PM
Here is why I do not shoe my horses… I hate messing with a farrier. Having to set aside a day every 4 to 5 weeks to get my horses shod is a pain… I don't want to have to worry about them being a horse and getting in the tank and mud, and running around like fools in the pasture and pulling a shoe, and then having to get that dang farrier out again. And then there's the hot nail thing or some weird mess up by the shoer that cripples my horse. Not to mention I save myself a minimum of $2400.00 a year on farrier work. I can use that money on Adequan to prolong my horses competition career. Or on a massage for myself!
My horses do okay barefoot on all types of ground… and even win a little. They slip on occasion, but so do tons of shod horses. And quite frankly, I think they handle bad ground better than most horses.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
I agree! Not having having to deal with depending on a farrier and worry about pulling shoes right before a race or at a race is soooo nice. I rasp mine once a week and my trimmer comes every 4 weeks. If she's late or can't make it, it's no big deal since I'm keeping them up between trims. Also, the health of my horses feet have so dramatically improved that I will do anything it takes to never have another shoe nailed on. I never really knew what a HEALTHY foot was supposed to look like. Now I cringe when I see horses with those elongated hoof capsules, contracted heels, flakey/chipping feet! I use boots for going over gravel or pavement for my horse that hasn't built enough cup to his sole. Oh, and not to mention ALL of my lameness issues are GONE since pulling the shoes and I'm saving thousands yearly not hauling to all those lameness specialists. ;-) |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I quit shoeing about 4 years ago, I found it took an entire year for the horse to transition from being shod to barefoot. I used boots, and still use boots all the way around if I am going to the mountains.
Boots actually give better protection then shoes alone.
The reasons why I quit shoeing is I had two shod horses develop contracted heels due to too small of shoe. To correct the problem I was spending 500 at my vets every 4 weeks to correct this, as without my vet constantly supervising the farriers who were taught by him (both went to farrier school in Oklahoma) reverted back to their old ways and were doing more damage then good.
What people don't realize is that contracted heels is one of the leading causes of navicular.
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | cheryl makofka - 2014-06-03 7:05 PM The reasons why I quit shoeing is I had two shod horses develop contracted heels due to too small of shoe. To correct the problem I was spending 500 at my vets every 4 weeks to correct this, as without my vet constantly supervising the farriers who were taught by him (both went to farrier school in Oklahoma) reverted back to their old ways and were doing more damage then good. A poor barefoot trim job does just as much damage as a poor shoeing job.
I wouldn't blame the shoes in your case, but the person who was putting on the shoes.
If it is done correctly, you shouldn't have contracted heels. I certainly don't let "just anyone" shoe my horses. There are only 2 farriers I trust in my area. I hope they never go anywhere!!!
Edited by r_beau 2014-06-04 9:36 AM
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I have my current barrel horse in front shoes only. I wanted her to stay barefoot but her feet were not in good shape when I got her and the parking lots were bruising her. I went ahead and put shoes on her fronts and so far it's working out really well.
My mare Lucy used to run in shoes all the way around. I pulled her shoes when we bred her.. at first she was really sore being barefoot.. but over time she's adjusted and now she's completely normal barefoot. I am contemplating leaving her barefoot when I haul her again and maybe invest in soft rides. I haven't made up my mind yet. She strained her suspensory ligament once in the past, so I am not sure if barefoot or shoes would be the best option for her once she comes back. |
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