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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
   
Location: North Dakota | I've always been a fan of keeping horses barefoot. But then there's Cash. He was laid up for almost 3 months with a hoof abscess last fall. Literally half his hoof abscessed and there was a big hole in it and it was just awful. He had pads and front shoes on up till about 12 weeks ago while his hoof was growing out. He's been barefoot since then and his hoof looks beautiful. You'd never know what had happened! BUT he is just so darn sensitive on gravel! His old owner said he was always that way and the vet who did the pre-purchase said he does have thin soles (NO soreness in the heels, just in the toe area). My farrier said he thought he should be fine barefoot but there's a lot of gravel at my barn. All around the barn and up to the arenas is gravel, we have to go down a gravel road to get to the trails, one of the arenas is notoriously rocky (I try to avoid that one but sometimes it's all that's open). The farrier was just out on Monday and I haven't been able to do anything because he's sore. I'm just not sure if I should put shoes on him or if there's anything else I can try for his hooves. |
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 Jr. Detective
 
Location: Beggs, OK | Find a sole toughening product like Hoof Freeze and just put shoes on the front. If he's trying to save himself all the time and tender footed he's going to cause himself other issues. |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | You could always try booting him. That's what I did for a long while. Unfortunately, my mare ended up back with front shoes. It just seems easier that way. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | He came with easyboots but I could not get them to fit for the life of me so sold them. I considered it, but I feel like he'd have to have them on and off a lot. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| rachellyn80 - 2015-05-22 10:44 AM
Find a sole toughening product like Hoof Freeze and just put shoes on the front. If he's trying to save himself all the time and tender footed he's going to cause himself other issues.
This - I tried to let my Streakin La Jolla go without shoes - just would not work with his thin soles, even a sole hardener wouldn't help with his front feet. He does really well with shoes on the front only though. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
Location: California | I tried to go barefoot with my mare for a while... I started to study the hoof & trim myself, blah blah.
Abscess after abscess. & always lame on one side or another. This went on for about a year. My fiance called the farrier to get HIS horse shoed. Well the farrier typically worked with MY horse, got confused & shoed mine instead. I was so mad. I had come so far getting my mares hooves in order. Even though she was still lame or sore. Well 2 weeks later (with shoes) & no more lameness, no more abscesses. I am also on hard ground though.
I did however get Old Mac G2 boots, & she would be sound as long as they were on, but once they were off, she was ouchy.
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I have a couple bottles of another sole hardener...durasole I think? It's such a freakin pain! trying to get his hoof clean enough for it to take is hard and then there's purple hoof prints in my aisle. I haven't noticed any difference yet but I'll keep trying. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Old macs is what I use, I have a chronic founder I have to keep in boots, the old macs don't rub her, she can wear them for days without any problems.
They never fall off
The only thing I do if I am not able to take them off is apply soaked iodine breast pads to her feet to prevent thrush, it also hardens her feet up and prevents abscesses from forming as iodine will kill all bugs and travels up into the sole, lamania, and hoof wall |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | I always keep fronts on my gelding now, no lameness issues....just want shoes on him. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| I kept my baby barefoot as well until she was almost 6. Never had shoes in her life. She did very well barefooted, but the first summer we moved to our new house, she came up 3 legged lame one night. Took 3 weeks to blow the abscess out. A week later she had another on the same foot. Because she was getting them in the back, we put shoes on her all the way around and she hasn't had an abscess since. I'm an advocate for barefoot as long as the it suits the horse. I would say, if the horse is sound with shoes, and lame without, put the shoes on. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| Griz - 2015-05-22 11:05 AM
rachellyn80 - 2015-05-22 10:44 AM
Find a sole toughening product like Hoof Freeze and just put shoes on the front. If he's trying to save himself all the time and tender footed he's going to cause himself other issues.
This - I tried to let my Streakin La Jolla go without shoes - just would not work with his thin soles, even a sole hardener wouldn't help with his front feet. He does really well with shoes on the front only though.
I just had to put front shoes on my Streakin La Jolla gelding because of being very thin soled. I've tried Iodine and Melaleuca oil to harden them with no luck |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | venice turpentine.. hardens them but id shoe her front.. its not worth the soreness.. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I would keep her front shoed also. No sense her being sore all the time, I have a gelding thats thin sole and I have to keep him shoed on the front.  |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I'm all for keeping one barefoot if it's right for that particular horse. But as I know where you board & how much gravel there is, I'd shoe. We shoe dad's shooing horse for that very reason, he's 100% sound barefoot but the gravel outside the arena makes him just tender enough that he protects himself & then won't stretch out & run. Boots do work great, I've used them in the past, but they're a pain to deal with. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I'm sold. In a few weeks Cash will be getting a new pair of shoes. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Good idea. I tried and I didn't want to keep up with the booting and the treatment and watching my horse ginp around. Our arena is gravel-like--so he was miserable. The second he got his shoes back on he was striding out and running everywhere--I got a whole new horse! |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | I have an older Broodie and she just isn't comfortable without shoes. They make all the difference in the world for her. So I think your horse is telling you he would be more comfortable in shoes |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I wish I would have done this a few days ago. The nerd is limping on the gravel. I just hope it's not a stone bruise or abscess again. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | Put mine back in shoes, took x rays he was super thin,he couldn't walk on hard clumps of dirt w/out gimping. I tried everything! But in south louisiana moisture and soft hooves are a common thing, tried turpentine, pine tar, hoof hardeners, iodine, for a year, with no avail:/ |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I got some hoof packing so if he DID bruise it at least he'll have a little padding. |
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