Posted 2009-10-19 7:19 AM (#112041) Subject: pulling horse shoes
Member
Posts: 32 Location: indiana
I have starting looking to buy a horse for myself. I have found one that I am interested in. It has shoes on the front. I was wanting to have them pulled and let the horse go barefoot. Does anyone have any advice about this. Am I asking for trouble as far as possilbe lameness or other issues? Or should I just look for a barefoot horse only?
Posted 2009-10-19 8:01 AM (#112043 - in reply to #112041) Subject: RE: pulling horse shoes
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Just cause it has shoes on now doesn't mean they got to stay on.Lots of reasons for shoes.Horse,terrain,how its used/ridden.Lots of folks pull shoes in the winter when horses are not used as heavily.Lets nail holes grow out etc.Pull the shoes and see what kind of hoof wall the animal has.Get a vet/farrier or experienced person to examine and give a opinion on the type/condition of the hoof in general.
Posted 2009-10-19 9:12 AM (#112051 - in reply to #112043) Subject: RE: pulling horse shoes
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 376 Location: Missouri
Barefoot or shod, depends on whether you plan on doing much riding and the type of riding you do. There are very few horses that can go barefoot if you ride very much. If you plan to riding regularly, plan on shoes.
In all the years we've been riding, we've ridden with one that was barefoot and did really well. All of the rest have had problems of one sort or another.
BUT, if your only going to ride occasionally, not going to ride in many rocks, and condition your horse properly, and do a good job of trimming, THEN, YES, you might get by with barefoot.
Posted 2009-10-19 11:42 AM (#112066 - in reply to #112041) Subject: RE: pulling horse shoes
Expert
Posts: 1723 Location: michigan
Have you asked the seller why the horse has shoes? it could be they just shoe the horse to help protect and it could be the horse needed shoes for soundness. I'd be asking a few more questions before you buy a horse.
Posted 2009-10-19 12:24 PM (#112072 - in reply to #112041) Subject: RE: pulling horse shoes
Member
Posts: 32 Location: indiana
they said they ride him 6 days a week for lessons and he also jumps so thats why the shoes. I would just ride a couple times a week and maybe jump someday. So I am hoping to get by without shoeing. I am just not a big believer in shoeing a horse. I just dont want to get one pull the shoes and have soundness issues.
Posted 2009-10-19 1:25 PM (#112078 - in reply to #112041) Subject: RE: pulling horse shoes
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
There is no problem pulling shoes. Thousands of people make it a normal practice to use shoes in the summer and pull the shoes for winter.
Pull the shoes and give him a proper trim for the winter. If you are only going to occassionally ride him this winter, he should be fine. Just watch him. As long as he is not acting sore. Come spring and your riding activity increases, watch and see how he handles the increased activity. Horses that have been shod for a long time, it sometimes can take 12 -16 months for them to transition to being barefoot 100%. If next spring when you start doing more trail rides or working the horse harder, he acts sore. Put some shoes or boots on him to help.
I like to pull the shoes early enough that the horse can get used to not having shoes before the ground freezes Rock hard.
My horses have been totally barefoot for 3 years. We have ridden some really rocky and tough trails while barefoot. But I find I can't ride that really tough terrain 2-3 days in a row with out some protection. So I used boots for the 2nd or 3rd day if I was riding hard. If all I was doing was arena work, I'd never put shoes on unless I needed protection for sliding.
As others have stated, there are many reason for having shoes as there are for not having shoes. If you are into reining and want your horse to make 30' long Elevens in the dirt. Sliding plates are in order. If you are riding on ice in the winter, Then shoes with DrillTec are in order. When I ride on Sheets of granite rock, I like Aluminum shoes or Bare hooves. When I ride the Red Slickrock of Southern Utah, I like steel shoes to dig into the soft slick rock. Just like you probably have multiple athletic shoes for different sports, Golf shoes, Tennis shoes, High tops for ankle support when you play basketball.
Since your horse only has shoes on the front now. I suspect he just needed a little extra help to prevent him from wearing out his hooves. He should be able to go the winter with out shoes and still be ridden occasionally with no harm. Your farrier and/or vet can look at the horse and give you advice if there is a medical reason for his having shoes.
Posted 2009-10-19 2:04 PM (#112083 - in reply to #112041) Subject: RE: pulling horse shoes
Expert
Posts: 1723 Location: michigan
Shoeing a horse isn't the evil some have made it out to be. Some horses wear the front hooves down and it does provide support and protection. Even if the horse doesn't need shoes, they won't ruining the feet to have them. Some people simply subscribe to the notion horses need shoes. I have horses that have them on for purely cosmetic reason, one that wears them to improve knee action and one that has been barefoot since day one for no other reason than I just haven't seen the need.
Posted 2009-10-19 8:45 PM (#112103 - in reply to #112041) Subject: RE: pulling horse shoes
Regular
Posts: 97 Location: Newport News, VA
It is not true that horses that are ridden a lot have to have shoes. I have a 16.2+hh warmblood mare that is barefoot and she is a show hunter. A couple of years ago, she was shod after a nasty abscess and it was a nightmare. It turned my lovley moving hunter into a Saddlebred (which is fine if you ARE a Saddlebred, but not so much a WB hunter). We tried aluminum shoes and that was better, but still not good. Every time she was ridden, she was pulling one off, even with bell boots. I was very happy to be able to pull them after two months. She has great feet and I have a great trimmer that is able to keep them in good condition, even through the summer. Lots of endurance riders are starting to go barefoot. There are hoof boots you can use, if you feel you need extra protection. I have never used boots on my horse. Just because you buy a barefoot horse, that does not mean the horse will stay barefoot. He may develop issues that require shoes. Find out why the horse needs to be shod. Maybe you can transition him to barefoot, possibly not.
Posted 2009-10-20 8:46 AM (#112123 - in reply to #112103) Subject: RE: pulling horse shoes
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 376 Location: Missouri
quote:"It is not true that horses that are ridden a lot have to have shoes."
If you ride a lot in rocks, sand, mud, etc, and ride for more than a few days at a time, the odds of needing shoes and/or boots are very high. In all the years(40 plus) we have only seen one barefoot horse that could ride the rocks, and do it, day after day, and not need shoes and/or boots. That's not very good odds. I seriously doubt the Warmblood could ride the mountains for several weeks unshod and maintain a barefoot. But, I could be wrong, she could be the second horse that can do it.
If you could not keep shoes on the mare, there was either something wrong with the horse or the farrier. Lots of us keep shoes on without problems.
There is no need in telling someone they will not need shoes, because the reality is, they will, if they do a lot of riding. Even casual riders need shoes most of the time.
If you want to avoid shoes you can do as Painted Horse does and use multiple horses, boots and don't ride for many days in a row on the same horse.
pulling horse shoes
