I don't shoe my horses regularly.  They get shoes for my trip to Missouri because it's nothing but rock.  Since my horses go barefoot all the rest of the time, they are usually fine.  Ed, my newer QH has tender soles.  He's not lame, but you can tell that gravel makes him ouchy. I think he's a candidate for shoes and pads.  I've never done that before.  Can someone tell me if I'm getting into a heap of trouble, or if pads are ok for one time.  Will he get thrush?  What if a rock gets between the pad and hoof? Any particular type of pad better than another?

Amanda

Since he already goes barefoot, his feet will be as tough as they are going to get. So if he is ouchy on gravel, he will be miserable in Missouri having to carry weight too with the extra pressure on his forehand. I'd use the pads and shoes or use boots if you want to leave him barefoot when you return home. Better to be safe and take a precaution that risk serious injury to the sole of the foot.

His tenderness may also be due to an old founder expisode where the coffin bone is close to the sole. So, once again protect his feet.

I've used both leather and rubber pads. I prefer the rubber since it seems to be more durable, but either pad type works fine. And the silicon that is injected in between the hoof and pad is made especially for hooves. If done correctly, there will be no moisture under the pad and thus no thrush.

If he's really ouchy (like you'll know until it's too late) I'd have your farrier shoe with thick hard plastic pads and fill with a silicone caulking so that the pad will not trap a rock chip and really cripple your mount.  Stone bruises are really not fun, I drove 6 hours one way to a show once and my horse got a stone bruise during braiding, never got him in the gate...what a loss, at least gas wasn't that bad back then.

Always, ask your farrier for advice...he knows feet way better than you ever will.  Give him/her your environmental questions and see what he wants to do to the feet.

Ok, where I take my horses in Missouri, they have a farrier on site to do the shoeing.  I have no way of knowing what kind of pads (if any) he would have.  Being so rocky there, I am sure he'd probably have some type of pad, but I see what you mean about the hard plastic kind.  I looked at one at the TSC yesterday, and maybe it would be too hard.  Does anyone have a favorite brand,  or type they use?  I'd buy it and take it down with me so the farrier could install it.

Amanda

I think you should attempt to contact the farrier before your trip.  If not you'll buy something that will most likely be inncorrect in type or size.  He will probably have problems diagnosing over the phone just like we are having online.  For most farriers it takes hoof in hand for them to get a real feel for what is going on.

It seems lke a long trip to take hoping they'll be there to shoe and that they'll have the correct supplies for your mount.  Fuel is very expensive!

How long has your new guy been barefoot?

I have a gelding that is thin soled as well. I have him shod and then when riding on rocky trails, I put the Cavallo boots on over his shoes. Works great and he has never had a problem keeping them on or bruising. I have been told that once you start "padding" them that you will not be able to go back to regular shoes. That theyre feet become to accustomed to it. Good luck!

Padding a horse for an event such as you describe in that area, for a horse that is already noted for getting tender easily, is a sensible and humane act.  When you get ready to leave MO, the farrier can cut out the pads then if you like.  He will be the same horse he was before pads, after a day or so to "dry out', kind of like when you take a band-aid off the skin under the sticky ends is a bit "new" looking and will normalize quite quickly.

We have been at a lot of rides where our primary activity was to pad horses who arrived just as you describe yours, and couldn't walk on the second day.  These now padded horses got to finish their 'vacation' comfortably, and a bunch would get the pads trimmed out to go home happy campers, one and all.  Not all horses are bred for the Ozark quartz rock, and something to save them from stone bruises and their accompanying abcesses is money and pain ahead of the game.

Ed has been barefoot since before I got him last October. He's fine on local trails, but the last time we went over a gravel driveway he would hardly walk. His tenderness varies depending on how recently he was trimmed.  My farrier leaves as much sole as possible, and none of my other horses have ever had problems.  It's just how Ed is made.  Creek beds with gravel were also a problem.  As soon as he gets back on dirt he's fine.  I never thought about cutting out the pads when we were done, that's a good idea.

I thought about going the hoof boot route, but I really only need them for this one ride, and he develops such a flare to his hoof so quickly that I don't think a boot would fit him for very long between trims.  Not only that, but it's 50 bucks for the shoes, vs. 100+ for the boots.  I've used them in the past, but it was for an old foundered horse who needed them long-term.  They worked really well in that case.

Amanda

So it's been 8 months... My old guy took about 6 months to adapt.  So long as he's happy and comfortable, that's really all that matters

It's $50 for the shoes and $100 for the boots, but you only pay for the boots once.  Not every time you need them.