Going barefoot

[jyates]

Hi all,

Since we don't ride much during the hot summer I decided to leave our main 3 riding horses barefoot with only a trim about 3 weeks ago. The farrier said to ride them in the pasture / grass or on the blacktop county road that runs by the farm but we went out this morning and rode a combination of soft sandy trails / grass and blacktop and I noticed that my daughter's horse Star (15 year old TWH) was giving a little bit on his front feet on the way home. I'm guessing we covered some where around 6 to 8 miles give or take.

I was riding a mixed breed Morgan cross that never was shoed until he came to our farm and now that he is barefoot again he never missed a beat (used to stumble a bunch when trotting when he had shoes on)...where the other horses appeared to tippy toe if we got anywhere near any small gravel or smooth rocks on the trails or road.

Question being.....will or can a horse develop to the point to where their feet get tougher as you ride them on blacktop and some rocky / gravely places?

I know with human feet since I never go barefoot I can't walk across gravel without some pain but when I was a kid and went barefoot all the time during the summer I had tough feet and could run a foot race on anything without it hurting me.

It may be a silly comparison but it was in the back of my mind and I was wondering if there was any validity in the idea.

Any ideas folks?

Thanks,
Jim

[cook1745]

They will defenilty toughen up just go slow you don't want to stone brusie them and get an abcess.

[BarnBum]

You need to toughen up the bottomof their feet. Kinda like us walking barefoot over rocks, feels the same for them. Bruising and abcess risks will increase also with them being barefoot. Make sure you clean/check their feet after each ride for stones, etc. Remove them. Also, now that you are riding more, your trims will need to stay regular b/c of chipping, cracks, bkeeping them balanced, etc. Every 6 weeks is avg. (I go 4 weeks, but my gelding grows a ton).

Also, applying venice turpentine to the bottom of their feet daily for awhile with also help toughen them up.

You will probly notice them to be ouchy now when they walk for a few days since your ride. Start out slow.

[Crookedblaze]

Rocket had shoes for almost his whole life, but I decided to take them off because he constantly tripped and we wern't doing much extreme or competitive riding anymore. It took about 6 months for his feet to get really tough, but now he can pretty much walk over everything.

I agree with what Barnbum said, take it slowly and always check for rocks, etc. I ride with a hoof pick attatched to every saddle and bareback pad just in case.

[jyates]

Thanks very much for the helpful information folks. Having them trimmed is about 1/3 the cost of a shoeing job and when you are paying for 3 of them every 6 weeks it gets tough on the wallet.

We'll watch their feet for bruising and for rocks and see if they don't toughen up some with some riding....as the weather gets bearable I plan on doing more riding for sure.

[RenosGirl]

just like everyone said, take it nice and slow. My horse has never been shoed and yet he still gets sore feet if we do a lot of gravel riding. So just be careful and watch the ground for things that may hurt.

[Faceman]

Hey guy, good to hear from you...

I never shoe mine (although I would if I had one with a problem). Rocks don't bother them, but they don't particularly like hard gravel like crushed limestone. They've never been on blacktop or concrete, so I can't help you there...

[fishing_trex]

All of mine are barefoot and have been for a long time. Their feet usually get used to being barefoot (but some horses may be tender regardless of how long they are barefoot). One thing to watch out for is when they are trimmed; if you cut off a lot of sole and/or frog, it can make them tender all over again. My farrier likes to leave as much of the calloused sole and frog as possible so they won't be tender -- I don't think I have ever seen him take off any sole (sometimes a little of the bars) and he never removes frog unless there is a reason (ragged, thrushy, etc.)

A riding buddy of mine had her gelding trimmed (whom she had ridden 100s of miles over various trails barefoot) and the new farrier trimmed his sole -- her gelding was pretty ouchy on the trails for the next two months.

My riding mare (that I have had for three years) is still tender on really rocky ground, so I use boots for those types of rides.

[jyates]

Watched all the boys last night at feed time and I didn't see any of them being tender footed. We'll be careful and see if they toughen up over time without any problems.

Thanks for all the input folks!

[Range]

Be aware, not every horse will be able to develop a tough sole and hoof. My gelding has always been a tenderfoot, no matter what has been done with him. Now, even in shoes with tough soles from the weather, he gives on small gravel and any rocks he might accidentally step on are the devil's own devices.

I wouldn't ride on gravel at all, if you can help it.

[TDH]

Most horses will toughen up with time, but like Range said, some just don't.

Mine have been shod only the handful of times that we've taken them out to the Black Hills to ride, but then trails out there are extremely rocky where we go. They're on pasture (occasionally dirt lot) here, but I can still take them out and gallop on the edge of the gravel road with no problems. The only thing they don't like to walk on, and I can't blame them, is on the big rock gravel that's 2-3" across.

I wonder if it would help to dump a load of crushed gravel in an area they often walk on, out in the pasture maybe...? Simply walking on their own is much different from carrying a rider....

[Karma]

Originally Posted by TDH

I wonder if it would help to dump a load of crushed gravel in an area they often walk on, out in the pasture maybe...? Simply walking on their own is much different from carrying a rider....

All my horses are barefoot...always have and always will be. I bought a horse who had worn shoes her entire life. It took her 3 years for her feet toughen up...but now she can go anywhere I ask her with no problems at all.

Dumping crushed gravel around the water bowl and/or feeder can defiantely help with the toughening process. In fact, we do it to all of our horses. Just be careful you introduce the gravel slowly and make sure your horses don't develop sore feet and begin to avoid the gravel so that they are drinking/eating less.

[tuffsmom]

I have heard of it taking up to a year for a horse to get the tougher feet. I agree with Range and some horses just don't develop the tougher feet.

[CatsTack]

When I'm explainin' things to my clients I tell them the same comparison of us and our feet to gravel.

I always suggest either hand walkin' on gravel or dumping gravel in and around the common areas of the pasture and barn. I've known of some folks making a gravel walkway for their horseys.

The important part of feet is the trim, whether they're barefoot or shoed. Most farriers will leave the hoof wall flat when the wall should be rolled when the horsey's barefoot. This does a bunch of things for the horsey. One is that it brings the breakover to a natural spot. Another is that it helps to prevent cracking & chipping.

[kellidahorsegirl]

Not every horse WILL toughen up.....there are a million factors as to why they won't toughen BUT from what I've found, given time, the majority of horses will get tougher feet.

My TB mare had shoes til she was 4 I think (can't remember exactly)...then I just pulled them and she never had any issues, gravel and all (she's my 3'6 jumper).

My TB gelding though...he wore shoes as a race horse til he was 6 and then I pulled them when I got him. He's now 8 and just recently (prolly 6 months ago?) he finally wasn't gimpy on 'off' footing. He is in my avatar doing that stuff with no shoes now. So he took about a year and a half to toughen up.

just really work with your farrier to get proper trims and make sure they're at the correct frequency for the amount of hoof growth. Chances are that all your horses won't need trims at the same time. Just keep after it.

You can also do most of your ride on soft footing and slowly add in the rougher footing....much the same as fitness conditioning...add a little more every time.

[kanoo32]

Some horses just do not ever do well with no shoes........The anatomy of their feet for whatever reaason will just not allow them to be unshod, even with the best of intentions. I have horses that no amount of turpentine or sole paint will toughen up their feet and they end up back in shoes. If they cannot tolerate being barefoot they are always a little dinky on hard surfaces and are very prone to abcesses. Flatfooted horses are more likely to be this way, but there is a chance that your horse will be one that cannot go barefoot and will need shoes put back on. I for one am not one to make a horse ride it out waiting for their feet to toughen up, it hurts me to see them when their feet hurt and I know that I can do someting to make it better.

[Equestria]

Ease him into it. Don't go on any 10-mile hikes across a mountain. But yes, they can get tougher.

[jyates]

We did about 4 hours worth of riding today with the 4 of them and there was a mixture of pavement and grass and a little gravel here and there and I didn't see anyone giving to their feet like I did last weekend. I'm telling our riding bunch to pay attention to what they are riding on and to stay in the softer places as much as possible with some short term exposure to the pavement and gravel surfaces and we'll see if over a period of time if they don't get tougher.

[annem]

I have been working with my Morgan to help him toughen up on his feet. He has been barefoot ever since I have had him (8 years) but the terraine we were walking on in Ontario vs the terraine I am going over now (rocky, fine gravel, soft ground, river beds, etc.) is so different for him. He is definately more ouchy on the fine gravel/gravel roads. On the ashphalt paving he is fine.

Now that his feet have grown out somewhat since seeing the farrier last, he is less ouchy. When the farrier comes back to re trim him, I'm going to ask him what he thinks re the condition of his feet now, after being ridden for 7 weeks since he last saw him. Also ask him whether to keep him shod with more length on and just increase the visits for tidying up the hoof.

I want to do what is best for the horse even if it means more visits with the farrier.