Are shoes good or bad, what do you think?

Question

Just wanted to see what people thought about this issue. I asked a question about my barefoot horse earlier and it seemed to uncover a possible feud. I'm an open-minded person and I just wanted to see if anyone had some good FACTS regarding either method. Thanks!

Answer 1

Neither - some horses don't need them and some do, end of story.  I prefer horses that don't need them, but only because it's cheaper and less maintenance!  If your horse needs them, then there's not much you can do other than get him shod.

Answer 2

I think it depends on where and how often you ride..  if you are in a soft arena all the time maybe not .. if ride on rough terrain or trail ride i think yes or in parades yes..

Answer 3

Depends. Some horses have problems with there feet and need shoes others who are show horses or compedititve trail horses need shoes for terrain. And jumpers need shoes for Corks ( little studs that can be screwed onto the bottom of the shoes for traction this is used on grass when jumping. ) it all depends for a horse that is a happy little ranch horse that is riden for fun or just in pasture ( unless shoes are needed for issues such as laminiteis or navicular ) because shoes can be expensive and a pain when a horse pulls a shoe. But it all depends on the horse, the rider , the terraine and everything in between

Answer 4

This depends on what your horses do and what kind of ground they do it on. Obviously, a race horse usually needs to be shod depending on the type of track they race on. If you ride a working horse on a hard surface or a surface unnatural to a horses' hoof and safety is an issue (ie: grip) then shoes may be needed. Pleasure riding in fields or trail riding I would think would be better barefoot as long as trims are regularly done. So the main question is: What does your horse do and what surface does he do it on and as a good horseman/woman, make the decision.

Answer 5

shoes are good if they are necessary... if not why bother? also... shoeing horses to create a certain gate is not at all acceptable in my mind

at my barn most of the horses wear shoes because the trails have gravel on them and the mounting blocks are on a black top surface... there are also a lot of roads to cross when on trails and the rings are sand... the floor of the barn is cement.

at the therapeutic riding center that i volunteer at not a lot of the horses are shod because the trails are dirt, the turn outs are grassy, and the rings have a rubbery footing... the only REALLY hard surface their hooves come in contact with is when they are on the cross ties because the floor of the barn is cement

so shoes depend on the situation...

Answer 6

Always had to keep my horses shod. Wish I could have saved the money and just had them trimmed.  But all mine were sore footed and couldn't take it.  Now some of them could go barefoot behind. I think it is individual thing in each horse.

Answer 7

i actually talked to my farrier today and i have a horse that had chipy feet. He said it is only cosmetic and to leave her barefoot until right before an event. He said that research has proven that horses that wild horses  are barefoot have like less stress on their feet because they get packed with mud and gives them a larger surface area to absord impact. Where as a shoed horse will only absorb the shock on the shoe on the rim or their feet. The shoe is less area than the whole foot and gives pressure points and points that don't touch the ground. The area above the shoe doesn't get used to the surfaces the horse walks on leaving him more likely for stone bruises and sore feet. Hope this helps. I still shoe my horses. I wish i could leave them barefoot they just don't have the best feet (northern dancer lines breed for speed and nothing else).

Answer 8

Natural hoof care is simply best...Because it's NATURAL! When you put a nail into the wall of a hoof you damage the integrity of it.

I read your earlier post and commented, there was lots of good information from multiple people, I think this just comes down to you not hearing what you wanted.

Answer 9

yes it depends how often u ride but if the horse is wild well of couse no and also if i is and english riding horse then yes. If its western i dont thnik so

answer mine plez since u like horses of course

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 10

I think it's good. So the horses won't step on anything that will cut their hooves.

Answer 11

If a horse does really good without shoes, then fine. I had a horse who got hot nails like you wouldn't believe it, so I just rode her and showed her with no shoes.

i like to ride with shoes, I notice that horses preform a lot better, but what ever the horse prefers is cool with me

Answer 12

It all depends on the horse. Some horses really do need the shoes. Some don't.

Answer 13

it depends if they are Nike or New Balance

Answer 14

Shoes are good if you need them, bad if you dont.

There is no reason to shoe a horse 'just because'. If the horse is in heavy work, or has hoof problems, then sure, go right ahead.

Some horses just have naturally hard hooves (those horses are like gold) they are healthy and get around just fine without shoes. Why would you want to nail a hunk of metal on hooves that are fine without it? Thats how you make a horses hoof soft, by taking away the hooves need to look after itself.

If you want an example, my Thoroughbred mare was most likely a race horse in her younger years (shes 10 now) and would have been shod from day dot. Somewhere in between the race track and now, she ended up on a kill buyers property, bound for slaughter.

When she was bought off the kill buyer she had no shoes on of course, and probably hadnt had shoes for a long time, in this time her hooves needed to look after themselves, so they hardened up really well, and she has great hooves that dont need shoes, she gets along just fine without them.

When she was bought from the kill buyer, her new owners shod her, well....just because.....and guess what?? She formed a nasty abscess that had her lame for a while, I had the shoes removed immediatly and shes had no troubles since. Why whould I want to shoe her, and ruin all that hard work her body has built up to look after itself?

She is simply a pleasure horse and ridden on trail occasionaly, she goes over most terrain like its not even there, and she HASNT got shoe on, and shes a thoroughbred.

Answer 15

I rodeo, and do not put shoes on my horses. I've heard it helps get traction in barrel and poles. I have been on the matter. I'm currently telling myself no. When I go to rodeo's I've seen alot of horses loose shoes. At one rodeo a horse was running to barrel 1 and just fell and completely crushed his rider. She was fine and when they got back up they noticed a shoe had fallen of. It started off like a good run and turned sour bad. I talked to the owner and she said she thinks they shoe came off and it caused the fall. So if you have shoes I'd make sure you have the equipment to put another back on, or take them off. Just my opinion. Its much easier without shoes. =]

Answer 16

it depends on a lot of things.

1. how often you ride and what kind of riding you do.

2. what kind of terrain the horse is used to.

3. the horse itself

there are two horses that i ride. one doesnt use shoes, the other does. i never notice any difference (i do the same type of riding for both). the problem with shoes is that they can be costly, and frustrating if your horse is the kind that tends to kick them off. its really just about seeing if your horse actually needs them, because some might be perfectly fine without them.

Answer 17

Shoes on horses can be bad or good. It matters if you use them the correct way and purchase/make the correct size. If you have the incorrect size and do not take the shoes off in a matter of time the material that the hoof is made of can grow over the shoe and cause the horse a lot of pain, even when they are removed. If you have to remove a shoe that was in that condition it would feel like having to rip of your fingernail to get out a piece of metal out of your finger. But you don't have to put a 1,000 pounds on your finger, but the horse does. But if you do everything correctly, it is good because the horse doesn't get mud and grass up in his hoof.

Answer 18

I honestly think it depends on the horse, I know the horse I ride needs them, because his front feet are so sensitive, but the pony I had ridden didn't need them, since his were tougher. Depends on the horse.

Answer 19

Neither.  They are necessary on some horses in some circumstances but not on others.

You would not ride a gaited horse the miles I ride them over the terrain I ride without them.  I know because I tried.  Gaited horses tend to slide their back feet a tiny amount which wears hooves off too quickly in the flint rock found here.  There is a reason why indians make arrowheads out of flint.  Its because it can get sharper than a razor.  We have had several flats on car tires from flint rocks going through the tire.

On the other hand When I lived in Southeast Missouri (180 miles away) there was less rock and we rode non gaited horses.  We never shod them.

In general for most horses going barefoot is better...IF the horse is not being ridden much over a lot of gravel and rock.  If the horse is ridden a lot then the horse may need shoes.

Answer 20

I think shoes are good. I think natural hoof care is bull. Riding the horse isn't natural, feeding them isn't natural, you wouldn't just turn them lose where you live with nothing to survive off of, so why would you let their feet be natural? I suggest natural horse people stop giving their horses water in buckets of hay because, guess what, it's not natural!