What do you think about shoes?

Question

well i have an Arabian. I do endurance and Barrel Racing on her. She has been bare foot for about 6 months. I love it. I just put her easyboots on and she is set to do anything i want her to. I go on some really rocky trails and her feet stay nice in the boots. I read up on somethings and after reading some of them i started to hate shoes. I just would like to know your opinion about shoes. You can say anything you want I will pick the best answer on who gives me the best reason for there thoughts on shoes.

Answer 1

i have my horses barefoot and would never go back to shoes. The main reason that i hate shoes is that they are totally over rated and un-needed. they also cause so many problems in horses that people don't even realise are caused by them; such as joint problems, splints, tying up and skeletal and muscular weakness. People think that horses need shoes if their horse is ridden and since i have gone bareoot so many people have said to me 'but how can you ride her if she has no shoes, surely thats cruel' - and i just answer that i think it's animal cruelty to shoe for no reason. I am very into the whole barefoot thing and am also doing a course in equine podietry starting next week, i think having horses barefoot makes you more aware of so many aspects of a horse's lifestyle such as diet and infection which really should have more attention.

My horses don't wear boots as only one is in work (other is a youngster), but the one in work copes fine without boots. however if i was going to do longer distance endurance i think i would have to use boots - which are so much more protective than a metal shoe with less jolting and impact.

Many people also just look at the outside of the hoof especially with shoes, but if you go barefoot you notice how much healthier the hoof wall, frog and sole become and it really is amazing how different a horse with shoes's frogs look compared to a barefoot horse.

Answer 2

it is better for horses to be barefoot.. because thats how they naturally are. like some of my friends that show in saddleseat pay a buttload of money for expensive shoes, then their horses cant go out to pasture cuz they cant throw a shoe.

i dont like them and my horse is barefoot.

i mean if they need them for whatever reason, okay. but id rather not have them

Answer 3

Going barefoot is the new Fad.  However it is just that a new fad.  For some it works well and for those people...Great!  I suggest those people do not wear shoes.  When I was a kid all our horses went barefoot.  However once I moved here and started serious trail riding things immediately changed.  Suddenly I was in an area where there simply was not any ground without rocks (back home I thought the ground was rocky but once I moved here I realized what rocky was).  To make matters worse 75 to 80% of the rock here is flint type chert.  These rocks are incredibly hard and break at sharp angles creating shards that are sometimes known to go through car tires.

No here I tried to go shoeless at first.  Thinking that I could gradually bring them up to riding trails with out the shoes.  What I ended up with was horses with sore feet and short hooves that were wore to the quick.  I still leave my horses barefoot in the winter to strengthen the hoof wall but once riding season starts they get shoes.

In the wild the horse is not carrying the extra weight of a saddle and person and is not being ridden deliberately hard over such ground anywhere near the distances a riding horse is used.

Answer 4

Before I bought him, my horse used to have shoes on his hooves all the time, then the owner got too many horses and stopped shoeing all the time to save money.  Then when I bought him he was barefoot and his hooves were starting to get stronger.  

I had to put this type of dressing on his hooves after each trim though to help him grow his hoof back faster and stronger. After being shoed for a long time his hooves had lost their strength.  His hooves are still getting stronger, I ride him mostly on grass and dirt trails. Except when on gravel his tip toes. But he had a really bad hoof injury from a rock getting stuck in his hoof when he was young, so I think he just remembers that when he walks over gravel.

Barefoot is better I think!

Answer 5

I know little about Barrel Racing, but in dressage its good for a horse to have shoes. This is because it helps balance them out.  I would talk to whoever shoe's your horse, because they will probably know what's best for your horse. I do dressage and my pony is shoed on his two front feet, and it helps him a lot. I hope this helps!

Answer 6

I feel it best to keep Everything as close to natural as possible. Once you see that something isn't working then change it; otherwise leave the horse alone. Too many people treat their horses like baby dolls and not real live animals.

Answer 7

I think its better for horses to be barefoot. Its how they are in the wild and its how they should be in captivity too.  

Answer 8

I think shoes can really help the horses that need them. Key word being need. Shoes have become so overused in this age that its crazy. People slap shoes one without knowing why the shoes are going on or what they are hoping to correct. It is a huge waste of money and detrimental to the horse.

My trainer pulls the shoes off of all her horses (that need them) at the end of the show season. If the horse continues to stay sound once training starts up again for the next season then the shoes stay off. She has 2 horses that will not stay sound without shoes and 1 that makes it about 1/2 through the season. The rings we show in have really hard footing compared to out ring at home so it makes the pony sore after a couple shows. Whenever she buys a horse that has shoes just to have shoes, she pulls them at the first available moment.

Neither of my horses are shod (OTTB and QH). The TB use to have shoes but my trainer pulled them, gave him a couple month off and he is now the soundest horse I have ever been around. Never sore and has amazing feet. He was one thar people put shoes on simply because he was a TB.

Again though, some horses need them to stay sound or to drastically improve gait. I'm not against shoes, just against their overuse.

Answer 9

I like barefoot but it can cause hooves to chip and crack. I use shoes on the front of 2 of my horses because I ride on Dartmoor(really rocky and uneven.) So I choose use on my horses shoes apart from one of my horses which doesn't go out because he freaks out so he stays in the sand schools and doesn't need shoes.(School made of sand and rubber.) It all depends on where you ride and what kind of riding you do(dressage, jumping, barrels, etc.)

Charlotte x

Answer 10

I never use shoes unless the horse's conformation, use, or hoof requires it. Basically, the only horse we have that is shod is because it's hoof wall is so thin and flakey, that even on normal footing, he would go lame constantly because his feet are so bad without the support of shoes. The other shod horse I ride (my aunts) has navicular and has corrective shoes, which is the only reason why the horse is still slightly ridable.

    Horses are barefoot in the wild, and do fine without shoes. Plus, it is a lot cheaper to just do a trim and not worry about shoes (unless needed for horse's health).  I don't understand why show horses, in sand footing 99% of the time, need all 4 feet shod. You can run into problems with shoes falling off, nails bending incorrectly, splitting the hoof, etc. Also, the horse can run into problems on slippery footing such as ice, and fall down and break a leg. I have seen this happen on a horse with the winter style shoes.

     Our barefoot horses still slip, but not as much.

    

Answer 11

I personally would rather my horses go barefoot as much as possible.  But when I have to take one or both on a trail ride that has a lot of large stones or gravel, I need to have something on their feet.  For my gelding, I want to put shoes on because he's been getting a lot of abcesses and it is an attempt to keep him from getting those.  

Easyboots are great, but you can't leave them on all the time like you can shoes.  They just aren't made for the rigors of constant 24/7 wear.  They are great to have if your horse throws a shoe out on a trail or at a show when you can't get a farrier right away, but steel shoes are more durable for the constant wear that most horses put them through.

Answer 12

I have a friend who has an arabian that was shod for many years, then suddenly went lame and they had to take them off. He was lame for a couple of years after that but now he is back to normal after being barefooot for a while. After she told me this story and told me all about barefoot care and trimming, i hated them also. I tried to learn as much as i could about barefoot hoof care. When i bought my horse though, i noticed she would always stand wierd and sometimes her hooves were very sensitive. She too was barefoot. We had the vet come out, and he said that my horse needed shoes, but only on the front. I was reluctant to try it but i wanted the best for my mare. As soon as the farrier put shoes on her, she imporved by 100%. And now she has shoes on the front all the time. Some horses just need them, and some horses are fine without them. Just do whatever works best for your horse. In the horse world, people will always be telling you what to do and not to do. You just have to stick to whats best for you.

Answer 13

IF YOUR HORSE IS DOING MAJOR SHOWJUMPING I WOULD PREFER SHOES BUT IF SHE WAS JUST A HAPPY HACKER MABYE GO TO A FEW SHOWS THEN I'D BE QUITE HAPPY IF I WAS A HORSE BAREFOOT.

AND IT'S CHEAPER LOL!

Answer 14

Keep in mind this is my OPINION to all who read this... I am not big into shoeing horses. In fact, I NEVER have because I never have needed to for medical reasons and my horses never needed them. It all depends on where you ride and your horse's hooves. My mom is thinking about shoeing her horse now because she is begining to get bad cracks on her hooves. I can see doing it for that reason. Or if you are riding on hard ground (I ride in sand and dirt MOSTLY) I know my horse doesn't have shoes, so when I ride on tar or gravel, I try and keep it to a min. I think shoes are more hassle and costly then anything. I am not putting people down for using them at all because it is NEEDED in some cases. I just hate that fact knowing I paid so much for shoes and they fall off and then you have to worry about that too. My horse personally doesnt need them. I do however want to invest in easy boots for when I do ride on more rocky terrain or atleast so I have the option too.

EDIT- I always look for a farrier (or vet) who isn't money hungry and looks out for my horse's best interest. So the person who stated above to ask your farrier, you can do this obviously, but I know alot of farriers who will tell you that you have to have them just so they can make a buck. So, just keep that in mind also.

Answer 15

I heard a talk at a horse symposium about shoes. there  is supposed to be a way to trim your horses feet that makes shoes unnecessary.  the guys name was Bruce Nock  He has a web site that you can access. Bruce described a brand of easy boot that is supposed to be the best for trail riding..  He has books and there are some papers that you can download on his thinking.  I don't shoe my horse but we really just do work in an arena and on non rocky ground.  If we trail road a lot I might put shoes on her.  I had shoes on my last horse and everything seemed to be okay with them. I guess you just have to follow what you think is best for your horse  

Answer 16

I have an Arab too. I have always put shoes on her and she does well. I do rocky trails with her and everything. She does just fine. The thing that I have against the easy boots is that they are so expensive and don't really last as long for what I want. Her feet stay real nice in the shoes.  

Answer 17

I think that it isn't the owners decision, but the horses. If your horse gets sores and has foot problems they should have shoes. If their feet stay healthy without shoes then they can go barefoot.  

Answer 18

For the most part horses do not need shoes but they do need regular hoof trimming. The primary reasons to shoe a horse is for purposes of traction and when horses are ridden on surfaces which wear the hooves faster that their natural growth. Boots can be a good alternative to shoes though but I would advise that care be taken to assure a proper and secure fit to prevent hoof damage and to assure that the horse is sure-footed and moves naturally and confidently. I am old school and I keep my horses shoed but my horses are frequently rented out and trail ridden where there are some steep slopes and hard surfaces where push-offs require sure-footed traction, and so removing boots when they are in stall, paddock, or pasture and then booting them up when they are worked is an inconvenience which is just not an option. My daughter on the other hand keeps her horse unshod and boots him up only when traction and wear protection is necessary. She uses Easycare Epics which are professionally fitted by her farrier and her horse has no problems with sure-footed traction and natural ease of movement whether trail riding, endurance racing, barrel racing or pole bending. But whether barefoot, shoed, or booted, horses still need regular farrier care and hoof trims. My horses get regular trims every 4 to 6 weeks.