Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> Would like to know if anyone pulls thier shoes during time
> off?  Do your
> horses get sore after pulling shoes. I have friends who's horses have
> gone
> severly lame/founder after shoes are pulled or lost . Had one friend who
> thought of going barefoot and pulled her shoes and the horse instantly
> went
> lame on both fronts, he stood in his stall in the middle of a pile of
> shavings and wouldn't move,  when the farrier put the shoes back on
> the next
> day he was instantly fine. (WIERD)!! The other horse lost a shoe while
> out
> trail riding, had to walk about 1/2 mile down some gravel and foundered
> on
> that foot the next day. Can anyone explain what causes this? Bad shoeing
> over a long period of time?  Please keep this friendly. Just very
> curious?
> Kisha

Hi Kisha -- it probably isn't as simple as a horse going instantly lame
when their shoes were pulled.  Were the shoes just pulled off, or
was a trim done following the removal of the shoes?  Some horses may
need some time to adapt to going barefoot and may be sensitive. 
Others may adapt without blinking.  Unless you know how the horse
had been trimmed -- which could have more to do with a horse being sore,
than the fact that his shoes have been removed.  

I've done a mix of things over the years.  I have pulled shoes in
the winter, and then the next day had a horse standing like he was on
eggshells because he'd felt so frisky in the cool weather he ran around
over hard frozen ground.  I've also pulled shoes off the Wednesday
night before a 50 and completed using boots with no problem
whatsoever.  Every horse is an individual. Some horses will do well
no matter what you do to them, and others need the stars aligned
perfectly or else.  <:-|  

There are some differences in the types of trims that need to be provided
to horses that are going to be kept barefoot. We've made some minor
changes to my horses over the last year but overall it's pretty basic --
keep their feet balanced, their angles as they need to be for each horse,
don't let their toe length get too long, round or bevel the edges, and
allow the sole callous to develop.  I'm sure that is way simplifying
it, and those with more experience can explain it a lot better than I
can.   

I didn't do this when I transitioned my horses to being barefoot -- but
an option to consider is to add a boot and/or a pad in the boot for added
protection and keep the horse comfortable.  Plus you know I would
have to say something about the importance of carrying an Easyboot when
you ride -- or an Epic which will stay on even if the shoe is lost. 
In the event that a boot isn't available, duct tape might help. 
That is if you have it with you ;).  I have lent many an Easyboot to
riders over the years who were able to complete their rides.  That's
why I always carry two, so when I give one away, I have one left for
myself in case I need it! This link has an updated Easyboot 101 article
on it, plus links to the originals.  Anybody who carries an Easyboot
for a spare on a ride should review these: 

http://easycareinc.typepad.com/karen/2006/06/easyboot_101.html
   

Even if somebody pulls their horses shoes for a month or two during a
year making some modifications to the trim method may make the transition
to and from being shod a lot easier on their horse. 

http://www.easycareinc.com/education/links.aspx

Karen
in NV