This completely confused me as she has very nice, hard hooves and no issues what so ever on varied terrain, including gravel driveways and roads. To my knowledge she's never been shod, and I had no plans on doing so.
I asked Mr. Farrier why should I shoe? His response was that her hoofs are not growing very fast. I'm aware of this as we are 8 weeks out since last full trim. However, he's filed oval and rasped chips at week 6 and again yesterday at week 8. Her frog is healthy and not protruding, she is not low in the heel, she is very balanced and feels awesome when riding. She was exactly the same way last summer.
He just couldn't come up with any other reason to put shoes on her.
I offer to pay for these files/rasping trips (she's not the only horse he does in the barn on these trips) and he does not take money from me.
It doesn't make sense to me to put shoes on her. Has anyone else heard of shoeing a horse because their hoofs are growing slow?
No - I'd go by how she feels and goes - she's apparently self-trimming due to her weight and size and what's wrong with that if her hooves are solid and she's comfortable?
ReplyDeleteI would think if she has a good foot , no issues with lameness or balance and feels good . I would leave her barefoot.Unless he has a more pressing reason that he is able to articulate...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Kate and Fernvalley. I'm not against shoeing - there are definitely reasons to do. However, your situation is ideal for leaving your horse barefoot. I know this may not be feasible, but I would seriously consider finding a good, barefoot farrier to take care of your horse. I would be more comfortable with someone who really knows barefoot trimming.
ReplyDeleteDan
The original reason to use horse shoes was to hold a hoof together when horses (in the dark ages) were kept in mucky stables all the time or working in a lot of mud (like plow horses.) Now we shoe to protect the frog and sole and correct problems and lameness, and occasionally to give the horse more traction. Since Rosie doesn't need any of that, apparently, there is no reason to put shoes on her feet. Healthy feet are usually bare feet that are kept trimmed nicely.
ReplyDeleteAfter struggling for five years to find one hoofcare provider that could do right by my horse, I have to say if your horse is happy and comfortable without, why put shoes on?
ReplyDeleteVery first person I had working Willie's feet (he wasn't a farrier, though he told me so, and I didn't know better at the time) only put shoes on so he could charge me more. He later admitted as much, though not to me. I'm lucky there wasn't more lasting damage, because he didn't even get the right size or type of shoe! (They were sliders, and way too small!)
Thanks everyone. I'd pretty much decided not to put shoes on her unless there was a physical reason to do so. i just needed to hear from others if the whole "Let's slap shoes on because they're not growing" was as much BS and I thought it was.
ReplyDeleteThe guy wants your money. No, I don't actually know if that's the case, but if Rosie is comfortable, why change what works? That's dumb to me. I'm no farrier, but if the horse is sound barefoot, KEEP HER BAREFOOT! And I'll keep on being jealous of you shoe-less horse:)
ReplyDeleteMare - Rosie is my only barefoot horse. Bonnie is shod all around. I can't even imagine what it would cost to shoe a draft.. gasp! Trimming is expensive enough.
ReplyDeleteSounds silly to me. Apache's hooves grow slowly, too and with our hard, rugged ground, she self-trims. The time between our last two trims was almost 5 months and when my farrier got to working on her, he was only able to do some minor nipping to get her balanced and some rasping and he was done.
ReplyDelete"Dreaming"'s two Haffies are the same way. She just posted about only having to trim her boys every 5-6 months and their hooves being strong, and healthy despite the length of time in between trims. Her geldings are also barefoot, too.
I've asked my farrier if I should shoe Apache, because sometimes she is a little ouchie on gravel roads, but he advises against it, because he believes they tend to cause more problems than help for a horse's hooves.
Also we have a lot of flat boulders across our trails and he tells me he will never feel safe riding a shod horse across them, or across asphalt roads. Too slippery!
Why shoe a horse like Rosie if she has such healthy, strong hooves?
Trust your instincts.
~Lisa
I would not put shoes on her either. Go with your gut.
ReplyDeleteSounds like she has great, near perfect feet. Unless her feet were wearing down too fast I don't know why you would shoe. I'd say don't fix what isn't broken.
ReplyDeleteI believe your instincts are correct. If it ain't broke, why fix it? At the farm, they only put shoes on those that need it for one reason or another. If she is comfortable and doesn't have any gait issues, why mess with it?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you went with your instincts. I know some farriers and some vets like to keep everyone in shoes regardless of if they really need them (luckily mine aren't of that lot). Is this a new farrier?
ReplyDeleteYep, she's wearing them just right! Now if she was over-wearing, and needed protection from getting too too short, I'd understand...
ReplyDeleteI think if her feet aren't growing wonky and everything has been good in the past when she was barefoot, leave her feet the way they are.
ReplyDeleteMy number one rule is always Ask My Vet. When I am uncertain about their well-being in some manner, I trust her wisdom! Just me :)
ReplyDeleteLove the header!!!!!!
xo, misha