Has anybody done this? I took the neighbors horse last fall. THey said she needed front shoes in order to ride her or she will go lame. So the farrier was out today and put her shoes. I have been watching her feet as they grew and had suspicion that she had foundered in the past, he confirmed that. He recommends trying to keep shoes on her feet(she only has them on the front) all year if her feet can handle it. Anybody ever done this?
Keeping shoes on a big horse all year?
- Thread starter Ashley
- Start date
Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:
Katiean
Well-Known Member
With my big horses I did keep them with shoes all year round. I lived in area that I could ride year round and did. I feel bad that my farrier is coming out tomorrow and it is so muddy and icky out there. But She doesn't seem to mind. But back to the big horses, I had 4 of them and the farrier came out every 6-8 weeks and put on a new set.
mydaddysjag
Well-Known Member
When I ran barrel horses I rode year round, and kept my horses shoes on year round. My horses had shoes on all 4. Farrier out every 6 weeks to trim the hoofs and reset shoes. You dont need a new set everytime the horse is trimmed, they just take them off, trim the horse, and put the same shoes on. Occasionally they do wear out and you will need new shoes, but its not often.
I just worry with haveing them all year is the snow and ice. He put them on now verses waiting because he thought it would help her walk better as she was a bit sore from previous founder. She is walking better already.
He told us every 8 weeks.
He told us every 8 weeks.
Actually Ashley, that's the old way of thinking going on. This is why I have always kept an open mind to new things in all facits of horsemanship.
The thing here Ashley is to find out the true reason why the horse will go lame in the first place. Could be any number of things of course but if in fact the reason is founder/laminitis, the worst thing to do is to be hammering nails into a foot. That is very cruel in my opinon, however way back when dinosauers ruled the earth, that was the way things were done. Today we have much knowledge about such things to help us out. If I were you, I"d be wanting an answer from my vet and very knowledgable Natural Barefoot Trimmer what is in fact going on.
I would also highly recommend hoof boots. I've never been so happy with my Old Mac G2 boots. You surely would save a bunch of money on regular shoes and resets and well worth the initial investment.
You will find a lot of information on this site and on the links page
http://www.easycareinc.com/
The thing here Ashley is to find out the true reason why the horse will go lame in the first place. Could be any number of things of course but if in fact the reason is founder/laminitis, the worst thing to do is to be hammering nails into a foot. That is very cruel in my opinon, however way back when dinosauers ruled the earth, that was the way things were done. Today we have much knowledge about such things to help us out. If I were you, I"d be wanting an answer from my vet and very knowledgable Natural Barefoot Trimmer what is in fact going on.
I would also highly recommend hoof boots. I've never been so happy with my Old Mac G2 boots. You surely would save a bunch of money on regular shoes and resets and well worth the initial investment.
You will find a lot of information on this site and on the links page
http://www.easycareinc.com/
Yes, we have kept shoes on horses feet year round when we rode a lot, and we have a lot of rocks here and rough country, so going without shoes is not an option, no matter how tough their feet were. However, if that horse was not being used for a few weeks, the shoes were pulled and they were allowed to go barefoot.
Many many years ago, we also had a mare that foundered and the shoes DID help her as they protected her feet some and she got around MUCH better with shoes on than not. Rubber shoes, EZ boots, etc.... are also not an option here due to the terrain. She still had good walls on her feet and it did not hurt her putting shoes on her. We tried letting her go barefoot as much as we could, but it didnt work well for her, due to the previous founder problem.
Many many years ago, we also had a mare that foundered and the shoes DID help her as they protected her feet some and she got around MUCH better with shoes on than not. Rubber shoes, EZ boots, etc.... are also not an option here due to the terrain. She still had good walls on her feet and it did not hurt her putting shoes on her. We tried letting her go barefoot as much as we could, but it didnt work well for her, due to the previous founder problem.
Last edited by a moderator:
Katiean
Well-Known Member
I road on hard surfaces to get to the arenas so I did wear my horses shoes out quite frequently. No big though. A new set or a re set is all the same. We ran with shoes 12 months a year.
Mominis
Well-Known Member
I read a study online that said that shoeing reduces the blood flow to the hoof by up to 50%. I think Michigan State did the study, but I'd have to see if I could find the article again to be certain. However, if the horse is lame without them, then it is likely a good choice to keep shoes on, I would think. That would be something that I'd talk to the vet about, were I in your position. Maybe a rim pad to help the hoof stay comfortable may help the circulation? Pads were not discussed in the study, as far as I can recall, so I'm not sure how they would impact the blood flow issue. As far as the snow and ice is concerned, maybe you could discuss with your farrier putting some borium on the shoe to aid traction.
anoki
Well-Known Member
My big guy is in training year round (except when it's too cold for ME), and he is shod on all 4 feet. He wears aluminum front shoes and regular steel shoes behind. We also put small borium corks on all 4 feet....we've found the horses have better traction when we are riding no matter the weather with the small corks, but they are definitely necessary once winter starts setting in.
He has good strong feet, but because of his conformation (part draft horse) he needs the shoes to help him with the riding we do.
~kathryn
He has good strong feet, but because of his conformation (part draft horse) he needs the shoes to help him with the riding we do.
~kathryn
I dont know about shoes reducing blood flow, unless it's a bad farrier who is restricting the hoof somehow. We did not ever use all four nail holes- only the first three on each side, which still allows the hoof to contract and expand as it needs to in the back by the frog. If the frog can still function, this is what helps the blood flow... the more clips, nails and stuff added to the shoe to restrict the hoof from being able to expand, I could see that this might also restrict the frog as well, thus restricting blood flow.
Mominis
Well-Known Member
I stand corrected, it was Dr. Strasser who had written about the reduced blood flow. Here's an exerpt that I found from the study I had read, but I have also seen this hotly debated on other forums, so I guess it must be taken with a grain of salt:
[SIZE=12pt][/size] [/SIZE]
"With horses whose hooves have been contracted (or shod) for a long time, altered liver and kidney function values are noticeable in blood tests.
[SIZE=12pt]"The kidneys and liver of a horse with contracted hooves are overstressed as a result of having to deal with the excess metabolic waste protein in the blood stream. Their function is disrupted and, especially with liver function disrupted, frequent bouts of colic and other problems can result.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"This is why it is important, before beginning with the rehabilitation of a horse with badly damaged and long-term contracted hooves, to establish the values for kidney and liver function via a blood test. The results can also aid in clarifying for the owner and any veterinarian treating the horse the reality and seriousness of the damage in the horse as a result of impaired hoof functions, as well as provide concrete records showing the effectiveness of this rehabilitation method.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"If the kidneys and liver are working only poorly, the long-term, slow poisoning of the entire organism (especially the heart) can be so severe that, after reactivation of hoof mechanism and the removal of dead corium regions (which burdens the kidney and liver even more), the overall toxicity can lead to metabolic organ or heart failure--in other words, the sudden death of the animal." (VII-35)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"Blood contains a high amount of protein, and a large part of this protein must be excreted, such as via the hooves in the form of horn, or via the skin as hair. When the blood flow in the hoof corium is restricted (such as through shoeing, contraction, lack of movement), less waste protein is excreted here, and too much remains in the bloodstream and the organism. This excess protein must then be excreted, along with the regular metabolic waste, by the kidneys and skin. For the kidneys, this extra work is a strain which adversely affects their normal functions. As a result, regular metabolic waste which should have been excreted by the kidneys remains in the organism, putting stress on other organs. The liver, as a metabolic organ, is one of these, and is then no longer able to function properly.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"This is why blood tests for horses that have been shod or have had contracted hooves for some time show abnormal values for liver and kidney functions. The reduced corium circulation in horses with long-term shoeing and contracted hooves thus also sets the stage for laminitis, which can then be triggered by even a slight change in blood composition, or metabolism--such as results from a small amount of excess grain, grass, or a vaccination (none of which are the cause of laminitis, only the trigger." (X-25-26)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt](Above excerpts from: The Hoofcare Specialist’s Handbook: Hoof Orthopedics and Holistic Lameness Rehabilitation[/SIZE], [SIZE=12pt]by Hiltrud Strasser, DVM & Sabine Kells; published 2001 in Canada by Sabine Kells.)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][/size] [/SIZE]
"With horses whose hooves have been contracted (or shod) for a long time, altered liver and kidney function values are noticeable in blood tests.
[SIZE=12pt]"The kidneys and liver of a horse with contracted hooves are overstressed as a result of having to deal with the excess metabolic waste protein in the blood stream. Their function is disrupted and, especially with liver function disrupted, frequent bouts of colic and other problems can result.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"This is why it is important, before beginning with the rehabilitation of a horse with badly damaged and long-term contracted hooves, to establish the values for kidney and liver function via a blood test. The results can also aid in clarifying for the owner and any veterinarian treating the horse the reality and seriousness of the damage in the horse as a result of impaired hoof functions, as well as provide concrete records showing the effectiveness of this rehabilitation method.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"If the kidneys and liver are working only poorly, the long-term, slow poisoning of the entire organism (especially the heart) can be so severe that, after reactivation of hoof mechanism and the removal of dead corium regions (which burdens the kidney and liver even more), the overall toxicity can lead to metabolic organ or heart failure--in other words, the sudden death of the animal." (VII-35)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"Blood contains a high amount of protein, and a large part of this protein must be excreted, such as via the hooves in the form of horn, or via the skin as hair. When the blood flow in the hoof corium is restricted (such as through shoeing, contraction, lack of movement), less waste protein is excreted here, and too much remains in the bloodstream and the organism. This excess protein must then be excreted, along with the regular metabolic waste, by the kidneys and skin. For the kidneys, this extra work is a strain which adversely affects their normal functions. As a result, regular metabolic waste which should have been excreted by the kidneys remains in the organism, putting stress on other organs. The liver, as a metabolic organ, is one of these, and is then no longer able to function properly.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]"This is why blood tests for horses that have been shod or have had contracted hooves for some time show abnormal values for liver and kidney functions. The reduced corium circulation in horses with long-term shoeing and contracted hooves thus also sets the stage for laminitis, which can then be triggered by even a slight change in blood composition, or metabolism--such as results from a small amount of excess grain, grass, or a vaccination (none of which are the cause of laminitis, only the trigger." (X-25-26)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt](Above excerpts from: The Hoofcare Specialist’s Handbook: Hoof Orthopedics and Holistic Lameness Rehabilitation[/SIZE], [SIZE=12pt]by Hiltrud Strasser, DVM & Sabine Kells; published 2001 in Canada by Sabine Kells.)[/SIZE]
Today was the first time I was able to get out and feed the horses since the hoof trimmer was here. I cant beleve how much better she moves! She actually ran up for her grain this morning! He also fixed the split hoof on my project horse. Cant even tell it was cracked!
