Ridecamp: Re: [RC] [RC] [RC] barefoot endurance

OK,........ I have been reading ALL the coments about barefoot verses shoes.
I have had horses all my life.  All (but one) have been able to be barefoot
at least for a short amount of time.  Usually in winter when not ridden
much.  They could go well in the ring and in the nature preserve across the
street from my house and be just fine. I have always put some sort of
protection on when summer came and I knew they were going to be ridden up in
the mountains.

I said(but one)!!   King cannot go bare foot AT ALL.  When I first started
working him (before I owned him) he was bare foot and very ouchy.  His owner
said he would get used to it.  He didn't.  She put shoes on him and he was
better.  Long story short.  I have tried many times to let his feet "rest"
and leave him barefoot.  He is miserable.    Recently he had surgery and I
thought a wonderful oportunity to let him be bare foot during recouperating.
For one I knew he would not run around while barefoot and thus I could let
him be outside instead of couping him up in his stall.  I also took the
oportunity to have his hooves x-rayed to see just where his bones were so
that I could have him trimmed and shod with his feet in perfect alignment.
In the x-rays it showed that he had no sole, to speak of.   The farrier has
never been alowed to pare away the sole so it came as a surprise to me.  His
bones were lined up perfectly so all he needed was toe chopped off.(natural
four point trim) He was barefoot for six weeks and then it was time to put
him back to work starting at a walk a little each day until he was back into
his regular work schedule.   I tried to ride him once.     He was literally
crippled barefoot and I rode ten minutes and got off.  I didn't ride him
again until he had shoes.   He is flat footed, thin soled, huge frog (a good
thing I understand) and no heels to speak of.    For a few years I had th
farrier put a wedge pad on because I thought he needed it for the (no heel
thing) and the tenderfoot thing.   Turns out (via x-rays) should not have
wedge pads so the last two times I had him shod was with out pads of any
kind.

I know it sounds like rambling but I say that to say this.  SOME horses
cannot go with out shoes EVER and be happy.

I myself can go barefoot a lot. I even go out in the snow to get my mail in
the winter barefoot as I am too lazy to bother to put my shoes on.
Most people cannot go barefoot much at all.     Doesn't it make sense that
horses can be the same??   Some barefoot some not.   Personal prefrence,
thats all.  Of the horse I mean.   Vicki

I
----- Original Message -----
From: "Deanna German" <finishis2win@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mmieske@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <mailto:drhopkins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
<mailto:ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 6:06 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] [RC] [RC] barefoot endurance


> Hey Maggie,
> After so many years and so many hooves, does Nelson really HAVE to measure
> toe length and angles, or does he do it just to double check himself? I
know
> that after close to 20 years of doing graphic design, I can see right
angles
> (or not), parallel lines (or not) and can put together complex charts
> without measuring and have them come out dead accurate -- I'll drop or
pull
> an occasional measurement to double check myself; I can't remember the
last
> time I was off, but one never knows, so I continue to double check.
>
> My farrier does much the same thing. The first few times (3 years ago) he
> worked on my horse (barefoot trim then), he measured toe length and
angles,
> but since then he hasn't. I trust his eyes and his level of experience --
> but I trust my eyes too. He watches her coming and going and looks at her
> squared up and then proceeds.
>
> Like Nelson, my farrier doesn't just snip, snip and drop the foot. It's a
> true barefoot trim without all that sole paring -- not a so-called
"pasture
> trim". For those of you who haven't seen a Strasser trim, a significant
> amount of sole is pared away. The last time I saw that much sole removed,
a
> farrier was trying to get at an abcess with a vet leaning over his
shoulder
> watching.
>
> New horse at our place is getting the Strasser treatment. Horse has a flat
> foot. So does my mare. New horse is very ouchy on gravel. I could yank my
> mare's shoes (well, my farrier could because when I've done one, it's been
a
> lot of work) tomorrow and she wouldn't be ouchy, even ridden.
>
> Is the new horse ouchy because that's the way he is? He's been barefoot
all
> 6 years of his life. Or is it the Strasser trim to which he's been
subjected
> for the last 3 months, paring away all of that protective sole? Food for
> thought.
>
> No, I haven't read "the book". I trust my own senses. But you all make
your
> own decisions. This is just what I've observed first hand.
>
> Suffice it to say that what I've seen of the Strasser trim has not
impressed
> me. And it comes at a premium price. It is better than no farrier care at
> all, I'll say that much. Get yourself a good farrier. Period. (They can be
> hard to find, but they're out there.) And commit to regular farrier care.
No
> criticism of Howard undertaking to do it himself -- I'd do that if I had
his
> level of frustration and couldn't find a good farrier.
>
> Happy trails all!
>
> Deanna
>
>
>
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 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

 If you are an AERC member - PLEASE VOTE in the upcoming By-Laws 
 Election!!!! (it takes 2/3rds to tango!!)

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