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Re: [RC] barefoot horse - Lynne GlazerLike Nancy said. Your Mileage May Vary.I have the two rat report. What I learned is that it is all about the quality of the trim (first) and then the personal tolerance for pokey-ness of rocks. My 12 year old Ember formerly needed trimming every 5 weeks, whether doing multidays or even barefoot, not in work. I then changed shoers after more than a dozen years, and guess what? Ember has now gone *12 weeks without trimming* inspected every 6 weeks, and is good to go for 6 more weeks according to my farrier yesterday. I can't get over my horse trimming her own feet like the proverbial mustang, and the benefit to my pocketbook--he set her up for success. She is in light work and her baby is due in mid-April--she trotted all the way home on Sunday's trail ride, with sweat only at my seatbones under the bareback pad, and the other horse with us was sweating bigtime. Our ground is decomposed granite, pretty abrasive. Q, the 6 year old, was ouchy on the rocks in front even at a walk barefoot, despite a thick, barely pared sole. So after a 3 trim experiment with barefoot, he went back into shoes yesterday, the Natural Balance steels in front and kegs behind. He was barely trimmed yesterday--and is now in-between sizes in EBs, otherwise we probably would have stayed barefoot. Of course I just bought a new EB at Warners a week ago. Incidentally, my farrier is Rob Kalb, who occasionally reads this list and is an endurance rider as well; he did DVE and Warners recently. He drives all over SoCal cold-shoeing endurance peoples' horses and the odd Grand Prix dressage horse as well. I don't know any other farrier willing to drive like he does, for those of us that have learned the importance of balanced feet. <uh oh, rant warning> There's a horse at our barn that is owned by someone that just shouldn't have horses. We estimated it had been a year since his last trim. It's all about money. Yesterday some of us each chipped in $5 and had Rob trim him, Rob also pitched in $5. <sigh> I took before and after photos of the fronts; she has a local teenager ride him (which she does for free) and the sight of them tearing around at a canter and gallop made me speak up and start the kitty. When the horse colicked last year, we all thought he'd have to be put down because of the money, but she somehow managed, or our soft-hearted barn owner probably paid. I've known the gal a lot of years, has grown children now but one has spina bifida (I used to teach her at a handicapped riding program when she was little!)--her dad had horses, and was one of those minimalist cowboy types. But I'll bet he trimmed his horses' feet...sorry for rambling. Lynne On Jan 20, 2004, at 9:29 PM, Nancy Reed wrote: Laurie, =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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