[Chiko]

Originally Posted by GotaDunQH

Just curious...can you cite the website you obtained this info from? It's always helpful to cite the resources from where the info was obtained.

Jennifer

Yes, here it is:

http://www.b2bhoofcare.com/b2b_06a_faq_01a.htm#q13

[janelle12]

Someone said, "It takes some time for them to get used to not having the 'cushion' or 'shock absorbing'ness of shoes"

Not to pick on the poster, but just singling out this statement as misleading.

What nature gave the horse on the bottom of his hoof naturally is the best shock absorption system he could have; a metal shoe actually increases the concussive force and sends it up the leg and joints (see Bowker's research). Also unless the horse is on really soft ground (and is able to build a decent dirt plug, and the owner doesn't pick it out constantly), a shoe lifts most of the hoof off the ground and takes away the support from the bottom of the hoof where it was meant to be shared by all parts, some more than others. Shoeing a horse can also, especially if he's shod year round, cause contraction in the back of the hoof and failure of the lateral cartilages and digital cushion (the other parts of the hoof designed to aid in support and shock absorption).

If you do opt to shoe your horse, don't do it before he's 5 years old (had a chance to develop his lateral cartileges and digital cushion), give him GOOD HOOF CARE during his off season (frequent trimming as needed, with barefeet growth is much faster due to increased nutrition and circulation, so every three to five weeks) and let his foot go shoeless in the off season to offset the pathology caused by shoes. Even the OLD farrier books said to do this.

And I should have mentioned this first, as you can't grow in a good hoof without it,...but eliminate sugars and high NSC from his diet (see the saftergrass.org website). Your hay should be 10% NSC, no more. You don't know unless you have it analyzed. Cattle people laugh at us horse owners for not doing what they've known to prevent bad hooves for years (insisting on hay analyses). Know the best times of day to turn your horse out and the proper conditions and the worst conditions).