[Blue_rose2001]

I pulled the shoes on my 16+ hand appendix Gelding- Apache. The farrier mentioned he would be sore with the new trim. Went to a show that saturday and her performed horrible! Did not want to go in canter- did a fast trot and pinned ears back. We did do it, but he was not willing. Appears to walk fine around pastures and arena. Trots willingly in arena. (farrier suggested a week of aspirin for soreness)

One week later- Show 2 (has aspirin the farrier recommended). Went much better but still not "his normal self". Cantered much faster than usual and seemed a bit off. But we did place for the first time in barrels later that evening. (Yes my boy does english and barrels). He is learning the difference between different saddles and bits. Much more relaxed in his D Ring english setup. I know we are faster than most in the class but we are working on that.

Today- Trail ride, pinned his ears back the 2 times I asked him to canter so we could work on transitions. 3rd time he bucked and acted terrible!

Could he still be sore? Anything I should do? I know he limps walking across gravel but I expected that to happen for a while. I can't get boots until after his 2nd trim on July 21st. His aspirin regime is well over. Should I try another type of pain medicine? Any recommendations?

[lbhugg]

Very much so he could be sore thinkof it like this if youare used to wearing shoes all day then decide you wont put them on at all and go for a jog down the road your feet will be tender. You can get him some boots and use them when you ride untill his feet get used to being bare stick with it and he will start to callus up his feet

[lbhugg]

Sorry didn't see the last part bout the boots I would ride him in softer areas that he can handle untill then you don't want him to tip toe around at all you want him to use the back of his foot (heel first landing) at all times. Why do you nave to wait till after next trim?

[Chiko]

What kind of footing does he live on daily? If he is on soft ground then his feet will never get used to going barefoot and you will need to use boots when you go out onto rocky or hard ground. My mare has been going barefoot now for about 6 mos and because she is on hog fuel and pasture all the time, I have to boot her when I take her on gravel or even sand with small rocks.

[LindaMM]

I have three riding horses all barefoot. My NSH gelding does great barefoot, even right after the shoes are pulled or if he is trimmed. My Paint gelding is ouchy after a trim, but toughens right up. My SB Paint mare is always ouchy unless the footing is reasonably soft or she has boots. This is keeping all three horses on "soft" footing, and trail riding in the hard desert.

Each horse reacts differently. Just like each person has a different threshhold for pain.

Sounds like your boy needs to toughen up... have you tried Durasole?

[pittmd]

Both of our horses are barefoot and have always been. We have a friend who trained herself/went to school for natural hoof care. I did notice a difference between the old farrier and the way our friend does it but could not explain it. I can tell you that since we have been having her do the triming they don't have cracks or feet problems. They really don't have that much exposure to rocky trails though.

[mftx4]

Going barefoot can take 6 months to a year to achieve. Just like you having to develope calluses, your horses feet need to have time to get tougher. The frog needs time to grow out and flatten a bit. It works as a shock aborber for the bottom of the foot. In time it will become as tough as leather to protect the bottom of the foot. If your farrier is trimming to much away, that will never happen. As the feet grow out, the hoof wall usually becomes thicker and harder.
I have 4 horses and all are barefoot with very good results. We ride on many different surfaces from sand, gravel, asphalt, loose rock on trails with no problems. A good 'cowboy or mustang' roll will help with break over to avoid chips and cracks. We are over 2 years into barefoot and will probably never go back to shoes. Not every horse, depending on specific situations, is able to go this route. A well educated farrier or trimmer can tell you better than anyone whether you horse can go barefoot.

[PeggySue]

also keep in mind that not all horses can go barefoot and be sound...

[reddyb]

Originally Posted by mftx4

Going barefoot can take 6 months to a year to achieve. Just like you having to develope calluses, your horses feet need to have time to get tougher. The frog needs time to grow out and flatten a bit. It works as a shock aborber for the bottom of the foot. In time it will become as tough as leather to protect the bottom of the foot. If your farrier is trimming to much away, that will never happen. As the feet grow out, the hoof wall usually becomes thicker and harder.
I have 4 horses and all are barefoot with very good results. We ride on many different surfaces from sand, gravel, asphalt, loose rock on trails with no problems. A good 'cowboy or mustang' roll will help with break over to avoid chips and cracks. We are over 2 years into barefoot and will probably never go back to shoes. Not every horse, depending on specific situations, is able to go this route. A well educated farrier or trimmer can tell you better than anyone whether you horse can go barefoot.

I'm in total agreement with this 'poster'.
My horse has gone barefoot for 14 of the 17 years I've owned him.
It takes some time for them to get used to not having the 'cushion' or 'shock absorbing'ness of shoes.
Also, especially if they are asked to perform on surfaces 'different' from those that they live on.
My farrier prefers 'barefoot' on my horse but it took quite some time to achieve this, as well, I'm a huge fan of feeding a good hoof supplement (biotin), and conditioning with hoof conditioners ('Hoof Flex by Absorbine is GREAT), 3-5x a week.
He'll probably get used to it, just give him time, and try not to overwork him. Most horses can, but not necessarily all horses are able to.
Good luck.

[wooddura]

Please under stand that bruising of the sole if bad can take a long time to get over, and can cause an abscess. Be careful. It can help a lot by painting the sole with Iodine, This is one of the best ways to toughen up the sole .again be careful. Just get the Iodine on the sole itself, not the frog area, and be very careful none drips onto the hairline as this will burn like crazy and will make a brand new problem. You may have to put some on 3-4 time in a week, but don’t overdo it. If still sore there are more problems than that