When to shoe

[Howser95]

I just wanted to get some opinions from other farriers on how to make the judgement call of when to shoe a horse or leave it barefoot. How do you make the decision? What factors play a role? What do you tell clients to look for or explain to them when they ask you how you know to decide to shoe or leave the horse barefoot? Most importantly, what signs will you see in the horse if he is barefoot that tells you he needs to be shod?

[Mike Ferrara]

The nost obvious sign is if the feet are being torn up indicating the need for protection. Another is the need for traction. Another is the need for correction for an existing problem.

Better yet is knowing whether the horse will need protection or traction before they need it.

All that said, I can put any contraption I want on my horses feet but she's barefoot. She hangs out in a sand and grass pasture with a ride through the local fields once or twice a week.

I pick up a foot once in a while, clean it up with a knife, lop a little nippen off and round things off with the rasp and she's good to go.

Never mind the shape my other horse would be in if she had shoes on behind. LOL

[Donnie Walker]

I believe the discipline in which the horse is involved is the major factor in barefoot vs. shoes, along with the type of ground, terrain or turf. I have several barefooted performance horses (team roping) that stay in the stall and arena only. No problems with them. I've seen many barefooted barrel horses lose footing in bad dirt. Shod ones also lose their footing though. Cutters (my specialty) are a different story, as there is tremendous torque, concussion and vibration placed on the internal structures with the moves they make, especially as they advance in training. They require support. I relate it to humans; tennis shoes for jogging, work boots for hauling hay, steel toes for stacking pipe, hiking boots for rocks and hills, barefoot or shower thongs for the beach, and please tape my ankles for football, basketball or soccer.

[Red Amor]

Dont shoe if you dont have to

dont leave the shoeing untill you have to as by then the horse will already be suffering

It realy is as simple as that , If the ware factor is greater than the regrowth factor and you can not or will not knock off working the horse shoe it before it feet get sore or damaged