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Gaits of Gold Gaited Horse Community Messageboard > Brenda Imus Questions and Answers > Hoof Talk > Very pleased with Rain's transit to barefoot |
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Gaits of Gold Gaited Horse Community Messageboard > Brenda Imus Questions and Answers > Hoof Talk > Very pleased with Rain's transit to barefoot |
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| Very pleased with Rain's transit to barefoot | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sat Jul 30th, 2011 01:52 am |
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1st Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member 
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Karen, I also have a neat video working my QH, River, in an open field wearing his EB Gloves. We are loping and galloping and his movement looks very good. I will try to download it. Also, my Trimmer knows a great certified farrier/barefoot trimmer/EB dealer who lives near the SC line whom she apprenticed under.. he would have demo boots to fit your horses properly and maybe have new boots on hand to sell. The Easy Boots Gloves are getting popular and the typical sizes of 0.5 to 1 are often stocked. I can give you her website and she can get you a referral to him. Just PM me, if you want to talk to him as an option to keep your horses barefoot, but protected when you ride up in the TN mountains.
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| Posted: Fri Jul 29th, 2011 06:47 pm |
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2nd Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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Here is my QH, River... wearing Gloves on front. We just climbed a mountain, very steep hillwork. I later got Gloves for his back feet, mainly if we ride on gravel roads, but I actually like the boots all around for general riding too. Attachment: River GOG.jpg (Downloaded 13 times)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 29th, 2011 06:39 pm |
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3rd Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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Here is my dun QH, Bo... we are riding in Uwharrie Forest recently. Just came down a very steep hill, making our way up. Bo is wearing EB Gloves on back and EB Edge on front in this picture. He did great, boots performed well. This is my QH that had got a severe kick to the shoulder, got Sweeney Shoulder... he is fully mended in less than a year and back on the extreme trail  .Attachment: bo in boots GOG.jpg (Downloaded 13 times)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 29th, 2011 06:29 pm |
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4th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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karenlexsc wrote: Noelle, my mare is and has been barefoot since I've owned her. She has good feet. But for the East Fork ride, I am going to have to put shoes on her. I thought of boots instead, but my farrier isn't a fan of them (guess not... Karen, that is wonderful news your lovely mare goes barefoot... have not gotten the chance to try my new Easy Boot Glove set yet (all four hooves) on my TWH, Rain. Clearing up a bad case of thrush on his front hooves, making good progress so want to be sure the hooves stay exposed to constant air for now with the workouts on non-rocky trails. To be honest, I won't put shoes on any of my horses again, unless it is absolutely critical. I have meet many riders that do barefoot with and without boots, all sorts of trails. I have met more gaited horses than non-gaited horses. I rode with gaited RM horses that were in Easy Boot Gloves on very rocky trails. My QH was in the Edge boots and we all did great. The one QH in the group that was front shod was sore on his back feet afterwards. None of our horses were. Easy Boot Gloves are the style I like the best so far based on performance. These stay on very well, at gallops or hill work too. My suggestion would be to have a farrier/trimmer fit your horses for easy boot, request the Gloves, and try out if you have to trailer to the mountain trails near you. There is 90 day return policy. I love riding in boots ... there is not tenderness on gravel roads either. The tread on the bottoms are great during steep hills.A few drawbacks, that you can fix... but get the Gloves if possible... when galloping one of my QHs in Edge Easy Boots, the boot came off on an extreme galloping workout uphill. We did fine, no stumble, but I had to replace a few parts. We now have him fitted for Gloves after a few trims to balance out the longer toe he had before. Another complain that is mininized if you break the boots in right... the Glove boots are a very tight fit... On that first trail ride, stay out of water crossings and keep the ride under 4 hours. Then at the end of the ride, hose your horse with his boots on, let the boots dry while he is tied in place. This helps to mold the back of the spandex boot to the bulb area where sometimes blisters can develop if you ride the horse in brand new boots and get them wet crossing water on a long, hot trail ride. After you let the boots dry while the horse is tied, the next ride the boots will fit near perfect. If you do get the blisters, treat and these clear up fast, but I am learning tips as I go. This is sort of like you getting new tight boots, walking all day while the boots sweat with no socks, but if you got the boots wet, and let dry on your feet first, the boot fits near perfect. I do not find that mud or dirt gets in the Gloves and causes a problem, and I ride thro lots of mud holes. Consider taking replacement parts on a trail ride lasting more than a day... the replacement parts do not cost as much as the boot, but if you do wear a boot out in one area, you can quickly mend it. If you get the Gloves, there is only one replacement part, the Gaiter part. It is easy to put on new parts where the old one wore out. If you get a barefoot trim and fitted for boots now, you can test for the October ride and know if this is your best option since you are not going to shod until the last minute. You may find that boots work perfectly fine and you won't have any shodding issues later. Also, if your horse throws a shoe up there, you have to ride your horse back without a boot to protect that new sole  from the shod.Probably won't make the October ride... but I ride in areas just as rocky and steep as this trail ride will be, so I know how the boots perform. I will post a pic of my QHs in their boots on the trail. I ride a lot, ride extreme and I am happy enough to keep my horses in boots and barefoot... hopefully with time, we won't need boots except on a few occasions.
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| Posted: Fri Jul 29th, 2011 12:00 pm |
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5th Post |
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karenlexsc G.O.G Community Member 
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Noelle, my mare is and has been barefoot since I've owned her. She has good feet. But for the East Fork ride, I am going to have to put shoes on her. And since she needs time to get used to them, I am thinking I need to do it on her next trimming (she was just trimmed). I really hate to do this...we have no need for shoes here. We are all sand land. I thought of boots instead, but my farrier isn't a fan of them (guess not... . Are you planning to come to East Fork and what are you going to do? Ride in the boots?
____________________ Karen No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. ~Winston Churchill |
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27th, 2011 03:36 am |
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6th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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Lakota wrote: Hey Rain, why the long face? l1 Rain says "she is messin' with my feet everyday!" He is such a soaker for attention. His Easy Boots came in , but waiting for the weather to get a tad cooler to test out gaiting out with his new boots.
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| Posted: Tue Jul 26th, 2011 09:02 pm |
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7th Post |
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Lakota Ranch Hand 
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Hey Rain, why the long face? l1
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25th, 2011 02:25 pm |
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8th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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imgaitin wrote: When my farrier said to me, "Even 1 nail compromises the hoof wall", I decided to give barefoot a try. River gets a "rasping" every 3 weeks. I have been on many trail rides this Summer; rocky and sandy. At first, he did get some chips, but they were only superficial. With each rasping, his feet are looking better and better. Going barefoot does not work with all horses. But if we are fortunate enough to have horses who can do it, I believe we both benefit! Good luck! Thanks "imgaitin" for your feedback. I am seeing the same results with my two QHs whom I took barefoot first. The hooves never looked better and the shape of the hooves are staying rounded off, keeping up trims or rasping as needed every few weeks or so. You were lucky to have a farrier that was willing to take the horse either barefoot or shod, whichever was best. Rain, my TWH, was my last to take barefoot and timing was forced upon us with the thrush issue not clearing up. I had been preparing for barefoot by supplementing his diet with a hoof supplement and biotin. The hooves are doing far better than I expected, rounded off nicely, just a few chips that the pasture movement shapes up... the thrush at the back of the frog was our major issue. I pick up his Easy Boots today, and will start riding regularly with him again. He is just an awesome gaiter/racker and rugged trail horse, so looking forward to our outing in boots and barefeet. That is very true what your farrier said about even one nail compromises the foot... one of my QHs was simply not a candiate for shodding, but excels at barefeet. My older QH took shodding fine, has great hooves throughout his shod period, tough soles, but went to barefeet right off, and likes his boots fine. With time I believe to also find that Rain will do best with barefeet. Thanks for your encouragement. The toughest part for me has been to simply watch the healing back to a sound barefoot, but it is healing and is progressing tu1. On another side, took our 4yr TWH mare barefoot simply by pulling her last set of shoes, and turning out for the summer on the hill pasture. Her feet have transitioned entirely on their own within a month and look great! She will get a trim and fitted for boots next, but that was interesting how the pasture set up did the job, did see a lot of natural chipping and shaping occur, but the results look good now and she walked nicely throughout the process. We plan to keep her barefoot now in boots for rocky ground. Just one more horse to go barefoot after Rain's transition, and that is Chris's big red QH... I think he will do fine, has great hooves like my older QH. We have been doing it horse by horse so not to overwhelm ourselves with the new adventure, but interesting to observe how each horse does it.
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25th, 2011 07:22 am |
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9th Post |
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imgaitin G.O.G Community Member 
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I have taken the "barefoot route" a day at a time, always knowing that if any time my farrier or vet thinks I should but the shoes back on River's feet, I would. I live where there is much snow, so I pulled River's shoes last October. (Metal shoes hold in the ice; the silicone liners help but are so expensive!) This past Spring, I hated the idea of putting shoes back on. River already had 6 months of no shoes, although he had mostly been ridden only in a arena and a few easy trails over Winter. When my farrier said to me, "Even 1 nail compromises the hoof wall", I decided to give barefoot a try. The farrier thought he was a great candidate to go barefoot full time, as he as a 5"x5" "platter foot". River gets a "rasping" every 3 weeks. I have been on many trail rides this Summer; rocky and sandy. At first, he did get some chips, but they were only superficial. With each rasping, his feet are looking better and better. I have a pair of trail boots for him, but so far, they have not been needed. As time goes by, he seems to get fewer chips. The foot then begins to go a bit concave as does a wild horse's foot. After his last rasping, I couldn't believe how beautiful his hooves looked! It has not yet been a year, and an occasional rock will still hurt his foot. I take it slow and easy, so his feet can toughen up. I also ride him around the ranch with the trail boots on so he will be used to them should I ever HAVE to put them on him on the trail. He doesn't seem to mind the shoes one bit. And his gaiting is great with the trail boots on or off. Going barefoot does not work with all horses. But if we are fortunate enough to have horses who can do it, I believe we both benefit! Good luck! Last edited on Mon Jul 25th, 2011 07:25 am by imgaitin ____________________ "Did you give the horse its strength, or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?" -Job 39:19 |
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 06:39 pm |
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10th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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He seems really happy and pleased too one week after his first barefoot trim and two weeks without shod. Attachment: happy rain.jpg (Downloaded 54 times)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 06:38 pm |
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11th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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Tenderness is gone once the thrush was cleared at the back of the frog, which it appears the shodding was holding the back of the frog too tightly, trapping out air, ideal for thrush. Nice forward balance movement now, picking up and setting his feet down without any tenderness. Attachment: nice balanced foot falls.jpg (Downloaded 54 times)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 06:35 pm |
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12th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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Ease of turning, pushing off with his front better, picking up his feet, no more skating outward as when he was shod... Attachment: turning nice.jpg (Downloaded 54 times)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 06:34 pm |
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13th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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Rain is walking nicely... Attachment: walking nice.jpg (Downloaded 54 times)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 06:33 pm |
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14th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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Another pic one week later... Attachment: one wk later.jpg (Downloaded 54 times)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 06:33 pm |
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15th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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One week later, the hooves look good with no filing yet, just pasture movement. Attachment: one wk later.2.jpg (Downloaded 54 times)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 06:32 pm |
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16th Post |
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NOELLEE G.O.G Community Member
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Hi,All, It has been over a week since Rain, my TWH got his first barefoot trim, two weeks since he has worn shoes. Had to deal with a deep case of thrush at the heel portion of both frogs, make him tender to walk at first, but he progressed well and we seem to have it in control now. He is walking better than when shod, much less "skating" and more forward pick up and set down of his front feet. His hooves actually look better a week after the first trim. With the thrush cleared up, which was deep in the back center of the frog, causing it to split, he has ceased to paw and picks his feet up on que for me to pick and clean. Thrush is itchy, and this case seems to have been there maybe since I got him, and I am hopeful was the chief cause of his pawing to find relief. Easy Boot Gloves arrive early next week and hopefully the timing works out with weather cooling off, the thrush completely gone, frogs hardened, and his healing even further along. I am looking forward to a video of us gaiting in boots. Both River and Bo, my QHs, have continued to progress and perform well barefoot and in Easy Boots. Their hooves are staying nicely rounded and balanced on their own, and I think that is due to the pasture terrian I have set up, along with 4 wk trimmings. I have rode both the QHs in rocky ground, and both horse and I like the boots better, lol. Great traction. I rode Bo in Uwharrie in the rocky mountains, and River down some very steep mountain paths where he had to dig and take calculated moves to get us down, plus we did some awesome uphill steep mountain galloping and he never stumbled. Great slidding stops in the field workouts too. So I am looking forward to the gaiting with Rain. I do think the Easy Boot Gloves are best for galloping hard, but the Edge on Bo's front hooves give him nice climbing and downhill traction at a walk. Here are some pictures of our progress: First trimming below, note how the nails along the side were causing chips by prematuring throwing shoes. Attachment: First trimming.jpg (Downloaded 54 times)
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