Barefoot Transitioning: Sensitive Bare Hooves

Taking the shoes off of our horse in order to keep them barefoot is not quite as simple as pulling the shoes off and finding a hoof boot that works for our horse.  If only it were that simple!

Keeping our horses barefoot, especially endurance horses — can be a real challenge.  There is so much to learn and know.  Of course, some are already keeping their horses in ideal conditions so the transition process and learning curve is simple, easy and a non-event.  It was a pretty easy process for me because a lot of the things I needed to know I had already learned.  Yet, it is still an ongoing educational process.  I’m still learning.

I’m going to talk about only one of many reasons why a barefoot horse might be sore or sensitive in his feet.  FEED.  While I was still shoeing Chief I learned that I needed to control what he ate.  Turned out that many of those lessons are the same for keeping a barefoot horse healthy and sound.  I’ve continued to learn even more.  Having a borderline insulin resistant horse (Rocky) has really taught me to pay attention to what and how I feed my horses.

Over the years I have tried to help horse owners that have had hoof sensitive but well trimmed barefoot horses.  Most of the time the solution is as simple as adjusting what the horse is fed.  If you have a horse that goes fine down the trail on endurance or pleasure rides with boots on but is hoof sensitive or tender or flinches when ridden barefoot or even trotted in hand this information could really help your horse.

Nice heel first landing

If a horse is not completely sound barefoot – it is not completely sound.  Meaning: just because you put hoof protection on (boots or shoes) and the horse goes down the trail okay – you are only masking things.  Not fixing them.  Don’t you want to have a horse that is really, truly 100%?  That is how I approach this – it really bugs me if my horses feet become sensitive whether it is from not knowing better about feeding them incorrectly, or leaving glued on boots on long enough to cause this issue.  My goal is to always have horses that can be sound and solid trotting out over any type of terrain without needing hoof protection.  I don’t want my horses competing in an endurance ride if they can’t even pass the vet check without having to put boots on because I don’t think that they are really sound if they can’t at least do that.

I like to ride my horses barefoot as much as possible and do most of my training rides that way.  Unless I’m breaking in a new pair of Renegade boots I head out barefoot.  If I have a big ride coming up I may also use boots for the one or two last training rides prior to leaving, or if marking trail on rocky trails.  Usually though even when marking trail, if the footing is halfway decent, I’ll ride the horses barefoot.  Riding them bare also helps reduce the amount of work required when it’s time for a trim.

It’s so easy to tell right away if you head out for a ride and your horse is a little hoof sensitive.  This has happened to me over the years – less now that I have finally figured out that most every time it has happened it’s been a feed management issue.  Letting the horses graze too often, or during the wrong times of year or time of day and giving them grains or complete feeds can really affect their feet.

This website has a lot of great information on the topic:  safergrass.org A lot of people mistakenly believe that the new green grass growing in the pasture is too rich for our horses.  Rather, the problem for our barefoot horses that may be prone to hoof sensitivity is that the grass that is stressed from heat, lack of water or freezing is the culprit.  Ever notice that your horse often will try to grab the dried out browner colored grass when it’s right next to a clump of nice green grass?  That is because there is more sugar in the brown or stressed grass.

From safergrass.org

Any green grass that exists under continuous freezing nighttime temperatures will be VERY high in sugar and fructan, especially if there is plenty of sunshine and no snow cover. Like 5X higher. So they don’t need to eat very much to overdose.

NSC content of what we feed can also contribute greatly to sore feet.  Click here for a page all about factors affecting NSC content of grass.  The best time to let horses graze is from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m.  To read more about glycemic carbs in hay and feed, click here.

What we feed our horses when we work and ride them can also have a big role in hoof sensitivity.  For years I had been really watching how much sugar I fed Chief as it really got him wound up.  Turns out, keeping the amount of sugar in his system to a minimum was also a good thing for his feet.  The next important lesson was to “feed the work” – Chief only gets fed grains when he is indeed working.  This is good not just for his overall health but definitely for his feet.  Fortunately, he is an easy keeper.

I have this chart on my website that shows how much molasses and other things are in various brands of feed.  You can also search on the Dairy One site to see what various horse hays and feeds contain.

If somebody does have a hoof sensitive horse then I highly recommend having their hay tested.  I used Equi-Analytical (aka Dairy One).  If feeding other feeds test them as well.  I highly recommend having all of your feeds tested that you feed ESPECIALLY if you have had any kind of hoof or health issue relating to your horse.  If you need help interpreting the results, consult with your veterinarian – hopefully you can find one that is up to date on equine nutrition.  If not, then there are several places online that you can go to.  Check out Dr. Kellon.

In the next part, I will cover what I feed my own horses and go over their routines for turnout, grazing and exercise.