My farrier said my horse needs shoes. She's never had shoes. Do I really need them?

Question

My horse is 5 years old. I don't ride her too often and she was raised in the pasture all her life, but is now in a stall with paddock. The farrier trimmed her hooves today and noticed a little bit of bruising. He said it's because she walks on the gravel. I don't walk her on the gravel a lot. Only when I go out to see her. Is it really necessary to get her shoes? I only ride her in the arena for about an hour or so every other day. And that's made of soft sand. I just don't want to be ripped off because I am on a budget, and I am a beginning horse person. Thanks.

Answer 1

There are good and bad points to shoes. Shoes can protect hooves from hard ground, help a horse with tender feet move better and prevent cracks. On the other hand, shoes can restrict hoof growth, cause problems by coming loose, give your horse's hooves nail holes and cost alot of money!
The majority of my horses have gone their entire riding careers without shoes. I ride mostly on fairly soft ground, but I do some riding on the road and hard packed pastures. The horses without shoes seldom have problems.
Each horse is an individual and you need some advice on what's best for your particular horse. For example, my current 3 yr old has excellent feet and hasn't been shod once although he is rode fairly regularily. My 4 yr old mare is shod, mainly to protect her hooves while at shows (there is concrete in the stall aisles, and sometimes gravel pads that you have to cross to get from one ring to another). I have had a flat footed horse that needed shoes as his soles were a bit dropped and touched the ground more than the others, this seemed to cause him discomfort and bruising at times. My miniature pony isn't shod and probably never will be, she isn't worked hard and has decent shaped feet.
If you have any questions it might be worthwhile talking to another farrier or to a vet. A second opinion can't hurt.

Answer 2

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but did he say how long she would need shoes for? I work at a public riding stables with 160+ horses where they could never afford to shoe all the horses. 80% of the horses never go with any shoes and do not need it, but the jumpers and the ones with soft hooves do, at least during the summer, have on front shoes and maybe 2 horses have shoes on all 4 hooves. Now sometimes they will get a crack in one hoof or a bruise and they will go on shoes for however long it's needed (usually 1-3 months) so check back with your farrier and see:

If he's saying it's permanent - Get a second opinion from a vet or another farrier. It is possible it could be a new problem that will never go away and she will need shoes. Ask if you never walk her on that short gravel stretch again if she will still need them after the bruise goes away. Depending on how he answers: follow his advise or get a new farrier.

If it's temporary and just until the bruising goes away - I'd definately follow his advise.

In my experience with these farm horses, they are worked fairly hard (average 3 - 4 hours a day) on gravel, dirt and sandy arenas and only a few of them really need the shoes. For as little as you ride your horse she would only need shoes permanently if her feet were in very bad condition which I would find hard to believe if she's been regularly trimmed by this same farrier.

Answer 3

I think that you should do what you feel is best for your horse. If you do not want to have her shod, then do not do it. I agree that most farriers are looking out for your best interest, but you do not have to take their word as gospel. I had one tell a friend that her horse was stumbling because of not being shod. She spent a small fortune doing corrective shoeing and her horse actually had EPM. Our show horses are shod, our others are not. Unless your mare has a foot problem, (like the hoof splaying out), and with the light riding you are doing, she should be fine barefoot. What a farrier does not tell you is that once you start shoeing, you have to stay with it. It is harder on a horse that has been shod to go back to being barefoot, than to have never been shod at all. Good Luck!

Answer 4

While I am a big fan of barefoot I do have a throughbred who just can't seem to go wothout shoes. My other two horses have been barefoot all of their life and go wonderfully without shoes. If your not sure of your farriers experience then I would get a second opinion.
Boots are a very viable option. Then you would only have to use them on hard or rocky ground and leave them off the rest of the time. I am going to be getting some myself. My two barefoot horses are really only ridden on soft to moderate ground right now, but I want to have the option of going down some roads in my area that are gravely and rocky. I think the Boa boots are going to be my pick. Good luck and happy horsing!

Answer 5

Its a good idea to listen to your farrier. She may require shoes on the front feet only and that is a lot less expensive than all around. Shoes in general are not that expensive. Bruising could lead to more serious problems in the future and you wouldn't be able to ride her because she would be too lame. You are better off paying the money to have her shod than not and possibly having more expensive vet bills down the road if she ever got an abscess from a stone or anything else.

Answer 6

Well if you ride her in a dirt/sand nice soft arena dont worry about it...if shes a pasture horse like you said tht you dont ride much once again DONT worry about it sometimes farriers say tht b/c it sounds reasonable and they make more money. If you are riding her on trails and on a hard arena YES put shoes on then!!
I hope I helped you out some!!

Answer 7

If the sole or frog of her hoof is touching the ground then it can become baddly bruised, resulting in lameness. If the bruising is in the wall of the hoof, unless it remains inside and becomes an absess, (you will notice as the hoof becomes hot and the horse becomes lame) then there is not a real reason to shoe the horse. If you are that worried, then ask someone to look at her feet for you and let you know if you should shoe her, most people will not hesitate to help her out. Good luck

Answer 8

No more than you are using your horse, I would get some "horse boots". They kind of look like tennis shoes for horses. They cost a bit at first but you only need to put them on when your horse is going to be on hard ground (they are also safer when used on pavement due to horse shoes being VERY slick on pavement). They are easy to put on and remove. You only put them on the front of your horse. I have used them in the rocks in the Arizona desert mountains and I love them. Look for the brand Davis. Like I said they are not cheap but will last longer than shoes (plus you have to have your horse re-shod every 6-8 weeks) and your horse can go barefoot most of the time.

Answer 9

I would get a second opinion on that. Because normally if you not riding your horse on pavement, and your just trailing riding where it is dirt your horse wouldn't need shoes but your farrier could be telling toy this because your horses hooves are splitting really bad and this would be one method to keep them from splitting so bad.

Answer 10

first of all for all these people telling you that horses dont need shoes i have several customers with horses that cant go without shoes without serious problems mainly foundered horses. some horses need shoes.
stone bruises are one of the main reasons i put shoes on trail horses. if the horses feet hurt shes not going to be happy on the trail ride and sore feet can lead to alot of problems. my recommendation would be to listen to him but have him pull the shoes off in the winter and put them on in the spring. most horses need this break from shoes. also shoes should be reset every 6-8 weeks. if you have any more questions feel free to e-mail me. good luck.