Can putting shoes on your horse make them sore?.. i neeeeed to know!!!?

Question

I bought my gelding in the spring and he came shod. When my farrier came for the first time he suggested that I try him barefoot, since it's the "natural way" so I did and he's been barefoot since then. It's been 5 months since he was first barefoot and you can tell he's always a little sore. I decided to put shoes on him as soon as my farrier comes out. I know horses feet can get sore when you take their shoes off but can they get sore from putting them back on?? we're going to a paperchase very soon and i don't want him to be sore for that.

his hooves are dark but kind mixed. I have two completely different answers.... I really need to know if putting shoes back on will make him sore.....paperchase is like a long trail ride thats timed. tons of fun!

his two front feet have contracted heels, which are getting better, but could that be part of the problem?

rmbrruffian- you're an idiot i dont need your commentary. i'm not doing it for just the paperchase but in general for my horse so he isn't sore...to the other question, i ride him on grassy areas but there are also rocks and sloped parts where i board.

Answer 1

You don't say what kind of terrain you have been riding your gelding on since you acquired him and switched him to barefoot. Nor do you give any description or picture of the shape and angle of foot he has.

You see it does depend on a lot of factors, whether he would do well barefoot, or what type of corrective shoeing he might actually need.

For starters, have a look at the bulbs of his heels. If they are well developed and rounded, and he gives the impression that his weight is generally being borne towards the front part of his hooves, then I would say it is ok to keep riding him barefoot, but maybe it might be an idea to buy him a set of those rubber shoes that you fit onto his feet whenever you are riding on hard ground.

If he has very sunken heels, and bears back onto them, then it is necessary to have him shod, and usually to have hind shoes fitted on all 4 hooves, and have them set back a little on the hoof, in order to bring the bearing surface forward onto the shoe, and prevent too much weight being brought back onto the heels, which will further degenerate them and give an overall bad angle to the fetlocks.

Best of luck with your gelding, but in order to give a better analysis, I would need to actually see some pics of his hooves at different angles.

Answer 2

How old is this horse, and how long has he been in shoes? Taking a horse out of shoes if he has been shod for years can take up to two years to get used to being barefoot. Contracted heels can be a result of bad shoes. If his feet are sore, the paperchase is probably not a good idea. There is information on taking horses barefoot on the net, you have to look for it, I can't remember what it was called. But putting shoes back on just so you can do paperchase sounds a little selfish.
Here is the site I was thinking of.

Answer 3

Complications can arise from having a horse shod, but often only if the farrier makes a mistake or doesn't do it properly. I would suggest you read up on shoeing horses and complications that can arise from it. having a good knowledge of the procedure will also help you establish wether the farrier is doing a good job or wether you should go somewhere else. if your horse is footsore barefoot, theres a good chance that shoeing him will actually help. Just make sure you do some reading on the pro's and cons of shoeing, the procedure and any complications you might come across. Also check your horses feet everyday, especially before and after riding.

Answer 4

I have shoed horses for a while . i have had some experience with your problem. It does not matter wether your horses feet are black or white. IF your horses feet are sore than i would leave shoes off. because if you were to put shoes on your horse while your horses feet are sore you will just make it worse. but if there not sore put shoes on he might be a little ouchy but that will go away quickly. just watch him. but if your going to run in the paperchase i would put shoes on .

Answer 5

I have a couple horses that are shod in the summer & go barefoot in the winter. The snow we get in the winter tends to ball up with shoes if they go outside,making it hard for them to walk, so I pull the shoes in the winter. In the spring, summer & fall, I put shoes on them because I do a lot of riding on different surfaces (hard dirt, rocks & roads). The shoes protect their feet - however I do have one that is tender even with shoes, so my farrier puts pads between the bottom of the hoof & the shoe (either hard rubber or leather will work). One of my horses is usually a little sore after he gets shod - only for about a day - but I stay off of him the day he gets new shoes. If your horse is a little sore, put shoes on him/her - especially if they ever step on stones. (put yourself in their place & walk on rocky surfaces barefoot - you'd put shoes on the next time!)

Answer 6

A farrier is trained to know horses' feet, so he'll check to see if everything is ok on the frog of the foot, check for cracks, and evaluate the balance of the hoof. If it needs trimming to even it out, he'll do that too before he fits a shoe to each foot.

Ask questions when he comes, he will be able to explain all about how he shoes a horse.

Answer 7

umm,,the horse needs the horse shoe...bcuz the use of the horse shoe is 2 protect the heels (u know the black thing the horse shoe does b nailed on) from finishning...u need 2 file under the legs so that u make it flat and equal,,and then nail hores shoe so that the horse cud run straight otherwise and accident cud happen...if u don't file under the legs 2 make it straight i'm sure 1-3 legs will b on a side and the pressure or thw weight from the person on top of it and the speed,,,,and accident will occur

Answer 8

Maybe he just has some thrush that needs treated. I have never had a horse to get sore from not wearing shoes. There may be something else going on there. Maybe he needs a better ferrier or to see one more often? Every 6 weeks is a good schedule.

Answer 9

They can get sore again with shoes put back on. I would wait until after the paperchase.....what is a paperchase??

Answer 10

No, his feet won't be sore from the shoes. I think he will find it comfortable.

Are his hooves white or black? A black hooved horse can run barefoot more easily than a white hooved one, and my farrier only recommended letting him run that way if all he was going to walk on was pasture grass. He had black feet. White feet are more tender and more easily chipped, and they also more easily throw a shoe.