Horses: Pros and Cons of being shoed or not?

This is just a question I thought of earlier today when a customer asked me about my horse and how she was doing. He asked me about how much it costs to shoe her and was very dismayed to find out we don't shoe our horses and do the proper daily maintenance (trimming, cleaning) ourselves. He started talking about the problems with not shoeing them but his only arguement seemed to work in favor in either way so can someone please tell me the pros and cons of shoeing your horses. I've always thought that as long as you proceed with good maintenance and be weary of where your riding and keeping riding on the road to the minimum that it was alright. SO anyones knowledge would be great, I'm a first time owner but have been around horses most of my life so you would think I would know this -.-;;

thanks so much for great answers even though im leaving this up for a bit longer. My horses have the pleasure of living in the middle of nowhere and are ridden on dirt roads and we're very careful about gravel and roads, I love my girl! Also they are just plain out pleasure riding horses so they're only real requirements is walking, trotting, and rolling around in the pasture after I wash them lol.

I'm a farrier and typically prefer barefoot unless something out of the ordinary pops up. If your horse's feet are soft and you have trouble with bruising or graveling I would accept shoeing. If you ride so much on surfaces that are very abrasive that your horse wears his feet too short, then I would suggest shoeing. If you compete in an event that requires extra foot traction (like barrel racing or reigning, then I would suggest shoeing. Otherwise, for most horses that I have encountered (even those being shown), you are increasing your odds of laming the horse by human error. If a horse is shod incorrectly (and even the best farriers don't always do their best jobs) that horse is forced to stay in that angle and length for 6-8 weeks. If a horse is barefoot and trimmed incorrectly the foot can wear to go back to the correct level for the horses leg. Now if you have horses that are under 6 years old I would make very sure that you are trimming them well (correct to the leg) because you can effect the development of bones in the leg (epiphyseal growth plates). So if a young horse is trimmed crooked it can turn a good leg - so just be extra critical of how your young horses are trimmed!

If your riding in the woods thats fine you dont need shoes. on the road or stones yes you would need shoes.

As well as the services your farrier offers, which will include trimming the hoof and/or shoeing, there are various 鈥榩rofessional trimming鈥?methods available:
# The Strasser method is used by 鈥楽trasser hoofcare professionals鈥?who aim to lower the heels and align the solar margin of the coffin bone to the ground, basically trimming the foot to the shape of the coffin bone.
# The High Performance Trim (HPT) method was devised by American farrier KC LaPierre. 鈥淨ualified equine podiatrists use a scientific model of how the hoof functions for trimming and also to guide any necessary changes in the horse's environment,鈥?says Richard Vialls.
# US farrier Jaime Jackson鈥檚 method aims to replicate naturally shaped hooves as seen in the wild. Jackson is Director of Operations of the American Association of Natural Hoofcare Practitioners. The UK Natural Hoof Care Practitioners鈥?Association is affiliated to the US organisation.
# Natural Balance Hoofcare was pioneered by American farrier Gene Ovnicek. He supports shoeing, but his guidelines for barefoot trimming are often used by farriers.
# Other barefoot advocates include US farrier and Strasser graduate Martha Olivo, who devised The Whole Horse Trim; American farrier Lyle Bergeleen, who launched 鈥楬oofTalk, Inc鈥? and whose methods are based on wild horses, and UK-based US farrier Dan Guerrera, who performs the BareHoof Trim.

It's not so easy to give pros and cons of shoeing or going barefoot, as both methods have multiple disciplines and styles. Even the FRC (Farriers Registration Council), whose registrants earn money through the application of shoes, are not dead-set against horses going barefoot, and they advocate that shoes should not be fitted to horses and ponies that do not need them. Their issue is with treatment given by people not properly trained to attend to horses鈥?feet.

The best advice I can give, if you are considering the barefoot approach, is to research all the evidence available and make an informed choice based on your horse's conformation, level of work, chosen discipline and individual circumstances. Bear in mind that owners considering the barefoot approach must also look at environmental factors such as turnout, feeding and stabling arrangements, exposure to water and infection control. Self trimming is just a no go area. You should always use a qualified proffesional to attend to your horses feet (unless you have extensive training yourself).

Bear these things in mind:
# No horse should bleed or go lame as a result of a trim
# Never allow someone to remove the bars of the hoof
# The sole must be preserved, as the 鈥榥atural鈥?horse bears its weight on the outermost part of the sole
# The hoof needs balancing laterally and medially to establish a flat plane when the hoof lands, to prevent undue strain on the bone structures
# It is important to establish a 'one-plane symmetry' of the coronet hairline; this shows that the hoof is supporting and carrying the bone structure evenly. A distorted hairline is the result of improper balance.
# No matter how good the trim, the hooves and sole need help to keep them in optimum condition 鈥?I use the Keratex range, particularly the hoof hardener, which strengthens horn and stops cracks.

An unshod foot absorbs shock better than a shod foot. Unless you are doing alot of road work, or serious show jumping or something like that, many people prefer not to shoe thier horses. It begins to break down the horses foot, putting nails into the hoof over and over... Most people I know don't show their horses.

I have shoes on my horses, except the broodmares and the Shetland, who has feet like nails. It depends on where you live; if you have miles and miles of off-road hacking you could get by without shoes, but I'm not so lucky! We do quite a bit of roadwork, and I know from just leading a horse with a lost shoe how sore they can get. My Highland in particular gets very sore if unshod, and his feet fall apart and crumble / break away without shoes. His feet were awful when I bought him as a 2-year-old, he got shoes at 3 (before he was even ridden) and it wasn't until he was six that he had decent feet. My Anglo Arab wears eggbar shoes and is lame if he loses one.

If your horse's feet are hard enough (remember that black feet are much harder than white feet) and you do no or very little roadwork then no, shoes may not be needed. But make sure you have a farrier look at your horse's feet regularly anyway, and get them trimmed by a professional!

its good to shoe your horse if you plan to go on the road a lot but only the front feet becuz if they r going out in a field or paddock with other horses and they kick them than a shoe will do a lot more damage than a hoof without a shoe...so it can be hazardus

Barefoot is great if the horse can stand up to the work they're being asked to do in that condition. My horses are all barefoot for the winter because I don't like to ride in the cold, or the slick nasty mud, so they get time off for their feet. However, once we start riding, I put shoes on the ones that get the most work, because the forest service, in their infinite insanity, chose to gravel the trails to "firm them up". Not a whole lot different than riding on the roads. Also, there is a lot of native stone on the trails, so it's good to have them protected, considering they don't get adequate exposure to such elements in the pasture to toughen their feet up. If the horse has good tough feet, and can handle what you're throwing at them, then by all means go barefoot. It just kills me, some of the barefoot fanatics that will actually agree with the statement "Barefoot and limping, but proud". OK....... Not to say that all who leave their horses barefoot are that way, but I did have the unpleasant experience of having a barefoot fanatic tag along on a ride once. Her horse was not built up for it, and within half an hour of the start of the ride, her horse was moving along at a snail's pace, walking gingerly as if on eggshells, and we had to stop every few minutes to let her catch up to us. But when we suggested we take her back to camp, she refused....said her horse just had to toughen up, it was "part of the process" and inferred that if we went off and left her, we would be the rude ones that lacked sensitivity. Hmmmm....it's not like she was some good friend, we just ran into her at the camp and she asked if she could go out with us, since she was unfamiliar with the area. Sorry, but if that horse was going to go out on that sort of surface, she needed shoes.

The farrier should normally charge cheaper for trimming and cleaning then putting shoes on.

A lot of the issue lies in the horse itself as well but...
Pros-
-protection of their feet
-soundness
-allows for various riding surfaces (ex: concret or cement, paved roads ext.)
Cons-
-more expensive
-more apt for injury (ex: absess, (if worn shoed without pads) different things stuck under the shoe, ext.)

a website in favor of barefoot: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/health/ik-bar...
this is a really good article on going shod or unshod: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horsecare...

Hi Winter,
We have several horses and we get the Vets opoin. Two we had never needed shoes.

Pros:
-Can ride on roads and do more shows
-Hoof will not chip/break down as quickly
-Helps with soundness; is sometimes necessary for horses with certain conditions.

Cons:
-More money
-Horse can go lame form cast shoe
-Does not absorb shock as well as barefoot
-Can get things caught under shoe
-Could be more prone to slipping on ice
-Can't let a farrier visit last as long as you would let it sometimes


I would stick with barefoot unless your going to be going on roads lots or doing lots of shows and events.

I don't shoe my horses and I don't know of anybody around me that does. There isn't even a farrier around here. Lately the trend is going towards barefoot. Studies of wild horses have shown that they have healthy hooves. They travel over all types of terrain and their hooves stay healthy. Their hoof wall seem to be thicker than shod horses. Farriers are now learning to give a natural trim to horses. Some of my horses never even need to have their hooves trimmed. Just a few of them periodically need their hooves trimmed.

depends on the horse..some have nice strong feet..some dont...my girl has thin soles which leaves her prone to not only stone bruises but abcesses as well...without shoes and pads..she is very tender and they just dont toughen..with her i wont mess around.although its pricey 120$ for two fronts and trim behind...shes criplle without them..also the horses structure and level of physicality and season determine what they need on their feet. my girl has sloping pasterns also and requires her backs to be squared which takes pressure of the toe and distributes it to her walls which also alieviates her angle..in winter shoes and snowball pads to stop snow from balling....there really is alot to know about horses and their feet..like how the frog pumps blood up the leg...although it looks so simple i let the pros handle it..it really is a science and also critical to the well being of your animal. good luck!