Shoeless?

[spex4me]

advise you that if your horse runs barefoot one time he will have to remain that way for the rest of the meeting,(hoping to put "sense" into you?).

That is inane. Why don't they just go ahead and say once you put blinkers on you will run with them on forever or vice versa?!?

[Tucumcari]

You've done a 180 on this subject, Tuc. What changed your mind?

Hmm, honestly trial and error. research, foot health and how it effects the rest of the leg and function.
Lou and I discussed recently he has the gray matter theory regarding genetics and breakdowns and I have the hands on theory which, yes, has changed some. Both of us both look to soundness or the improvement of soundness, but we both have a different approach.
He looks at it intellectually. I don't always get to choose the horse or the genetics, but I can help the horse physically. Sometimes I fail and sometimes I succeed.
If a horse has long toe, low heel, there will be huge repercussions down the road. Things that one can work with and things we can't. If a horse is attended to appropriately from the get go and shod in a way that is natural and allows for expansion and contraction, frog pressure, etc. The horse is ultimately better off. No finding someone to do the job you want done is rather difficult to say the least. In some aspects in the mind of the farrier it comes down to "length of stride" vs soundness. It's odd that they choose the former.. or maybe they don't know any better... who knows? I know I just want a healthy foot and a sound horse.

[Tucumcari]

[quote="spex4me"]Tiz: Read my post 2/23/09 on how we lost our girl.
http://www.pedigreequery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16896&start=30

Tuc: I do like Burn's Polyflex but I cannot rationalize why they are priced as they are. I hope that as it seems they are getting a broader market the price falls. $400 a shoeing is ridiculous even if I had a Big Brown to pay for it all. I think there are comparable alternatives to them at much less cost but with the same benefits. Funny how there is so much talk about synthetic tracks being a good fit for barefoot when all the barefoot craze started because of hard impactions and lacking concussion abilities of metal shoes versus the hoof au naturale. I think what ever the surface, provided we aren't talking jagged rocks, a horse makes out better unshod. Now I say that for the most part because not all horses fit into either mold. I do competitive trail and usually 20 miles at a minimum on a ride. Mine are barefoot, with easy boots available should the terrain become too rocky. My filly would jog down a gravel road and not take one bad step. Something I was told "thoroughbred" hooves just couldn't do. I think it seriously boils down to what you are working with , with each individual horse.

quote]

I get that, Spex. They are ridiculously priced. And the synthetic tracks really are seemingly a very good fit for barefoot. Sweet God can you imagine "bad" barefoot TB's!!!!??? AND the concussion of racing?? It's mind boggling really... lol

[ratherrapid]

cc