Does Your Horse Have Shoes

^^Exactly what I do. My two are barefoot, have ridden over every imaginable terrain, no problems.

Now that T is older, my farrier and I have noticed that her hoof is wearing down much faster or she isn't growing the hoof like she used to. May have to shoe her next riding season if this is the case. Or, may have to use hoof boots on certain terrain to avoid the wearing down factor.

I agree...for some reason it always amazes me that many folks have a hard time grasping (or believing) that it takes about a year for the hoof to fully grow out and that there is no way to 'wish' that to happen faster.

Mine is barefoot. They are tender at first if they're used to shoes, so you have to ease them into it--but just like ours would, their feet get used to it! The individual horse is always different, of course, so some are too tender-footed in any condition, and others are tough as nails and will go full tilt over anything you put them on. I am buying easy boots for my mare for the occasions where I think she may have some trouble. Overall, she's pretty tough but we ride for hours on end over some pretty rough terrain so I'm choosing to buy those and use them for some of the rougher rides we do. I won't be using them daily, though.

I always have my horses shod just to prevent from any injuries.

My TB is shod, he was super duper sensitive! But My connemara can go over any terrain still and still guns it. I only shoe if they seem to be struggling.

Champs barefoot Sept-March and then he has 1in sliders on for the rest of the year.

Why? Simple that's what works for him.

Mine is barefoot, has never had a shoe on in her life, and works on any terrain. I too after much research, have decided that I feel it is healthier for her that way. She has tough feet, because she has used them her whole life. I swear you could crack walnuts on her frogs :).

Lesson barn puts fronts on the lesson horses, ponies just go barefoot. All the lesson horses and ponies are only shown in hunter classes, so they could all be fine with or withour shoes. Coaches and some boarders get shoes all around, but they are showing jumpers, and corks can help with traction.

Grandparents Standardbreds get shoes on from the time they started working on the track until they either leave the farm, or they go to broodmare status. Stonedust wears down their hooves really fast. You can't race a horse with no hooves... They were using aluminum shoes for a while, until they farrier had to come out more since it wore down faster then steel shoes.

I have shoes on Love's front hooves, she had a large chip in them, so the farrier thought it would be safer and better for her to have shoes.

Normaly she's barefoot, except when we start to train for a show (she has to have shoes on if/when we jump on grass)

Mine is shod all around, I tried a natural farrier for a few months as the idea sounded great, and so he went natural for that time. He was friggin miserable and he looked like he hated me for going with a new cool sounding thing.