# Question about horse shoes?



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

We are horse shopping. Saturday we will be looking for at a horse that seems ideal for my kids. This will be a first horse. This horse is almost 14 and a lesson horse. She does western and English, jumps, barrels, etc. 

The owner told me that right now her horse shoes are on backwards because they have been jumping her. Does this make sense? She did tell me she can go shoeless with no issues.


----------



## ServiceDogs (Apr 2, 2013)

Umm, she's probably lame. They've been using a "backwards" shoe to treat navicular (and laminitis or founder etc.) probably as long as shoes have existed. I don't know if it helps or not.


----------



## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

My horse is a hunter/jumper and his shoes are not and never have been backwards. None of my horses have ever had that. I agree it sounds like a navicular issue. 

If you have already fallen in love with this horse, then at least do a vet check. If you haven't I would run!!!!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

Got curious so I googled it. Apparently this is one of the options being used to treat laminitis horses. Yep still means you run.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

Ok hat e iPad spelling corrrector. That was supposed to say LAMINITIC horses


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Thank you for your responses. I have not bought. Hopefully I misunderstood what she said.


----------



## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

Either way, you should always do a vet check. Especially when buying for a kids horse and/or a first horse. My vet would always pull and store a vial of blood kind of as a safety net in addition to radiographs. That way if once you get the horse home you see a marked change in soundness or temperament, he could test the blood to see if the horse had been doped. Never had an issue where I needed it, but it was nice to know I had it if I did. 

The shoes sound like they may be corrective. I happened to have two horses founder. It is not something I would buy. Though some horses can regain some level of soundness, it truly depends on the amount of detachment and rotation of the bone. You also will have the increased chance for future founder. Which is what happened to both of my lovely show horses. So sad, that I will probably not own a horse myself again even if I could afford to but, I will never forget the valuable lessons and love I had from my sweet Angel and eager to please Rio.

Also, food for thought, true lesson horses are worth their weight in gold to a trainer or a barn. It would be very unusual to see a good, sound, relatively young lesson horse up for sale.

I used to compete in Arabs and 4-h and I remember a wonderful horse, WN Spanish Dancer, who did showmanship, horsemanship, walk trot, Hunter pleasure, and western pleasure. That horse was in the ring and winning with at least 6 different riders at each show until he was well over 19. The trainer who owned him would have never parted with him because, she loved him and he was the cornerstone horse in her program.

Good luck in your search. Your kids will thank you for this. I still thank mine.


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Just a comment here.... 

I agree with everyone else on the shoes. I've been around a show barn for a long time and I have a lot of friends who have gone further than the regular show classes and do jumping events - and putting shoes on backwards does not compute. 

There is a risk in bringing home a teenage horse who has already dealt with feet problems. If you own an older horse (mine is 26 years old) who has been a "working horse" all his life, then there will be some issues that you have to deal with as far as ligaments and arthritis. 

I somewhat suggest for your kids to look for a horse who is broke, trained... but still younger. If this horse has 4-5 years of training behind him, that would be ideal for your kids - especially if they want to show. 

I started riding my guy when he just turned 7. That was a perfect age because he still was full of heck, but he was thorough trained and show proof. If your kids want to become really good riders, they need a horse who is tame enough to be safe and "predictable", and they need a horse who will make them work. 

Unless this horse will be more like a pasture pet they ride around and your kids are younger than 10 - then that's different and older horses are perfect.


----------



## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

So I know this was posted a long time ago and you have probably found a good horse by now, but I did want to comment on the shoes. I've owned horses since I was 14 and have never heard of backwards shoes. I have a TB/QH gelding who is currently 16 yrs old. Three years ago he was diagnosed with Navicular; the vet recommended special shoeing, which, thank goodness, I didn't do. My sister is a farrier who trained under Ida Hammer, a natural barefoot farrier who has helped many Navicular horses. The shoes the vet recommended would have acted like a bandage-he would've been sound for a couple more years and then the lameness would've come back worse. At that point vets recommend euthanasia. I couldn't bear the thought of that happening to my guy! He's super reliable, toddlers can ride him, he's had like 15 little girls putting braids in his tail at once, he's done "pony rides" for birthdays and inner city kids, and he can do a little bit of everything from western pleasure, to reining, to dressage, to endurance riding, to just plain trail and leisure (which is his primary use!). He's my "once in a life time" horse. So anyway, with the natural trim he's getting, he hasn't had a lame step in 3 yrs and is still going strong down the trail and in the show ring! He just won 2 firsts in English and western pleasure and 2 seconds in trail and reining last weekend (beaten by my sister's horse)! So I now recommend to everyone natural barefoot trimming-no shoes. Oh and one other thing about the natural trim-before he was getting this trim he was always (from the time I got him as a 4 yr old) very sore on rocks, now he walks right over them with no problems!


----------



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Wow, I was surprised to this this thread come back up. This is my daughter winning third place at the Missouri State Fair last week in Western Pleasure with the horse we almost sent back because of bad feet.

I had contacted the original owner to plan on sending her back after not passing her vet check. She had sore feet and her shoes were on backwards. The owner was going to be out of state for three weeks, so in that time, we held onto Pringles until her owner could take her back. A week later, her shoes came loose, I contacted the owner and asked if I could have a farrier out to fix them. The farrier came out and noticed her shoes were too small, took them off, and showed me they were no longer sore. Reshod her. I then had my now trainer look at her, and she fell in love with her fancy trot, but noticed that one foot was slightly off. We had another vet look at her, her feet were now great, but she did not pass the flex test, and recommended we send her back or go forward with x-rays. 

We went forward with x-rays, and she was normal and he could find nothing wrong. He had two other vets look at them and nobody could find anything wrong with her. His thought was the flex test because she was sore from having bad shoes. He compared it to a woman having high heels and tight shoes on for a long time, and having to readjust. He told me to enjoy her. 

She is now actually shoeless! Shows no lameness at all. My daughter took two fourth places and one third place. My trainer said if she were judging that day, that third would have been first. 

She keeps telling me I did not buy this horse, I rescued her.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Pringles is beautiful!

Congratulations to your daughter.


----------



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I would agree you did rescue her. I shudder to think what would have happened to her without you. 

Congratulations on the save, and on your daughters accomplishments with her!


----------

