Amante on the Rocks

[Barbwire]

This video will give you some idea of the rockiness of the trails we ride on here. I just can't see a barefoot horse lasting very long going over this stuff day after day.

Thank you Lori, for putting this together for me.

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=df58328d2849f27a5478a&skin_id=0&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

[Terry Wallace]

Ha ha!! That is just like here in Colorado! Is it any wonder why some horses need shoes to keep those hooves from chipping to pieces!!

[Edurne]

no rocking n' rolling on that terrain...... :(

[appyday]

Wow that is rocky I have never seen a trail like that...Ask Carol we have grass and dirt..no rocks..

[lisa l aka marci]

I can attest to the fact that the video is undoctored (not that Barb would ever do something like that haha)......been there, rode over that with Marci barefoot - very SLOWLY and let her pick her way!

[motorgypsy]

Actually we have about six horses who can do rocks all day with no problems. This is Arwen's hoof that I posted in the farrier section because she foundered a while ago and got a little infeciton in her white line. But her frog and sole are as hard as epoxy and so are Chinook's, Sultan our stallions, SloughP and Brandy. They self trim and don't chip and we've done all day rocky rides with no ouchiness with them. Now the rest of them vary in tolerance for rocks. I Boyd's idea of putting large gravel in the worn areas of the pasture is a really good one for getting their hooves built up and strengthened because they can avoid the rocks if they choose to but eventually they just start walking on it and toughen those feet. Reminds me of going barefoot as a kid. The first few times our feet were really ouchy but in a couple of weeks we could walk on most anything.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/Feb12006010a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/Feb12006004a.jpg

[Brigitte]

Our trails have rocks too here and there but not that many

[ErinC]

they look like lots of the VT trails I ride. ( no shoes )
I will say I do get a chip here and there from time to time, but for the most part , because my horses have NEVER had shoes they have rock hard feet, and a tight white line so they stay nice!!!

if I get a little chip I just rasp it off, and go back out the next day!

[TrueStepPaso]

Hi Barb.....thanks for the video! Amante does very well through that trail....he's really becoming a solid trail horse...not so much a water horse, but you'll get there :D

Those are rocky trails....we've got trails around here with no grass at all, just fist to skull size rocks all the way down the trail (hills, that is). My - barefoot - horses do AWESOME on them....sometimes cantering up hill :shock: . But the shod horses have to go around...the long way. They'll slide and twist their pasterns/fetlocks all the way through because their shoes just slide off the rock and don't "give" to the uneven terrain.

When I come up, I'll give it a try with Poco....if there's spacing inbetween the rocks, he'll probably put his nose to the ground and pick his way through, btu he'll still take on the rocks where he has to.... :D ;-)

Amante is such a good boy.....I lOVE seeing what you are doing with him. You don't baby him....I like that. He's a horse, he can take it! :grayhorse:

[Laura S]

I'm not patient enough to wait for my slow dial up to show me the video. But I like the title! Amante on the Rox, sounds like a nice cold beverage I might like!! ;-)

[CarolU]

I'm with Terry and Barb. I've been on trail rides with barefoot horses, horses that do rocks "all day"...and seen them limp off the rocks to try to go through the thick brush instead. They also laid down instead of eat their dinner because their feet were sore. I don't see any humane reason to put a horse through that, either shoe or don't ride in that kind of terrain. We have trails here that are PURE rocks, all sharp, where the water has erroded all the dirt away. The mountains are steep and there is no other way up or down the mountain.

Believe me, I'm a BIG fan of barefoot horses and believe MOST horses could be barefoot MOST of the time. But, when you need shoes, you need shoes. I about DIED when a barefoot advocate told me just to keep riding a sore horse barefoot until her feet toughened up! Yeah, right! That's humane.

Hooves are just like hair and fingernails, some horses/people grow very tough ones, some don't. Diet can correct a lot, but it can't change heredity. And even the toughest hooves will chip on sharp rocks. Not a good thing when you're 14 miles from camp, back over the same terrain that lamed your horse. I guess you could leave them there and pack in feed for a few weeks until the chips grow out enough.

[Terri]

Those are some pretty rocky trails Barb. My guys are barefoot, but I know Rio gets "ouchy" when the trails get real rocky. He never chips, just avoids rocks if he can. I've painted "tuff stuff" on him and that seems to help, but a stone bruise is a stone bruise and it hurts. I think if I was coming to visit you would invest in some easy boots just for that ride. Better safe than sorry. But that is what I know about Rio, not Poco or anyone else's horse. For the most part the trails around here are easy and he does fine barefoot.

[Barbwire]

I tried Amante barefoot here for the first 6 months. He was ouchy and bruised from just walking around the paddock. His feet were nubs. I have tried barefoot with two draft crosses, a Paint horse, and a Shetland pony. The pony is the only one whose foot did not chip away to nothing.

I ride fast and I ride hard over rough terrain for hours at a clip. That is why I wanted a forward, smooth, surefooted horse, that had the "want to" attitude. That is why I started considerig Paso Finos. In Amante, I got exactly what I was looking for.

I feel it my obligation to shoe him to protect his feet. I am not ruling out boots of some sort, but I'm still waiting to see how they hold up on these trails. I don't know a soul that uses boots up here.

[Terri]

I agree, I would use boots if I was coming to visit. If I was moving in with you :shock: I would consider shoeing.

[Barbwire]

I just watched it again, and noticed how clearly you can hear the birds singing. I just love my camera. :D

[TrueStepPaso]

:roll: ....Oh brother, here we go again....

[Terry Wallace]

Where we goin'?

[TrueStepPaso]

Terry, with you? Anywhere, girlfriend ;-) ...... what da ya say, Aruba, Mexico.....Cost Rica?

[Terri]

Aruba???Don't go without me!
Abbey just to be clear I am NOT saying every horse needs shoes cause that trail is rocky. I am saying RIO would probably need them. He has hard little hooves that never chip BUT he does get ouchy. He was ouchy last night on the rocks on the trail out to the big bog (we went faster than normal to avoid the killer deer flies). Last summer he had a stone bruise that put him out of action for about a week. I just know my horse. He would hate going up that trail in Barb's video without some protection. He is a big baby and is probably over reacting. But why wouldn't I protect him if I could? You know Poco and I know you, you would NEVER EVER do anything that would hurt him. So if you say he can handle that trail, I am sure he can!

[TrueStepPaso]

Hi T....we won't go without ya! ;-)

No, no , no...I totally understood your position on the last post....yeah, your trails are more mushy & grassy, so it doesn't surprise me that Rio would react in such a way when you occassionally expose him to harsher terrain.
When you go up into the PineHills at my place, you are on steep hills with plenty of rocks....some trails are pure rock. That is where I did 99% of my riding before I got a trailer (aka spoiled...gawd, I love having a trailer!).
People need to understand that your horses hooves are only going to be conditioned to the environment you consistently expose them to :roll: ...it's no mystery.

[Barbwire]

OK, so I offer you this challenge, do the Over The Mountain Ride with me in September. Let's see how a barefoot horse holds up over that. BTW I mean the whole weekend, not just the one ride, of course. ;-)

Come on girls, let's have a little fun, here! :D

[TrueStepPaso]

I'm planning on going, but isn't that the wkend of Erin's husband's B-day? If I can find a partner, then I'm there man.....

[ErinC]

ya I cant go, and I would do it with Incendio , he does the trails in VT like that on a 2 day weekend just fine.
but remember he has always been exposed to all kinds of stuff, so he has a very tuff sole.

he never has ( Terry can vouch for me ) tried to climb the side of a trail, to get off the rocks he just goes ... he has never been sore, yes,, he has chipped , but not a bad chip, nothing a rasp does not fix in a second.

[Barbwire]

Why the heck would you need a partner, Abster? You won't have to tent it, you can stay with us.

[ErinC]

DRIVING< she does not want to drive it alone.

[Barbwire]

Oh, for cryin' out loud! I drove back and forth from Bobby & Michael's a bunch of times, both with a truck and trailer and in a car. Piece o'cake!

[Pasogirlz]

Oh, for cryin' out loud! I drove back and forth from Bobby & Michael's a bunch of times, both with a truck and trailer and in a car. Piece o'cake!

Look whose talking ;-) ya'll should have heard her before the NYC parade.

[ErinC]

LOL :tongue

[TrueStepPaso]

:oops: Geesh...Barbster, you're a nutball though. I saw the rig you drove through Manhattan....you made my trailer seem puny.

All right, I'm a wimp..Okay? I'm a big wimp......waaaahhh.
...I want my mommy....

[TrueStepPaso]

Oh, for cryin' out loud! I drove back and forth from Bobby & Michael's a bunch of times, both with a truck and trailer and in a car. Piece o'cake!

Look whose talking ;-) ya'll should have heard her before the NYC parade.


Ha! GOT ya! ...thanks Lori! ;-) ...

[Barbwire]

There is a slight difference in driving into Manhattan and going into Plymouth, trust me! ;-)

[ErinC]

ya????

she did great going in to NY city!
but got a dent in Plymouth! :roll:

hummmmmmm?????

[TrueStepPaso]

....*sigh*....okay, okay, you're right :surrender ....I'm still a wimp over here though :hello ....so it ain't happen unless I've got a "partner"... :razz:

[TrueStepPaso]

so eat it.

[Barbwire]

Oh, bring Juan, bring Juan!

I can't wait to use my "I'll take Juan of those!" line on him again. :lol:

[TrueStepPaso]

:lol: :lol: :lol: Ha!

So, bring him all that way just for that? Besides, isn't that close to Nationals?? I dunno, I'm in the dark.....

Actually, you could set him up for some NICE man can shots while he's there....you'd probably get about three pages worth. Your camera would start smoking :shock:

[ErinC]

LOL,,, you are a trip!

:lol:

[Barbwire]

It's the week after Nationals. Kick back time.

So, enough about Juan, did you hear the birds in the video?

[TrueStepPaso]

Oh yeah...like I couldn't shut up about Juan :shock: :razz:

No, I didn't hear the little tweeters cuz my speakers crapped the bed the other day. :-?

[Terry Wallace]

People need to understand that your horses hooves are only going to be conditioned to the environment you consistently expose them to ...it's no mystery.


That is correct...and precisely why many horses NEED shoes. They belong to weekend warrioirs and only get ridden once or twice a week for the most part.

Lets go to Juarez, Mexico...I love it there...I know the town well.....we can have all kinds of fun & good eats for $100.... buy stuff & things...do some drinkin' maybe ride the wooden street horses and get our photos taken wearing Mexican hats & pistolas!!!!

[TrueStepPaso]

HECK YEAH, Woman!!!!! Juarez, Mexico it is!!! Woooo Hooo! Oh man, I can't wait to take those pics...we are either gonna like a couple of idiots, or a couple of hard @sses in those sombreros with guns :razz: Ooooh, can we throw a donkey in there, too?



P.S....totally agree with you, sometimes its just easier for the person to throw shoes on....dang weekend warriors with those pesky jobs!

[Brigitte]

Nooo, come to Aruba! :lol:

[Terry Wallace]

I'd love to come to Aruba....can we bunk with you Brigitt????

Aruba is too FAR!

Juarez is but ten hours !!!!

[Barbwire]

Hay, tell him to quit trying to hijack my thread! ;-)

[ErinC]

I can not see it I have the RED X

[Barbwire]

Leila, thanks for aborting your hijack attempt, you sneaky thing. ;-)

[Terri]

Barbwire said
Oh, for cryin' out loud! I drove back and forth from Bobby & Michael's a bunch of times, both with a truck and trailer and in a car. Piece o'cake!

At the same time!? :shock:

[ErinC]

she is not that good

[tinomino]

When's the weekend ride???? I'll come with you Abby if you'll have me and I can get the time off. :D I NEED some good trail riding with friends. I am sooooooo Lonely here. I took Tino out yesterday on the road and made some friends in three little girls down the road. They were so happy to get to pet the horse it was so cute.

[Barbwire]

Kelly, go here for information about the ride. http://www.americanpasofinos.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8256&highlight=mountain

[TrueStepPaso]

Kelly....I'll let ya know........I have to look into a few things (tentative plans made months ago....still need some squaring away :roll: ), but if its good to go, then you may be riding your butt with us in NY :D

[Barbwire]

That's the spirit!