I have a 25+ year old QH gelding. He is not wintering well. His feet have always give him problems, and it's gotten to the point where he can hardly get around on dry frozen ground. I have given thought to putting him down, but can't. He started doing this last year, but when the grass came out, he slicked up and was getting around pretty good.
That's a good story. I bought this horse from a friend, when he was about 20. All I knew about the horse was that he was dead broke, and anyone could ride him, which he was. He's as bombproof as they come. After the deal was done, I was told that I needed to keep shoes on him, because his feet got a "little tender" at times.
I use the same farrier as the previous owner used, so he knew the horse well, and told me that he was of the opinion that the horse had gotten foundered at some point, hence the tenderness in the front feet. Anyway, if we were doing a lot of riding, I'd keep shoes on him, and during the times we weren't, I'd let him go barefooted, and it's worked pretty good. This winter though, he's gotten pretty sore footed, although it seems to come and go. I think the biggest thing wrong with him is his age, as he's at least 26.
