cr*p feet -advice please

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LeneHorse

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My horse gets shod every 7 weeks and usually by week 6 they are a bit clinky and the clenches (?) are up. However at the mo we are only on week 4 and all 4 shoes are already loose. Clenches are fine though. I asked a farrier who was on the yard today what he thought and he said the nail heads were worn right down and asked if I'd been doing a lot of road work (ha ha she's hardly been on the roads for the last 4 weeks for various reasons). He said i should get my farrier out before the feet start cracking. So they are coming next week - 3 weeks early and as its just me i'll need to pay extra!
Any ideas what could be causing this problem. She never grows much horn. I have had her on formula4feet for last 3 month but it doesn't seem to have made any difference yet. What else can i do??
 
I would try if barefood, at least behind. Often this improves a lot the hoof quality due to better blood circulation etc. Specially when you are doing not so much road work. If you give it a try dont give up after two weeks, it needs time to adapt etc.
 
Maybe the weather, if her feet are wet all day out in the field and then she's brought onto shavings which suck the water back out it could be weakening the walls.
 
Formula4feet does take a while before you see any results. It takes a year for a full foot to grow, so stick with it. Kevin Bacon Hoof Dressing may help if her feet are dry and crumbly. My own horse goes 7 weeks between shoeing, but I know various other people whose horses only go 4 weeks. The transition to barefoot is a slow one, but it might be worth investigating. One of my horses has Imprint shoes which take away the need for nailing as they stick on. good luck
 
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