Front shoes with side clips.....

nikicb

nikicb

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Just looking for reasons why a farrier might put these on a horse. My horse, but before I owned her. Not my farrier. Will ask my farrier when I see him next, but he has been a saint recently with questions and coming out, and also would like a broader spectrum of views. I don't really want opinions on whether they are right or wrong, just looking for reasons as to why a farrier might decide to use them. Thanks in advance. xx
 
I've known them to be used on a horse that dished really badly, as weight was shifted off the hoof it would twist slightly before leaving the ground. Hard to explain!

Farrier said the side clips stopped the shoe being twisted off, that was over ten years ago though!
 
Did it to my horse because she was crashing the toes out and moving the shoe back plus she had very flat feet and he was trying to shorten the toes.

(I bought her with terrible feet and obese with laminitic changes and my plan was to shoe her for 5 cycles or so then go barefoot when I had her weight and diet sorted out however she died of unrelated causes before I could do that so I don't know if the side clips would have worked!)
 
I have a Tb with poor feet he now has clips on front shoes. They have stayed on to normal shoeing gap, previously loosing 1 a week, diet and exercise goody
 
Totally normal in my bit of Canada. In fact I would have to request a single clip. It has always made more sense to me to use two clips.
 
FfionWinnie said:
Did it to my horse because she was crashing the toes out and moving the shoe back plus she had very flat feet and he was trying to shorten the toes.

(I bought her with terrible feet and obese with laminitic changes and my plan was to shoe her for 5 cycles or so then go barefoot when I had her weight and diet sorted out however she died of unrelated causes before I could do that so I don't know if the side clips would have worked!)
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Was this your EMS mare? I am having some suspicions with mine, so this is interesting. x
 
One of ours was always losing a shoe between appointments (done every 5 weeks). Switched to side clips as farrier noticed shoe was often coming off as was twisting and he thought clips might help prevent that. Currently on 7 weeks shoes still on.

I also had a TB that had side clips as farrier could set the break over a little further back without taking off too much toe.

Probably other reasons so I would just ask farrier I'm sure they do t mind :)
 
catroo said:
I've known them to be used on a horse that dished really badly, as weight was shifted off the hoof it would twist slightly before leaving the ground. Hard to explain!

Farrier said the side clips stopped the shoe being twisted off, that was over ten years ago though!
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JDH01 said:
I have a Tb with poor feet he now has clips on front shoes. They have stayed on to normal shoeing gap, previously loosing 1 a week, diet and exercise goody
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Enfys said:
Totally normal in my bit of Canada. In fact I would have to request a single clip. It has always made more sense to me to use two clips.
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benz said:
One of ours was always losing a shoe between appointments (done every 5 weeks). Switched to side clips as farrier noticed shoe was often coming off as was twisting and he thought clips might help prevent that. Currently on 7 weeks shoes still on.

I also had a TB that had side clips as farrier could set the break over a little further back without taking off too much toe.

Probably other reasons so I would just ask farrier I'm sure they do t mind :)
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Thanks all - I am just trying to work a few things out with my new girl, so this is all useful feedback. May well pick up on some of these in future. I am not saying it is wrong, just trying to understand why. xx
 
nikicb said:
Was this your EMS mare? I am having some suspicions with mine, so this is interesting. x
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I don't have an EMS mare.

It was my Welsh D who died of grass sickness 6 months after I bought her. There wasn't anything wrong with the D other than lack of exercise and too much grass before I got her.

Are you perhaps thinking of Daisy, she has PSSM and is barefoot (with amazing feet, thankfully!).

Double clips almost seem to be pretty common, it probably wouldn't worry me on its own.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I don't have an EMS mare.

It was my Welsh D who died of grass sickness 6 months after I bought her. There wasn't anything wrong with the D other than lack of exercise and too much grass before I got her.

Are you perhaps thinking of Daisy, she has PSSM and is barefoot (with amazing feet, thankfully!).
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Yes sorry I was thinking of Daisy. And now I sadly remember your Welsh D. I have a niggle going on with my new girl, and it won't settle till I work it out. xx
 
FfionWinnie said:
Oh dear. Hope it turns out ok!
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Me too. I think she will be fine, just a few things I need to get my head around. Have spoken to previous owner (before the one I bought her from) and have established she wore pads under her fronts. I am sure we can deal with this, but interim owner had farrier who put her in side clips and was just trying to work out why he might have done. So up till Spring 2015 shod with pads, then new farrier changed that to no pads and side clips. Of course this is all new info since I bought her and now she is sore in front. Frustrating is not the word. Xrays booked for next week. I really am getting pay back for having owned a horse for 30 years with no lameness issues. All I want to do is ride my horses. :/ x
 
I have used side clips in front on two occassions. One was with my old pony who had crap conformation and run under heels. Her toe kept cracking under the pressure of a single clip. The second is with my current horse who has one foot slightly boxier than the other and some potential concussion issues and he is using them to basically let the toe grow out into the correct shape. Did the previous owner not tell you why they had her in pads?
 
Means shoe can be set further back for better heel support.. Ours have been shod that way for 10+ years..

Occasionally my tb if the shoe is slightly too far back is footy for a couple of days after shoeing, but v minor.

Is your horse similar?

Fiona
 
Fun Times said:
I have used side clips in front on two occassions. One was with my old pony who had crap conformation and run under heels. Her toe kept cracking under the pressure of a single clip. The second is with my current horse who has one foot slightly boxier than the other and some potential concussion issues and he is using them to basically let the toe grow out into the correct shape. Did the previous owner not tell you why they had her in pads?
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Thank you. That is useful. I only spoke to her previous owner last weekend for the first time. Note this is the owner before the person I bought my mare from. Apparently she was in pads because she 'felt' the rough ground and was footy. I have to be really careful asking previous owners these questions. I have no right for information from them, so just have to tease out what I can without offending. She did own her from a foal though so does know her. I think there certainly has been some sugar sensitivity along the way if nothing else. x
 
Fiona said:
Means shoe can be set further back for better heel support.. Ours have been shod that way for 10+ years..

Occasionally my tb if the shoe is slightly too far back is footy for a couple of days after shoeing, but v minor.

Is your horse similar?

Fiona
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Yes, definitely similar and her feet are currently quite flat in front. Thank you. x
 
Mine has been shod this way for the last 6 years under FIVE different farriers (I changed areas of the country 3 times). I have never specified wanting them to any farrier, but each farrier has put them on. I assume by this that it is pretty common practice!

She is a show cob. One farrier said that they make her feet appear straighter as they ever so slightly turn in (barely noticeable and never spotted showing).
 
Fiona said:
Means shoe can be set further back for better heel support.. Ours have been shod that way for 10+ years.

Fiona
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^ this
It's quite common, my current horse was shod this way for a few years.
I think it can also be used in an effort to control feet that flare.
 
jaffa2311 said:
Mine has been shod this way for the last 6 years under FIVE different farriers (I changed areas of the country 3 times). I have never specified wanting them to any farrier, but each farrier has put them on. I assume by this that it is pretty common practice!

She is a show cob. One farrier said that they make her feet appear straighter as they ever so slightly turn in (barely noticeable and never spotted showing).
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Gift Horse said:
^ this
It's quite common, my current horse was shod this way for a few years.
I think it can also be used in an effort to control feet that flare.
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Thank you - everyone's answer is really helpful and actually the more I see that it is not an uncommon way to shoe, the better. If it was that abnormal, I would be more worried. xx
 
To add: my friends section d has always been shod like this since she got him as a four year old (prior to which he wasnt shod). Absolutely nowt wrong with his feet, never known that horse be lame in the six or so years I have known him, its just how her farrier chooses to shoe him.
 
Our farrier uses quarter clips on front shoes if wall is not of great strength, or for extra support for any other reason, such as slightly collapsed heels etc. It' s nothing too sinister and becoming much more common, I think.
 
Fun Times said:
To add: my friends section d has always been shod like this since she got him as a four year old (prior to which he wasnt shod). Absolutely nowt wrong with his feet, never known that horse be lame in the six or so years I have known him, its just how her farrier chooses to shoe him.
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Mooseontheloose said:
Our farrier uses quarter clips on front shoes if wall is not of great strength, or for extra support for any other reason, such as slightly collapsed heels etc. It' s nothing too sinister and becoming much more common, I think.
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Fiona said:
Definitely v common now if you check pics in h&h. Especially eventing ones..

Fiona
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LovesCobs said:
My cob had them on when he kept losing shoes in muddy field and my pony had them on after some foot balance issues
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Thank you all. This does help to settle my mind a little. Having got one horse that the vets cannot mend, I am just becoming slightly neurotic about the new one. xx
 
My farrier uses them to help get the toe back, give heel support and improve breakover, that also reduces the risk of shoes being pulled off, both the shod horses on my yard are currently in them, the others are all barefoot.
 
My farrier shoes both my horses this way too. He can take more off the toes and says it helps support the heels. I hadn't thought about it, but they haven't lost shoes half as much since they've been shod this way (and we have knee deep clay bogs here!).

My OCD hates the look of it though!
 
My farrier uses them on my gelding as he currently has fairly bad sand cracks and generally poor quality hooves. He just uses them to help the shoes stay on a bit better and make them a bit more secure :)
 
be positive said:
My farrier uses them to help get the toe back, give heel support and improve breakover, that also reduces the risk of shoes being pulled off, both the shod horses on my yard are currently in them, the others are all barefoot.
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This pretty well sums it up .
I have three out of five in these shoes .
 
One of my lads was moved to natural balance shoes on vet advice for better heel support and they have side clips. He had these type of shoes on for over 8 years without any issue and never lost one a shoe in the mud unlike my other horses
 
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