horse forging is it a problem?

[Cassy]

I am looking to buy a horse and found one today that forges. Would this be a problem which could be solved by the farrier or should I steer clear?

 

[Orca]

It depends on the cause but I'd steer clear. There are thousands out there which don't forge, after all ��.

 

[Equi]

Depends why he is doing it and how severe it is.

 

[be positive]

It is usually a sign of a horse being unbalanced, rushing or tense and on it's forehand, possibly also that it is not shod as well as it could be, it would not put me off in the least as it is usually easy enough to improve with schooling and correct farriery, it is a minor issue if the horse is otherwise correct and suitable, if you can go back and try again, slow everything down and see if it stops when he is more relaxed.

 

[twiggy2]

my mare forges when led out to the field if she is relaxed but walking out, but not ever under saddle, she has always done it. Never been a problem. It would depend on why this horse is doing it and if I was interested I would ask my farrier to have a look before I proceeded with a vetting.

 

[Goldenstar]

The first thing to say forging is not normal so you need to understand why it's happening
One of the main reasons for forging that you could dismiss as not an issue or I really should say an issue you could deal with is a weak big moving young horse ,J forged when young and we did lose a lot of shoes but it stopped with time and training .
More worrying one is too long toes / weak heels on the hind feet this a big worry as it can be a indicator of suspensory problems in the future .
Pain at the front can also cause forging as can a sore back .
Conformation can play a role croup high horses often forge .
It's a long list I think is down to how confident you are that you can make a judgement on how big an issue it is .

 

[milliepops]

It is usually a sign of a horse being unbalanced, rushing or tense and on it's forehand, possibly also that it is not shod as well as it could be, it would not put me off in the least as it is usually easy enough to improve with schooling and correct farriery, it is a minor issue if the horse is otherwise correct and suitable, if you can go back and try again, slow everything down and see if it stops when he is more relaxed.

^^ this for me

both of mine have forged on occasion. Millie will often forge in walk if she's allowed to tootle along in her own way, she has a massive overtrack and sometimes gets in a muddle. She is shod accordingly.

Kira forges when she gets a bit tired especially if working on a surface. She's also active behind but still learning how to balance herself. She still needs to build up some strength too. I understand why both of them do it, so it doesn't bother me in the slightest. If the horse is otherwise suitable I wouldn't worry unduly.

 

[brucea]

Depends how old he is

My heavyweight cob forged for a while and then grew out of it by the time he was 7

 

[Cassy]

Thanks for your replies. I spoke to my farrier and he said it shouldnt be a problem so going ahead with the vetting. They should be able to advise me too.

 

[FfionWinnie]

My cob did it when I bought her because her feet were really over grown. Simple as that really. Took the shoes off and never had an issue since. She is a huge moving cob with a big over track, so an additional inch of hoof plus the shoe caused the issue.

 

[whiteflower]

mine forged in walk when he had long toes, weak heels behind from bilateral psd. stopped doing it completely after surgery for psd and treatment for kissing spines

there are numerous reasons why they can forge, hopefully a vetting may pick up anything untoward