Horse loosing shoes

[Hormonal Filly]

My mares been losing a shoe weekly for the last few weeks. It’s been worse since she’s in the herd.. but the rest are very chilled and old. She just likes a run about. She has lost 2 in the last week. It’s getting expensive at £20 a time..

She has super feet, she was barefoot previously but after trying every boot available in her size (Renegade, Flex, Cavello, Fusion) nothing was suitable and stayed put.. she was footy in March when moving yards so I decided to shoe her in front. She is ridden 4/5 days a week.

Her liver is now 100% back to normal so maybe she will be more comfortable barefoot?

Our hacking is majority fields/open spaces, with some roads but probably only 20% of our riding. It will be difficult to ‘harden’ her feet due to this.

Would you continue to shoe, try barefoot?

I don’t want to cause any pain/uncomfortableness by taking them off and in a selfish way, it’s easier to have her shod (until she looses one) I am aware she is an awkward size (upright) so finding boots will be impossible. I’ve asked Hoof Boutique for advice and tried everything they recommended.

Thank you all

 

[Orangehorse]

What does the farrier say? Is it her hoof quality? If so, you could feed a hoof supplement like the ones from Progressive Earth that you can by on-line.

You wouldn't want the farrier to shorten the shoes because that wouldn't give the correct support to the hoof.

I agree that it is "easier" with shoes, but if you could put her on a good barefoot diet and try again that might be your solution.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

What does the farrier say? Is it her hoof quality

He can’t do anything about it, can’t shoe her any differently. She wears XL over reach boots. Her hoof quality is apparently very good.

 

[SpeedyPony]

Is she turned out in overreach boots? That would probably be my first port of call if she isn't already.
Depending on your hacking, trying her unshod without boots might be worth a shot- you can always put shoes back on if it doesn't work out.

 

[planete]

A farrier once told me some farriers buy cheap nails which straighten up easily under stress. So it is not always a hoof problem. Not saying this is the case but worth bearing in mind. Has the farrier changed the nails he uses in the last few weeks?

 

[canteron]

I would try barefoot again …. my bf horse who was struggling a bit in the Summer (and I was considering shoeing) is now really good now the ground is softer (we are on stony land).

If yours is similar it maybe you just have to shoe in the Summer when you do more? and the ground is harder and then in Winter the mud won’t suck the shoes off.

It’s good for the feet to have a shoeing break anyway.

 

[Mrs G]

My TB was forever pulling his front shoes off, either fully or partially, often he'd scrape/cut himself in the process or tear chunks off his feet, or get an abscess from standing on one of the nails too and I had my farrier was on speed-dial! Eventually there was very little undamaged hoof to put a shoe on to so I decided to leave the shoes off for a few weeks. That was 7 years ago - I never put shoes back on! It can't harm to leave her shoes off for a while and see how you get on.

 

[Pippity]

Have you tried two pairs of overreach boots? One big pair that goes right down over the shoe, and a smaller pair on top to keep the bigger one pushed down. It worked when my cob went through a spell of ripping her shoes off.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Thank you all. She already wears over reach boots and they’re big enough, it’s just so muddy already I don’t think they’re stopping her from over reaching.

Had a chat with my farrier today, going to see how things go. Might try another set of over reach on top!

 

[Birker2020]

Lari had to wear two pairs of over reach boots 24/7 as he lost a couple of shoes. The best ones I found were the premier equine bell boots with the ballistic material and a pair over Arma rubber over reach boots over the top in XXL, plus Keratex Hoof hardener as the mud was englarging the nail holes and making the shoes loose.

My farrier worked very hard over the time he shod Lari and got rid of the flare from a previous farrier before I owned him.

I had two pairs of the PE boots and every night I would wash the Arma under the tap and replace over the top of a spare pair of PE boots which I'd taken home the night before and dried on the hall radiator. Lovely smell in the house! It was so nice when he went barefoot a year ago and I didn't have to wash boots ever again!

 

[catembi]

My TB was exactly the same as Mrs G’s. Couldn’t keep his shoes on and was then hopping lame/bruised foot every time he lost one. He was also a complete pain to shoe. We went b/f in 2015 which stopped him losing shoes! He has great feet now and we are both very happy that we no longer have the ordeal of shoeing

 

[Pippity]

Thank you all. She already wears over reach boots and they’re big enough, it’s just so muddy already I don’t think they’re stopping her from over reaching.

Had a chat with my farrier today, going to see how things go. Might try another set of over reach on top!

It was doubling up the boots that was key with Blue. A single pair didn't work, but doubled up did.

 

[lizziebell]

ShoeSecures - they are a game changer. Make sure you have a set of overreach boots over the top too.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

So she went 2 weeks, today lost another shoe.

Our fields and tracks are already muddy and she runs around a LOT which doesn’t help. It happens a lot more when she’s in a herd. I’m just wondering if she will ever manage to keep a shoes on for longer than a week or two through winter..

Although. She’s started going really nicely so I’m really hesitant to pull her shoes.

No other horse at our yard looses shoes, a friend said try another farrier?! On the positive side, the instructor on the weekend said she has a lovely over step and active hind end.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Have you seen shoesecure. They are brilliant!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Have you seen shoesecure. They are brilliant!

I’ve looked at them, they sound good but she gets mud fever easily and our yard is so muddy.. I think the shoesecure would hold the wet/mud behind her heel and cause issues

 

[Mrs G]

Hormonal Filly;
“Although. She’s started going really nicely so I’m really hesitant to pull her shoes.”

One of the biggest changes I noticed in my horse’s way of going was a few weeks after I had taken the shoes off; suddenly he found his BIG trot! Could have been just because we could work consistently with no lameness/injuries and were focussed on schooling rather than hacking while he transitioned, or maybe he did feel ‘footloose and fancy free’ (!) but there was definitely an improvement in his movement without shoes whatever the cause!

 

[McGrools]

So she went 2 weeks, today lost another shoe.

Our fields and tracks are already muddy and she runs around a LOT which doesn’t help. It happens a lot more when she’s in a herd. I’m just wondering if she will ever manage to keep a shoes on for longer than a week or two through winter..

Although. She’s started going really nicely so I’m really hesitant to pull her shoes.

No other horse at our yard looses shoes, a friend said try another farrier?! On the positive side, the instructor on the weekend said she has a lovely over step and active hind end.

I second changing farrier. I have done and shoes are remarkably still on. I breathe a sigh of relief on a daily basis atm xx

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I second changing farrier. I have done and shoes are remarkably still on. I breathe a sigh of relief on a daily basis atm xx

Thank you. It’s really awkward as he shoes majority of the horses on the yard.. no one else has an issue. She runs about a lot in the field, so I’m not sure if another farrier would make any difference

 

[McGrools]

Thank you. It’s really awkward as he shoes majority of the horses on the yard.. no one else has an issue. She runs about a lot in the field, so I’m not sure if another farrier would make any difference

Yes that’s awkward. The farrier I switched from is very good but there are a lot of lost shoes amongst his clients. Mine is mostly out on 8 acres and I love to her and friends running around keeping themselves fit so lost shoes are an occupational hazard, but since swapping she is on second set and lasting far longer than previously. I will keep her in a 5 week max schedule and I am still at the point of assuming we will be missing fronts at week 4 and will be very pleasantly surprised otherwise

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I’ve looked at them, they sound good but she gets mud fever easily and our yard is so muddy.. I think the shoesecure would hold the wet/mud behind her heel and cause issues

The horse I had them on is very prone to mud fever and they caused no issues. They do fit snuggly but if there is a gap perhaps using a bit of cotton wool would help? My boy went from loosing a shoe a week to not loosing them at all. After 6 months or so I did change farrier and he never lost another one and that was without the shoesecure!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

The horse I had them on is very prone to mud fever and they caused no issues. They do fit snuggly but if there is a gap perhaps using a bit of cotton wool would help? My boy went from loosing a shoe a week to not loosing them at all. After 6 months or so I did change farrier and he never lost another one and that was without the shoesecure!

Quick question, it says online they're 'only for turnout' do you take them off when you want to ride?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Quick question, it says online they're 'only for turnout' do you take them off when you want to ride?

You can't ride in them as the bottom of the foot wouldn't be level. I put them on in the morning for turnout. Once I'd mastered them it only took a few mins to do. Then take them off when brought in at night. You could leave them on in the field 24/7 and I did leave them on the odd night in the stable.