Ideas for keeping shoes on!

[Pippity]

My horse keeps losing front shoes. Backs stay on with no problem, but she'll usually lose a front (usually near side) every two-three weeks. The farrier's coming out on Tuesday to put the most recent one back on, and I'll ask him for advice, but I was wondering if HHO could come up with anything.

They usually come off like this - one nail gets loose and bent over, and then the rest of the shoe comes off. If I can get the loose nail fixed in time, the shoe stays on.



First off, I can't just take her shoes off completely because she's extremely uncomfortable when unshod and her feet crumble away to nothing. She was barefoot for six weeks at the start of lockdown (when I wasn't allowed on the yard) and her feet are still recovering. I never had any problems with shoes staying on until her barefoot spell!

Feed-wise, she gets a handful of Dengie Healthy Hooves (revolting, I know, but the only thing she'll eat, and even then she prefers her hay), Pro Hoof, micronised linseed, and Herbs 4 Mobility. Her hay is soaked for 12 hours, and she's turned out overnight/in during the day. She gets Kevin Bacon hoof dressing every day, on farrier advice, because her hooves were really suffering in the heat. She has overreach boots on 24/7.

I'm willing to change farrier, if people think that may help, but it's difficult to find one willing to deal with my horse. She needs vet sedation, and has a tendency to lean her full 600kg on the farrier. (I'm working on it, and she's vastly improved from where she was, but it is still an issue.)

 

[SOS]

Duct tape, like you would for a poultice.
Double overreach boots.
Dare I say, shoe it like a hunter so tight too the foot. Not suitable if they need added heel support.

What does the farrier say? Are they changing anything to improve this? If not I’d consider switching farrier.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Double clips on front not single toe and get farrier to champher (is that the spelling) the back edges of shoe so can’t be stood on...alter toe length so break over point is speedier and front feet get out of way of hinds faster. Just some remedies my farrier used. This year has dried hooves more than others I have found and nails are easily pulling through hoof walls..so environment isn’t helping.

 

[suebou]

We have a young tb who has lost countless front shoes, usually overreaching in field. Sometimes less than a week after shoeing. Daughter has reverted to my (old) farrier. THis set has stayed on five full weeks......he has overreach boots on all the time and my farrier says it’s all in the foot preparation and that newer farriers don’t always want to spend the time to do this. Not that helpful but we are v impressed!

 

[AFB]

So you have one nail coming loose and that's causing the issues? That seems like a farriery problem to me, how long are the shoes on before the nail start to come loose?

 

[Carrottom]

Is it always the same nail?