Need to shoe:( and Studs query

[smiffyimp]

Hi All, well ponio is going Novice (BE) this year - but for safety reasons (and the fact that the rider will kill me if I dont!) its time to affix shoes and studs My boy is an Anglo and has never been shod, now 8 years old. He has evented for the last 2 seasons with no problems at all and always placed (bar from 1 where he broke the land speed record and got time faults....oops!)
So I guess my question is, how soon in advance would you say to shoe so he can get used them being on his feet and how soon to start using studs before a comp. Last but not least what are your favourite makes of stud - are some easier that others? Ive never used studs

My old boy was shod all his life and now I feel quite useless at putting them on! What I really need is a barefoot stud

 

[Abbeygale]

My girl was barefoot for several years, but when i shod her, she was well away pretty much immediately. I think the first day I hacked her out, she looked kind of surprised at all the racket, but didn't have a problem otherwise.

Can't advise on studs as I don't use them - sorry

If he's evented for the last 2 seasons barefoot, why does he need shoes now? Sorry if I'm being dim!!

 

[be positive]

I would shoe him a week or so before either an event or outing on grass that you can use as a test run. I only use studs when competing, they dont need to get used to wearing them, although a less important outing than your first Novice would probably best for first use, you may need to try several sizes to get the preferred option for your horse on different ground conditions.

 

[ellie_e]

Cant help with the barefoot, but I really like Supastuds I dont bother packing the holes as found in the past the packing always tends to fall out, just the night before a show I get all the dirt out, WD40 them retap then pack ready for at the show to take the packing out and stud goes straight in. Personally I only use 1 per shoe, others use 2 and there is always the opinion of twisiting the hoof/leg etc but for my horse 1 is fine.

 

[smiffyimp]

Thanks Abbygale - its not the shoes he needs, its the studs. Turns get tighter and especially dressage (would you believe) they can lose a foot, then he tightens and doesnt perform as well. Also in SJ the turns are tighter and the spreads wider. Hes done brilliantly so far, and is a real XC horse, but I dont want him losing his confidence and I dont want to maim the rider

 

[Abbeygale]

Ah I see!! I don't do anything quite as exciting as eventing, specially nothing with tight turns! lol

If he hasn't been shod before, then I would do some "tapping" on his feet to get him used to the sensation of having the shoe nailed on. I just did a quick whip round on my girls feet while I was picking them out. Also, it might be worth asking about cold shoeing for the first couple of times. My girl is a bit of a worrier, so we did cold shoeing the first few times, so she could cope with the shoeing on its own first. But she's fine with hot shoeing now

 

[Sprout]

Personally, I would give the horse plenty of time to get used to wearing shoes.
Our eventer will have his first run of the season in March, and when he was shod last week, he had stud holes put in, so that when he goes XC schooling over the next few weeks he can have studs in if the ground is slippery. He has 2 in each, but many just use one. I dont have a preferred make, but I think the biggest tip is to get used to studding up BEFORE a comp - it takes quite a bit of practice to do it quickly!