Please help! Thoroughbred keeps pulling shoes

Kynie

Kynie

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Good morning all,

My boy keeps pulling his shoes when out in the field. He is currently out with two pairs of over reach boots and shoes that are slightly shorter than they should be...

It has now got to the point where the farrier is struggling to get shoes back on as he has awfully thin hoof walls anyway.

Unfortunately going barefoot is not an option for him as he is extremely foot sore when shoes come off.

Any ideas would be of help!

Thank you
 
I feel your utter pain. I had 2 TB's like this. One of them was shod and would lose a shoe 2 days later.

I have been adding micronised linseed and http://www.equineanswers.co.uk/prodpage.asp?ProdID=1 this balancer to their feed for nearly 9 months now and the difference is amazing. They are both easily going 8 weeks. They both look amazing, sleek and shiny.

My farrier was gobsmacked at the difference.
 
Sounds like my lad when I first bought him. He had flat feet with crumbling horn and was losing a shoe practically every week. He was also very sore without them but ok on grass. Like you we got to the point where there wasn't really enough foot to nail a shoe to! I'm afraid that pulling all the shoes and giving his feet time to recover was the way forwards for me. He was living out at the time which helped as he was always on soft ground. If I'd had to bring him in and out I would have probably needed boots. After a couple of weeks he was much more comfortable and was happily walking across concrete. It took around 6 months for his feet to grow down and start looking good and they have steadily improved ever since. I always intended to have front shoes back on at least but have ended up leaving them all off and I think his feet are better because of it. Possibly not what you want to hear as it does take time to get them right but I though I would share my experience with you as it really has paid off in the long term. If you do go down this route I'd have a good look at his diet as once you get it right you really notice the difference. Good luck with whatever you decide. :)
 
I would find a good trimmer and ask them to have a look at him. I have a barefoot TB and with a bit of thought about diet and management (i.e boots when required), it can be very successful.

I am making assumptions here, but please do some more research before discounting barefoot. :)
 
It may be pricey, and you may struggle to find a farrier to do it,but my partner had a similar problem and was at his wits end. eventually found a farrier that is trained to use "casts" (that may not be the correct term) which looks like vet wrap when going on, but when wet hardens into a type of plaster cast around the hoof, which the nails then go into that, ensuring that the shoe stays on. You could maybe look into doing this for a while until your tb's feet have got better, although note regular shoeing is still needed as of the horses hoof growth etc. There often used on polo ponies
 
Thanks for all of your replies, he has had the same farrier since he was about three months old, and regardless of what was done by the previous owner and myself there hasn't been much improvement.

It seems that his heels have started dropping slightly and will need remedial shoeing shortly, just have to figure out what shoes he can have. This is another reason that he cannot go barefoot. He fractured his stifle just over 12 months ago and was barefoot for most of that, luckily he didn't have to move much so wasn't too much of an issue.

My boy is only 6 now, so any more help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

And we have tried the keratex, the boots etc. He is also on pro feet, vitamin supplements, probiotics, magnesium and joint supplement...

Thanks
 
My friend had a similar problem with her TB and fed supplements - I think it was farriers formula, and a fibre-based barefoot type diet which helped as well as hoof hardeners.
Bedding was a factor - if the horse is stabled - she found a thick bed kept the feet well away from muck which wasn't good for poor thin feet. Overreach boots worked as did a sausage boot. But horse still threw shoes fairly often.

HOWEVER I had problems with mine losing shoes and after months of trying different things such as trailers the farrier concluded he was twisting his hind feet slightly on contact with the ground - it was just his natural action. This was why his hind shoes came off. This coupled with a natural tendency to over-reach when hooning about in the field was causing horse to lose front shoes too!! Despite over reach boots.
SO farrier and I decided to try barefoot behind and see what happened. Result! His front shoes stay on, his hind action improved once hooves had transitioned fully and we don't end up with shoe-loss related problems. We have some hoofboots that horse wears for longer stony hacks but otherwise he is great. The transition took about 6 months so you have to be prepared to persevere, though there are lots of website that offer advice.

So - would removing JUST hind shoes be an option? and getting hoof boots for hacking?
And is overreaching the sole cause of the problem or is it a conformation issue?
 
Had problems with all my TB's but my current one has been the worst of all. At one stage he was pulling them off daily! Having a good sympathetic farrier has been a godsend and between him and myself we have worked hard to get his feet right. I use the recommended amount of biotin and a cube of red jelly every day (I dont both with farriers formula or formula4feet as they are too expensive and the biotin and jelly do the job, jelly is only about 6p from morrisons!), though to get good hoof you will be looking at atleast a year before you notice the difference. Regular trims & overreach boots will also help, as will a good diet. You can also use effol hoof gel as this will help keep the hoof flexible so if your horse does pull a shoe its less likely to damage it. My boy can bend shoes in half and used to bruise his hooves but that made a big difference.

But as one of the other posters said consider going all out barefoot for a while. I've had to retire my boy due to his behaviour and was terrified to let him go barefoot with how he is with shoes, but in fact he has never been happier on his feet since they came off! They are holding up really well and have only taken on minimal damage, rough edges at most.
 
Kynie said:
Thanks for all of your replies, he has had the same farrier since he was about three months old, and regardless of what was done by the previous owner and myself there hasn't been much improvement.

It seems that his heels have started dropping slightly and will need remedial shoeing shortly, just have to figure out what shoes he can have. This is another reason that he cannot go barefoot. He fractured his stifle just over 12 months ago and was barefoot for most of that, luckily he didn't have to move much so wasn't too much of an issue.

My boy is only 6 now, so any more help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

And we have tried the keratex, the boots etc. He is also on pro feet, vitamin supplements, probiotics, magnesium and joint supplement...

Thanks
Click to expand...

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but your horse sounds like he needs a spell out of shoes (and I mean at least 9 months).

The pathology you are mentioning with the heels is common with long term shoeing. Remedial shoes are designed to 'support' the heels with varying levels of success.....taking the shoes off and allowing the ground to support the heels is a much cheaper and more efficient option.

Why, when we have access to such excellent farriers, do we have such issues with lameness in this country?
Most farriery texts will advise a break from shoes - as was traditional in the past when 'roughing off'. We don't do this any more and horses stay in shoes 365 days a year.
So cases of pathology and lameness have shot up.

You have already tried dietary changes and that hasn't worked.
Your horse needs a break from shoes.

And everyone says they have THE horse who just CAN'T go barefoot......but with the right help, support and advice, it is rarely the case.

There are some horses who need shoes for part of the year to work comfortably (horses with metabolic issues) but there are no horses that I have found who can't cope with a rehabilative break from shoes - where the owner has been sensible and done the research beforehand.

It may not be something you want to do now, but coming into winter - at least think about it. Think of it as an investment into the future.
Navicular, mystery lameness, tendon/ligament issues, side bone, ring bone.....they are all expensive and time consuming :(
 
he has had the same farrier since he was about three months old, and regardless of what was done by the previous owner and myself there hasn't been much improvement.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid you seem to have answered your own question :(

You've done everything you can, and his feet are getting worse... There's one consistent factor and you just identified it.
 
my TB was the same i changed farrier it still happend then all of a sudden 6 months later he stopped loosing shoes and hasnt lost one since (fingers crossed)

farrier just said its down to the biotin i keep him on and the happy hoof i had him on and the fact i hacked him out and schooled on loads of diff surfaces :)

PS hes never worn over reach boots :)
 
Hi, firstly, I feel your pain.

Lots of good advice on here. I also find the daily application of Kevin bacon helps to prevent the constant contracting and expanding of the hoof wall that is part and parcel of living with the great british weather!!

Having the roughed off spell barefoot did two of my horses the world of good when supported by correct nutrition and management but another was not good at all. Try as we might his feet just broke down and he wasn't just sore, he was in real pain.

In the end we tried equicasts with shoes on, which was something my farrier had never tried before. It helped that he's a top class farrier and has an open mind but in my humble opinion he did a really, really good job and the horse kept the casts on for six weeks each time. It really gave his feet a break and was able to be kept in work which was a huge bonus.

As I always say, what works for one might not work for another but I'm always willing to give anything a go.

Some people may not like this but what can I say, it helped my horse and I always think it's worth sharing good experiences...................

Some photos of them

006.jpg


003.jpg
 
If your horse has long toes and under-run heels, then his breakover will be later and he will catch the back of the shoe with his hind hoof as he moves. This is probably why he is pulling shoes off so much. Shoeing shorter will make the long toes and under-run heels worse.

You need to get his hooves back to a better shape and with the correct breakover. I have been through this with my mare and what I did was this - 1, get a new farrier and 2, take the shoes off.

Sorting the hooves out is very, very important. If it means that you need to use hoof boots or even stop riding for a while - do it! If you don't tackle this now, his hooves will only get worse. :(
 
my tb always used to pull shoes he's the type who you think cant go 'barefoot'. when he was being shod and the old shoes came off he used to lean right back to take weight off the front (only had fronts on). so.ething had been niggling to ake shoes off but thought he would cope.
He's coping well after just one month. he wears hoof boots for any work at the moment coming in from field he would hobble over the stones now he strides out.. Best decision i've ever made and can see a big difference in the way he moves already.
 
Mine was doing this too!

I took the shoes off 2 weeks ago, farrier was hard to convince, but I actually haven't stopped riding, she wears boots in the field and has continued to work in the boots, hasn't taken a lame step yet, and massive change to the shape of her feet already, so in 3 days her 1cm proud of the hoof frogs shaped up, and within 10 days she is starting to show some concavity to her soles which were flat as a pancake, she has tow callous already and as a bonus to this change she is moving even better, she pretty much walks everywhere in extended walk, really swings, and I have ridden her once without boots and she felt like she had hands grabbing a the ground, amazing feeling much better than the slap my numb feet down anywhere and slip all the time movement!

Please give it a go, short shoes will result in navicular!
 
Aluminium shoes glued on, thats what my TB has at the minute (and not for the first time) as she has awful hooves and cant keep front shoes on with very little to nail onto. My farrier is my best friend at the moment!!!
 
I can't help but think she could do with a couple of weeks out of work, and total dedication to foot care.
It sounds as though things are getting worse, and I would try another farrier IF you insist on shoes, but to my mind take the shoes off, and treat as a barefoot horse.
Walk in hand, minimal exercise on conformable surfaces boots and pads for [limited] turnout.
Do you have any pics? and what are you feeding?
 
Casts are a good tool to use for the first few weeks of going barefoot (never heard of them being used under shoes before) for horses that need protection 24/7 at first.

You can soak through them to treat any thrush.

Boots and pads have the advantage that they last longer for your money and you can ride in them while still allowing the horse to develop their hooves.
 
I have had my ex racer for nearly a year now, he would pull his shoes off (front ones) when having a tear around in the field, I was on constant speed dial to my farrier! The extent of his shoe pulling was so bad at times, he would rip his hoof apart, push the toe clip into the sole of his feet and slice through the white line with the nails, once he lost the same shoe 5 times in two weeks! - There was nothing left to shoe on, despite good grazing, good feed (Alan and Page), good hay, every time I went up to the field the first thing I did was look at his feet, it was a miracle if a shoe stayed on for 2/3 weeks. We had the vet out twice to have his leg x rayed and ultra scaned because he had rotated the shoe and was so lame he looked like he had a broken leg. He spent more time in his stable with his foot in a nappy sack and vet wrap, than being ridden! - So, after yet another shoe pulling incident, I rung my farrier up and asked him to remove the shoes, I said I was going to give it a go and try barefoot - not an easy decision bearing in mind he had terrible feet, and an ex racer TB! - The next day I tried to walk him up the track to the field, he hobbled so badly, it was painful to watch, he refused to come back down the track that evening and went backwards and tried to rear. I had to put pads on with gaffer tape just to get him back. Rushed to the local tack shop the next day and bought some Cavallo Horse Hoof Boots, they looked the less complicated and less clunky that some of the others. £100 down in the bank account! - They were tight and stiff at first but did, after using them each day to go up and down the track, wear in. To be fair, he was 100% sound on grass from day one but, very footy on concrete yard, lame I guess. But after a month, he suddenly started to walk on the hard ground sound, not 100% but, sound nonethless. He is ridden in the Cavallo boots and hacked out in them, he is a bit trippy in them, but its getting better, I guess it was like someone wearing wellies and running down a beach, it felt odd to his feet. I changed his diet, watched his grass intake and enlisted the help of Lucy Priory from barefoot south, she came this week for his first 'trim' - unfortunately the was so little to trim off, he has paper thin outer walls, and some separation underneath, some bruising to the heels and soles, plus a little thrush and seedy toe! The list is endless. Its going to take a long time but I am going to give it a go, I just couldnt take the shoe pulling anymore, he was even turned out with two pairs of over reach boots on, one on top of the other, he would not only over reach, he would stand on the side of his hooves, even when tied up and then pull them sideways. shall try and attach some photos. having problems with the photos, I have them saved on this computer and usually add as an attachment, dont understand what H&H are asking?
 
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You can upload photos from your computer into an album in your profile, or you can upload them to photobucket (or similar) and paste the IMG code into the reply box. :)
 
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