Shoeing query

M

Mrs G

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 August 2014
Messages
1,079
Visit site
Annoyingly my horse has pulled a shoe that was only put on 5 days ago. Fortunately the shoe came off clean, in one go, all the nails came out with the shoe too, and the hoof is not damaged at all (horse spooked and I presume stood on it with other front hoof; he is only shod in front). My pondering is; what does this say about the quality of the hoof itself? And what about the shoeing; should a newly applied shoe come off so easily or is it better that it did without damaging the hoof?
 
I can't answer with regards your question about hoof quality - however, the way I think about it is - if my horse stands on the edge of the shoe, then of course it is going to come off.

I certainly don't regard a pulled shoe as an indication of poor shoeing, I would rather it came off clean than cause damage to the hoof tbh.

It happens, they do not come off "easily", they are stood on!
 
Mrs G said:
Annoyingly my horse has pulled a shoe that was only put on 5 days ago. Fortunately the shoe came off clean, in one go, all the nails came out with the shoe too, and the hoof is not damaged at all (horse spooked and I presume stood on it with other front hoof; he is only shod in front). My pondering is; what does this say about the quality of the hoof itself? And what about the shoeing; should a newly applied shoe come off so easily or is it better that it did without damaging the hoof?
Click to expand...

Its nothing to do with the skill of your farrier. This is such a common misconception.

With the weather we have been having I assume your fields are as waterlogged as everyone elses? What happens is that the horses feet are stood in wet conditions for much of the day. The hoof wall starts becoming soft (like our nails become all soft if we soak in the bath too long). The nails then can't hold the shoes on because the structure of the foot has altered, the nail holes become enlarged and the shoes come off, either because your horse stands on it, or because they are so loose they will come off through normal activities. Hoof wall is a living breathable substance and alters according to weather conditions, becoming wet and porous is wet conditions, and dry and cracked in dry conditions.

Another common misconception - shoes getting 'sucked off' in mud. This is impossible (unless you have quicksand in your field!!) They get loose due to the constant wet on the foot (keratin) and this is why the mud appears to suck the shoe off. Wellies get sucked off peoples feet and this is where the idea comes from. But wellies are not nailed on! This is the difference.

You need to put something on the hoof wall, and the inside of the sole to prevent this from happening. Keratex Hoof gel is something that you can paint on and is really effective. Its waterproof and the rain water simply runs off the foot (like a waxed jacket for people). This will stregthen hooeves and prevent water damage from occuring.
 
applecart14 said:
Its nothing to do with the skill of your farrier. This is such a common misconception.

With the weather we have been having I assume your fields are as waterlogged as everyone elses? What happens is that the horses feet are stood in wet conditions for much of the day. The hoof wall starts becoming soft (like our nails become all soft if we soak in the bath too long). The nails then can't hold the shoes on because the structure of the foot has altered, the nail holes become enlarged and the shoes come off, either because your horse stands on it, or because they are so loose they will come off through normal activities. Hoof wall is a living breathable substance and alters according to weather conditions, becoming wet and porous is wet conditions, and dry and cracked in dry conditions.

Another common misconception - shoes getting 'sucked off' in mud. This is impossible (unless you have quicksand in your field!!) They get loose due to the constant wet on the foot (keratin) and this is why the mud appears to suck the shoe off. Wellies get sucked off peoples feet and this is where the idea comes from. But wellies are not nailed on! This is the difference.

You need to put something on the hoof wall, and the inside of the sole to prevent this from happening. Keratex Hoof gel is something that you can paint on and is really effective. Its waterproof and the rain water simply runs off the foot (like a waxed jacket for people). This will stregthen hooeves and prevent water damage from occuring.
Click to expand...

Very well put :)
 
Bad hoof balance can certainly make it far more likely that a horse will pull shoes off. If the horse has long toes, then the breakover is altered and that means that the horse cannot get the front hooves out of the way of the hind hooves so easily. Of course this isn't the only reason that horses pull shoes and I have no idea if your horse has good hoof balance or not. However if a horse starts to repeatedly pull front shoes, then it is always worth having a good look at the hoof balance, just incase it is a contributing factor.

The clenches on the nails are actually pretty small if you look closely and it's not really surprising that shoes come off easily if trod on. I would argue that it's a good thing that they do. A problem can arise though, where the farrier starts to shoe really short at the heel so there is less for the horse to catch. Often horses shod like this do have the long toes mentioned earlier, plus under-run, contracted heels which often go hand in hand with long toes.

As someone with unshod/barefoot horses these days, the idea of 'waterproofing' the hoof capsule is a bit of an anathema to me. Good horn quality is grown and diet (not painting stuff on) is the one of the keys.

You also need to remember that the nail holes themselves compromise the horn.
 
applecart14 said:
Its nothing to do with the skill of your farrier. This is such a common misconception.
Click to expand...

It can be all down to the skill (or lack of) of your farrier but that does not mean it always is.
if a poor quality hoof has a shoe pulled of the hoof is generally (but not always damaged), if it is the first time a shoe has been lost then just put it down to one of those things it sometimes just happens.
If not try adding micronised liseed and salt to feed and look at feeding a good quality supplement, if feet smell then scrub inside with salt water ad allow to dry and apply something like kevin bacon hoof dressing and make sure the horse has plenty of dry bedding if stabled and pick out feet at least twice daily.
hooves need some moisture and to breathe so applying something that is water proof goes against a lot of what nature wants hooves to do.
 
As Faracat says it can certainly make a difference if the break over is creeping forwards, as the front hoof then leaves the floor later making it more likely that the shoe may get trodden on from behind.

I'm not actually sure about the water ingress, IIRC when tested hooves actually absorb very little water/not as much as expected and it might be wet/dry changes that cause some of the problems observed.

I would certainly never put keratex or any other formaldehyde based hoof hardeners near my horse's hooves.
 
Last edited:
A cheat copy and paste but
'The hoof structure is damaged by rapid fluctuations in the moisture content. Saturation of the hoof throughout winter and rapid drying during summer conditions causes huge moisture imbalances in the hoof. Rapid drying of a saturated, weakened hoof causes molecular disruption, resulting in visible cracks and splits. Once weakened by saturation, the hoof becomes more porous, easily absorbing water from summer showers/dews etc. Excess water causes hooves to become water-logged and weakened in a similar way that our nails become weak and pliable if we spend too long in the bath. This excess moisture is quickly dried from the hooves on a warm day, exacerbating existing damage.

Dr. Melinda Duer, a molecular chemist and senior lecturer at Cambridge University, has spent the last three years examining the effects of moisture on the molecular structure of the hoof. Her work has illustrated a requirement for the moisture content to be kept stable within the hoof. Laboratory tests have shown that excess water within the hoof weakens keratin structures. These keratin structures have been shown to be irreversibly damaged within days, if the water content is removed rapidly. Such changes do not occur if water is removed gradually. '
 
Thanks all for the replies. Unfortunately my horse pulling shoes is quite a common occurrence, more so at this time of year so the comments above do make a lot of sense. I have decided to get the farrier back to take the other shoe off too and try him without shoes for a bit; I am even looking into hoof boots! He is on a barefoot friendly diet anyway and his hind feet are fab and I have a friend who's horses are all barefoot giving me advice, so I think it's worth a try?
 
Mrs G said:
Thanks all for the replies. Unfortunately my horse pulling shoes is quite a common occurrence, more so at this time of year so the comments above do make a lot of sense. I have decided to get the farrier back to take the other shoe off too and try him without shoes for a bit; I am even looking into hoof boots! He is on a barefoot friendly diet anyway and his hind feet are fab and I have a friend who's horses are all barefoot giving me advice, so I think it's worth a try?
Click to expand...

Definitely the best thing to do.
Diet, movement, management of thrush etc
Boots are a good idea at the start to allow your horse to be exercised but allowing him to transition
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top