Shoeing question

[chestnut cob]

Quick question.....

Had Rhyn shod almost 4 weeks ago. His shoes (only has fronts) look as though he's been standing in all night long pawing at concrete. Fine, if he'd been in! He's out 24/7 and I don't do a lot of road work either. I normally have him shod about every 7 weeks, often 8 because he just doesn't need it.

Now I have to get the farrier out as early as possible next week because there is almost no shoe at the front - I need to make it clear that this has only happened right on the tip of the shoe. The remainder of the shoe looks almost new, which they are!

Any suggestions as to what might be causing this? He's perfectly sound, doesn't have any strange or funny action, or anything else I can think of. It's never happened before.......

 

[emma69]

Is he dragging his toes?

 

[chestnut cob]

Nope, I haven't noticed it.

I originally thought it might be the quality of the metal but it can't be as the whole shoe would be like it, plus I know that farrier wouldn't use anything sub standard.

It might just be one of those things....

 

[emma69]

Not sure - it sounds like something is happening to just wear down that bit if the rest is ok - You could mark the worn bit with something coloured, and trot him up a light coloured road and see if it leaves marks? Might be easier to see that than try and see any action? Is it equal on both sides? Most horses I know that paw favour one foot over the other

 

[chestnut cob]

Slightly more on the right side, but as I say he isn't on concrete. Just comes in to be ridden and I haven't seen him paw at all since having this set on.

V odd!

 

[emma69]

Ask the farrier what he thinks, maybe see if it's an action thing. I would say unlikely to be pawing given the circumstances then

 

[cobwithattitude]

could try rolling the toes on the next set of shoes?

 

[chestnut cob]

I don't really know much about shoeing - how would rolling the toes help? I know someone who's horse had sidebone and he has rolled toes but that's as much as I know!!

 

[Patches]

Funny you should post this CC.

Last time Patches was shod it was decided that she should go every 4 weeks to help with the tripping.

She was done on Tuesday. First thing the farrier said when he saw her was...."Good job you're having her done now, these shoes would never go another 2 weeks"

Strange thing with that comment is that I wouldn't say I'd done any more road work than normal.

 

[chestnut cob]

That's odd!

I had a good look at him while walking him up the road last night. He seems to be really rolling onto the toes when he walks. It's nothing awful but now I can see why he's wearing out the fronts. Imagine over-exaggerating when you walk so that you come further onto the front of your foot, right to the point of your toes.

Can shoeing correct this? The person who posted about rolled toes got me thinking - would that help?

 

[Patches]

You know Patches has extremely rolled toes on her shoes. This helps the breakover of her foot to stop her tripping.

She also had roll toes behind last time which the farrier has lessened this time. She was starting to forge alot as the breakover was happening faster since having them rolled. This meant the back feet were moving faster than the front feet during a stride (if that makes sense) so she was hitting the hoof wall of her back feet on the underneath of front shoes as she picked them up.

So, therefore, if rolling the toes speeds up the breakover, surely that would help Rhyn to pick them up before turning foot right onto toe at end of stride?

(I need to sit down now and make sense of what I just typed! LOL)

 

[chestnut cob]

That makes sense. I did think about Patches actually and wondered if maybe Rhyn's feet were left a bit long last time he was shod. Might explain why it's only happened this time? Looking at his feet they definitely used to be shorter before he had his shoes off. They do seem longer since having the shoes back on.

I guess it could be a combination of several things. Should hopefully have a farrier coming out this week so will have a chat with him about it.