Signs that a horse needs new shoes...

[leanne1988]

Hi All,

can you please tell me signs that a horse needs shoeing?

My welsh mountain had new shoes put on at 6 weeks,(as they were slipping) he put different shoes on and the farrier said she can go 8 weeks. its been 9 weeks now and her feet (to me) still look fine, i cant see any growth, and she is not slipping. Now im questioning whether I know how to tell is she needs shoeing! Help. How do you tell? what do you look out for? and also, how long do you think you should leave shoes on for?

I have tried to ring my farrier for advice but he has not got back to me

 

[samstar]

Some horses may go without shoes, but if your horse will be ridden regularly, it may require at least front shoes. You and your farrier will decide what is best after you have both gotten to know the horse. Horses hooves must be trimmed regularly whether they are shod or not, more often in summer than winter.

My pony can go ten weeks in the winter but 8 in the summer.
Is said horse dragging on its toes at back as that is one of the sign of long toes.

 

[Daisy11]

shoes should be replaced every 6 to 8 wks depending on how much work is done !!!!
horses hoof will actually outgrow shoes if left this is why every 6 to 8 wks, they should come off .hoof trimmed and a set of shoes made to fit horse put back on .
but if they pony is not in regualar work or is not foot sore i fill shoes can be a waste of money so one thing to think about does your horse really need them ??

 

[misst]

I would never leave it longer than 8 weeks for our old pony who has amazing feet, and most horses need every 5-6 weeks in summer and perhaps a little longer in winter. If you leave them too long they will cause problems and vets cost more than farriers

Our big lad was every 4 weeks in summer when competing

 

[JenTaz]

the signs that a horse needs new shoes is hoof growth including at the sides of the shoes, risen clenches (nails) you should be able to run your hand where they are and if you feel therm easily she needs reshod, if the shoes have started to wear down at the toe and everywhere

my boy only goes 4 weeks in the summer and 8 in the winter he's a very expensive pony lol

 

[NeilM]

Why not ring your farrier, explain the situation and ask him to come and have a look. If new shoes are needed fine, if a trim and refit will do, I'm sure your farrier will happily do that for you.

 

[Annagain]

My old horse would go 10 weeks but he was definitely the exception rather than the rule. I would get your farrier out asap as the hoof will have grown. Sometimes when you see it every day you don't notice the difference but to somebody else who hasn't seen it for a while it will be obvious.

 

[Lanky Loll]

Is it a little welshie??? Had a little 12.2 MANY years ago, didn't do much road work with her so she didn't tend to wear her shoes out, but also she had very good feet and didn't actually grow much foot at all. At one point she (rather shockingly) went 6 months without being shod - and only then because I went hunting and lost a shoe in the mud.

... oh and before everyone tells me off... Dad's a farrier...

So basically it may well come down to how much road work you do rather than how quickly the welshies feet grow... but I would still check with your farrier if you're unsure.

 

[vieshot]

We leave shoes on WAY over the recommended time. When i was younger, i used to only get the farrier out when they fell off! If they still look okay and have plenty of wear left then they stay on. Has not been unknown to leave them on for 12-14 weeks. Never had any problems. Obviously if they are loose, feet growing too much etc then they need to be donw earlier.

 

[Donkeymad]

I would recommend asking your farrier to look. It is not uncommon for hooves to look as if they havn't grown, when they have and could actually be growing over and around the edge of the shoe.