Stopping horse pulling shoes off?!!

lash

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Hi All,

I have had my 6yo mare now for about 6 months and I have never known a horse like it for pulling shoes off!
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She has good feet, and goes about 5 weeks usually, she was done end of Oct, lost a front one a week later, and a back one yesterday - It's driving me mad! (especially as i'm ment to be taking her out tomorrow morning!!) I check them all the time to see if they are loose, but they are fine! She is turned out with my 2yo, and I know they mess around a bit when there out together, do you think Over reach boots will help? Or has any one got any suggestions? It's getting expensive and causes so much hassel having to fit in a 2 hour round journy just to get a shoe put back on!
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Many thanks x
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My youngster did this when I first got him, he now permanently has overreach boots on and this solves the problem. I get my overreach boots from Robinsons in bulk and just replace them when he rips them off or damages them, unfortunately on Sunday he herranged it round the field and pulled a boot off, didn't replace with a new one and he pulled a shoe off, that'll teach me to be complacent. Thankfully he doesn't mind working in 3 shoes on a surface.

Totally recommend overreachboots they have been my lifesaver.
 
My horse is like that! Currently having a holiday all winter without shoes as advised by my farrier! He had so many nail holes in his feet where he lost shoes every other week that the farrier wants a new hoof to go through nail free ready for next seasons showing!
 
I would sugest overreach boots but also giving her the winter unshod is a good idea if you can even if its just the backs...

I swear by kevin bacon hoof dressing for keeping feet nice and supple rather than brittle... might be worth trying......
 
I'd put over reach boots on all 4 feet and make sure the Farrier isn't over filing the hoof wall. Just one of those things though really if a horse is going to pull a shoe off, theres nothing that is going to stop it! the very dry and very wet weather probably hasn't helped!, one of my horses is like yours at times too!
 
Mine kept pulling his off (even with overreach boots on, only had fronts on anyway), it was driving me mad! He was 100% sound without them so kept working him, and took shoes off - if they really need to go back on then they will in the summer if we do alot of road work. I also started feeding Top Spec balancer as it has biotin in it, which I have already noticed a difference to his feet, no cracks, healthy looking and hard - also apply cornucrescine once a week. Feet are much much better already!
 
My TB kept pulling shoes off even with over reach boots, changed farriers 3 weeks ago and cause field was so muddy took over reach boots off a week ago and he has kept them on (really thought they would have come off) but must admit new farrier has changed the shape of his feet so maybe that has helped, cause they defo would have been off my now with old farrier.
 
My 4 yo was so bad for this when he was in work. He lived in over reach boots when out in the field and when he was ridded. When he did dressage i used black wide tape round the backs of the shoes and it seemed to work as in his 1st BE4yo he pulled a shoes off just after i did my 1st centre line but in the 2nd we managed a whole test and event with shoes on!!
 
The reason your horse is pulling off the shoes I would have thought is due to the wet conditions. Mud won't pull shoes off, it is impossible to create that much suction, but if the nail is wet due to continuous soaking in wet mud/water then the molecules that create the wall of the hoof will expand and therefore be unable to hold the clenches, hence the shoe will become loose. To counteract this you need to add a dressing such as Keratex Hoof hardener to prevent to wall of the foot from become soaked as this will act as a barrier and harden the feet at the same time.
 
Over-reach boots are a good idea. If your horse has poor quiality feet then a suppliament and topical product aslo good ideas.
If your horse is over reaching or stumbling you may want to mention this to your farrier who will set the hind shoes a bit further back and roll the toes of the fornt feet to help prevent this.
 
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