Tips for horse pulling shoes off

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nervous nelly

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My horse is a pain in the backside for pulling shoes off in the field. He normally has one off every two weeks. He wears over reach boots in the field and both with and without them off still pulls them off.
We changed farriers and that did not make a difference he also has very good strong feet so it's not a problem with his feet.
Does anyone have any suggestions
 
Go up a size in overreach boots so that they cover the shoe more. I used XL bridleway ones - cheap and don't rub being pvc instead of rubber :)
 
I second the go up a size in the over reach boots.

My gelding is exactly the same, I found the best over reach boots so that have kept his shoes on are a set of Horze £8 ones! I bought the XL (and they do look absolutely ridiculous) however they keep his shoes on so I'm happy!
 
fairyclare said:
Take them off! Maybe he is trying to tell you something......
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If he has very good strong feet does he actually need shoes?

A friend had her horse unshod for years and was persuaded to put shoes on him (for no good reason that I could see), couldn't keep them on whatever she did. We actually saw him deliberately rip one off. Took them off again and he was happy :) .
 
I would also consider taking them off. Pulling shoes that often is causing a lot of damage. Even just giving his feet a break from shoes might help. Is he being shod long or wide?
 
A couple of months ago this could have been my post OP! After 4 yrs of owning my TB, many cancelled lessons, frequent minor lameness due to wrenching himself; the odd puncture wound and abscess, and literally millions of overreach boots later, this year I decided to try something new and took his shoes off (well he was only shod in front and he took one off - I took the other!) Its early days of course and I appreciate its not for everyone but so far Im really pleased. He was very pottery for the first few weeks so we kept to the field and the indoor school (nice, soft surface), but he is absolutely fine around the yard and on the tarmac roads now. I have splashed out on boots for hacking as we have very stony tracks (Liz at Hoof Bootique were very helpful re type and sizing for the boots). Maybe worth a try? As Saddlesore also says - it doesnt have to be forever, even just giving his feet a break and letting any damage/existing nail holes grow out could help in the long run? And it may just be coincidence or because I haven't had to cancel any lessons due to pulled shoes; but our schooling is coming on; I'm seeing floaty trot and flicking toes more often; maybe he is feeling lighter on his feet now!
 
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He had shoes because we use studs for jumping he's a very slippy horse who loses confidence quickly last time he slipped he wouldn't jump for nearly 6 weeks! He also does a lot of road work
 
The road work isn't an issue as long as you are willing to build up the amount slowly. The studs for jumping are the thing that will prevent him from being barefoot while competing. If you ever are going to have a couple of months off from competing, then it's always worth giving the horse a break from shoes for that time.

I should also mention that pulling shoes can be a warning sign that the horse has badly balanced hooves. Long toes and under-run heels alter the breakover which can make it impossible for the horse to avoid catching the front hoof with his hind as he moves. Over reach boots and shoe secures are just a sticking plaster on a gushing wound if the root of the problem is hoof balance. The best thing to improve hoof balance is taking the shoes off and stimulating the hooves (by movement) on any surface that the horse is sound and comfortable on. The hoof capsules can then grow down at a much better angle as seen in this thread.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?726883-12-Weeks-in-Barefoot

Once that horse has fully grown out the new angle, the breakover will be so much quicker and the risk of over reaching so much less.
 
Maybe ask your farrier to put the shoes on tighter at the heel? Mine kept ripping them off too and over reach boots made little difference as he pulled those off too. The farrier tightened them on at the back and they never came off.

Have to say though mine has just become less clumsy too from getting stronger so might be that he just doesn't trip over himself as much now. But that did seem to help.
 
nervous nelly said:
He had shoes because we use studs for jumping he's a very slippy horse who loses confidence quickly last time he slipped he wouldn't jump for nearly 6 weeks! He also does a lot of road work
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You should give him the benefit of the doubt, he will probably jump better without shoes!
There is meant to be a slight give when jumping, a slight slip is better than the jarring effect caused by the sudden stop that shoes and studs cause.
 
I had this problem with 2 horses last year, the thing is every time they rip one off it damages the hoof and makes it more difficult for the farrier to secure the shoes.

I solved with one horse by removing the shoes, feeding equivita minerals and using boots for 6 months until she had grown sufficient hoof to start shoeing again. Touch wood haven't lost one since she had shoes back on and previously she was throwing a shoe every 2 weeks at least. Farrier is also using a lighter shoe.

Other horse could not tolerate barefoot so same diet but over reaches on constantly and farrier shoeing quite close. We lost one on a hack this weekend but it was v muddy, no over reaches and a week before due to be shod so not too bad. He has a pair of spare hoof boots just in case!
 
Could you try a different farrier? It could just be that the way your farrier shoes doesn't quite suit him? My share horse was only going 3 weeks between being shod at one point his feet were so bad. Farrier was a very well respected one and shod all the other horses on the yard with no problems. We changed farrier as old one retired and haven't looked back since. Now shod every 7 weeks and hasn't lost a shoe in about 5 years!
 
smellsofhorse said:
You should give him the benefit of the doubt, he will probably jump better without shoes!
There is meant to be a slight give when jumping, a slight slip is better than the jarring effect caused by the sudden stop that shoes and studs cause.
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Perhaps that is the case on an arena surface whereby the surface is much coarser but I found that jumping on grass B/F was a recipe for disaster on my TB. He had no grip whatsoever, You could feel him slipping on the turn and when he went to push through his back end before take off it was appalling. I retired from the round and had him shod again, Not worth the risk.

I admit he is a TB with fairly flat feet and perhaps a more concave sole would encourage a bit more grip but I wouldn't try it again
 
I'd be unhappy with shoeing short to the heel, it may help now but longer term it will cause problems. Has the farrier tried a rolled or rocked toe to try & sharpen up the breakover? It should help him get his front feet out of the way before the hinds hit. If he's pulling them when ridden then getting him off the forehand more might also help.
 
I had a horse who would pull off a shoe about once a fortnight. I had a McTimoney chiropractor out to him and after just one treatment he stopped pulling off shoes and lost maybe two in the next ten years. Funnily enough, the chiropractic treatment wasn't even aimed at that, just making sure he was comfortable in his work.

Obviously won't work for every horse, but just my experience.
 
There's always someone who refuses to let barefoot drop. It doesn't work for everyone.

I find my horse also takes off overreach boots, while he is removing his shoes. Not because he doesn't want shoes but because he likes galloping, boxing, paddling in the pond and behaving like a silly boy.

Shoe secure is supposed to be very good. I've not used them myself but I've heard very good things.
 
Have you seen that Donald Duck cartoon with the horse that throws his shoes off as a game??? That was directed with mine in mind... Serial shoe puller!. He over reaches and pulls shoes off even with over reach boots on and his shoes as tight as possible. The only thing to have stopped him is wearing two pairs of over reach boots. The first pair fit him well and the pair over them are the next size up. Touch wood he hasnt pulled them off since I have done this..
 
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