Tips for keeping shoes on

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sam72431

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Ever since I started having back shoes on my youngster he keeps pulling off the front ones, and before you ask yes he does need shoes I waited until he was five and as we do a lot of roadwork where there is quite a lot of stones despite having good feet he was really struggling walking over stones and his feet were really wearing away, anyway he just keeps pulling them off even when not loose I've tried over reach boots and my farrier does shoe him so there isn't much shoe there for him to catch he is big moving and when growing did go through spells of forging he does track up really well my farrier has also put slightly heavier back shoes on to help stop him over tracking but it hasn't worked is there a boot or something that would help?! Thanks my farther is getting fed up of seeing him so much and I'm fed up of playing hunt the shoe after three or four weeks of them going on!!
 
You need to be aware that shoeing the front shoes short at the back accelerates the process of the heels becoming under-run. The heels do need to be supported.

Often the hinds pull the front shoes off because the front toes have become long. this alters the breakover, ie the horse cannot lift it's front hooves off the ground quick enough, so the hinds catch them.

Look at the hooves carefully, are the toes long?

IME the constant pulling off of front shoes by the hinds is symptomatic of the hooves changing shape (normally long toes and under-run heels).
 
Does your horse lose his shoe when out at pasture? on a hack ?

Shoeing can greatly effect gait timing. As Faracat says if the toes are too long, front or hind, it will mess up your horse’s stride and cause him to forge. This gives the hind feet plenty of time to catch up to the fronts and snatch off a shoe.

I suggest your farrier provides a quicker breakover. Rolling or rockering the toes of the front feet will help. So will setting the shoes back. Squaring the toes on the hinds and setting the shoes back will also help.
 
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It's been pointed out above that shoeing can affect gait timing, but of course gait can affect shoeing, and your horse's ability to keep his shoes on. Have you had him seen by a good physio? It might be that he's compensating through his movement for an issue that could be relieved through treatment. You can find your local Chartered Physio at www.acpat.co.uk. A horse that a colleague of mine has been treating for the past couple of months has just been seen by the vet, who commented that he's never seen a horse's movement improve so much in such a short space of time.
Hope this helps,
Sue
 
Thanks guys he used to forge before he was shod he is only five and has long legs and he is big 18hh his feet look good to me but then im not an expert ill get a pic tomoz but his toes are definitely not long at all, he has regular physio so i know that's not an issue he loses them in the field never out hacking it seems to be if he has a hooley it's generally only one foot but this time he had to stay in for a few days and when he went out he went mad and pulled the other one!!
 
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