What would you do or suggest re farrier?

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miss_c

miss_c

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Ok, Genie was shod on May 1st, and always goes 6 weeks between shoeing. When I first bought her her feet weren't bad but weren't amazing, and she threw the odd shoe, but they have now improved immensely. However, today she came in having lost her FIFTH front shoe since the beginning of May. She has literally lost a front shoe EVERY week, and at £10 a time to put a shoe back on I've spent over £100 on shoeing in the last month and a little bit, when the longest she's kept any front shoe on has been 2 weeks. I've started turning her out with overreach boots on in case that's what's causing it, but I simply cannot afford to have the farrier out literally every week.

What would you guys suggest or do yourselves? I love my farrier, he turns up when he says etc, but I simply cannot afford this! I am considering trying another farrier but I'm rubbish at making decisions!

Cookies and hot choc if you get this far, thanks everyone!

ETS: At the moment going barefoot isn't really an option
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You could try going barefoot for a while (although be careful as it's quite addictive!). It's likely that repeated loss and re-fitting of shoes has weakened the hoof wall and so if you keep trying to put shoes on, you will also keep losing them. If you give the hoof a period of time to recover you should find that shoes stay on better. In the meantime you could try using hoof boots for ridden work (see EasyCare who have the best range). My three are all barefoot all the time now, but even before I took their shoes off completely my farrier used to recommend a period without shoes each year.
 
What does your farrier say?

I'd be tempted to either go barefoot if you ned is happy that way, or put hoof boots on. As SE says, the hoof is going to be compromised with so many re-fits, and is probably going to need to have a break from nails.

I can sympathise - Dizzy went through a stage of pulling shoes off in the mud and when scatting out on hacks. We went through an expensive few weeks
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The farrier reckons she's pulling them off on the fence, but I have checked the entire field and not found any shoes near the fence, or any damage to the fence from her getting her shoe caught and pulling, etc. I have been considering her going bare behind but want to wait until the show season is over as knowing her her feet will crack... She has good hoof growth at the moment so I am hoping her feet will be ok... she's pulled the shoes off cleanly each time and there are no cracks. Bleeding horses!
 
I wouldn't necessarily go barefoot yet. To my mind the REASON your ned keeps losing a shoe on that foot alone needs to be explored. There will be something behind it but you'll need to be a Sherlock Holmes: it may or may not be directly related to the foot if you see what I mean. Maybe she has a foot problem deep in the hoof capsule, maybe she has started to stand in a particular place/way that puts additional load/pull on that foot, maybe she's HAD a problem in the foot that is only now showing in the quality of the hoof horn. See what I mean? I think you need to get to the bottom of it before you make any drastic changes that may make the situation worse, not better.
 
Is it the same shoe every time? My horse was always losing the same shoe. My farrier doesn't charge if the shoe comes off in the first couple of weeks (and sometimes not at all...he is lovely). I used Keratex Hoof Hardner and he hasn't lost a shoe in months.
She may have weakened her hoof wall.
 
Box_of_Frogs - she's alternating both front feet! I thought she may be overreaching, hence the overreach boots on in the field, but I don't understand how she's gone for 10 months or so with no problems from her overreaching... Argh! I'm not feeling very Sherlock Holmesey or Poiroty at the moment.
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mattilda - She's alternating her front shoes in perfect synchronicity (ooh I like that word...). She gets biotin in her feed and I'm using Kevin Bacon stuff on her feet as well.
 
Give the Keratex a try. It doesn't cost the earth and worked for mine. I know how frustrating it is when they keep losing shoes.
 
I would talk to your farrier about how she is doing it. In this dry weather mine are more likely to loose than in the wet weather as the hooves seem to dry out and crack. Is there any sheep wire any where in the field. One of mine looses shoes at the back. He is in with another horse and the play like idiots and the other boy was standing on mine's lateral extensions. So over reach boots all round.

What condition are her feet in, are the cracked or dry? Has she kept them on without problem all winter and just started to lose them in summer? If yes then it is to do with her probably rather than the farrier. Ar the shoes twisted when they come off, if yes then she is treading on them. Are her clenches coming up quickly - if yes then hoof wall quality is probably an issue.

My farrier does not charge for replacements if they come off within 2 weeks, but I always offer to pay if he has pulled them off as that is not the farriers fault.

Talk to your farrier, ask for suggestions, he probably can do something about reducing heel size on the shoes, or removing any lateral extensions on a temporary basis.

Veredus do some boots that cover the heels of the shoes so make pulling them off by overreaching an impossibility. They are expensive but much cheaper than £10 a week!

I now get my farrier to check my horse every 2 weeks, in fact when ever he is at the yard, he tightens the clenches or refits the shoes as necessary. I feed him the Naf pro for feet and rub in Nettex summer hoof daily. I also use Eucalyptus and Iodoform twice a week to ensure no fungal growth in the hooves. We seem to be getting there. No shoes off for 3 weeks, touch wood.
 
You know my thoughts on this particular farrier as I had the same issues for the three sets of shoes he did for my mare.....but I will be constructive!

It may be due to the weather being quite dry recently and the hard ground- Are her feet quite dry???? My girls feet are dry recently and that makes her clenches come up, Ive found letting her soak her feet in water (The water jump) for 10 mins a day when we dont have any rain really helps to keep the moisture.

But that Kevin Bacon stuff is good! So dont know what else to suggest! You could try getting another farriers opinion and a trial of shoeing and see what happens - because she has lost shoes so frequently Im sure your current farrier wont notice if you dont call him in the next few weeks which may give you a chance to get another farriers opinion....
 
Hehe yes S I know your thoughts!
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I wish we had a water jump I could stand her in! She's due for a full set on Weds so need to decide by then! Bleeding horses! How is the Tiggster?
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Well maybe try another shoeing and ask him again about why he thinks she is loosing so many shoes (and you think its not due to the fences!) and is there anything you can do? Or can he shoe her differently? I know some people have two clips on the front to help keep them on, so you could try that? Is he heating up the shoe when he is putting them back on???

If your farrier thinks her hoof is dry you could just get her standing in buckets of water whilst you groom her etc.....

The Tigster is very very good - did a lovely 2 foot 3 course last night at home from a trot!!!!! (I Actually had some control over her and she was happily popping them!)
 
First, I would talk to the farrier. Is he shoeing her with longer heels to support her legs for some reason? I know my farrier shoes mine with slightly longer shoes behind because she damaged a leg last year.

Is the hoof very dry and brittle? My OH's horse has good feet but if they get dry he will scatter shoes it feels like!!!

What are you feeding her? If the hoof isn't recieving adequate nutrition, the farrier doesn't have a good hoof to work with.
 
GwenLP - she has 6 nails in - three on each side.

CrazyMare - the heels on her shoes aren't long, that was one of the first things we looked at when we suspected overreaching. Her hooves are good and strong at the moment, I'm using Kevin Bacon stuff every day on her feet, and they're not cracking (yet!). She gets a handful of happy hoof with extra biotin every day, plus a vits and mins supplement and garlic. Honestly not sure what the solution is!
 
we R at the time of year when it is most likelu to loose a shoe.. it rains, feet expand, it dries out, feet retract.. clenches come loose and bam.. shoe falls off. x
 
I had this problem with D from feb to april. Wasnt anything the farrier had done wrong at all, just how it went. I've had him on biotin and a cube of red jelly since i bought him to improve the quality of hoof and since begining of may i have been putting effol on his feet every day and since then he hasnt thrown a shoe *touches wood frantically* as it helps keep his hoof supple. Hope this helps
 
I totallly agree with trying keratex, it has worked wonders for several of my horses who were prone to losing shoes.

I am lucky, if any of ours do lose a shoe, the farrier comes and puts it back on free of charge or puts a new one on if the shoe is missing.
 
i had same problem with my tb mare a few years ago - was infact at times only going a few days then throwing a shoe - but was a weekly thing at least - i changed my farrier - and ok for the 1st 6 weks i had to have him out twice - then back to normal 6 weekly intervals - ok feet at 1st were chipped etc but i must say he was great and soon had her sorted

both my lads now are barefoot - hoping the 5yr old can remain so when in work but will have to wait and see
 
i would talk to tha farrier who has improved and works with the feet.
he will know if its because he is shoeing slightly differently (eg longer heels on the shoes). also check her back feet- are those toes short enough.
i would also ask what he suggestes as you cannot afford the constant call outs to refit the shoes.
it would also be worth checking her back- if shes hurt her back and is slightly stiff she could just be moving differently and tripping/not bringing the front feet up quick enough, so the backs stand on the shoe andpull at it.
agree weather wont be helping you.
 
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