[LowcountryEquestrian]

I’ll be talking to the farrier too but also wanted to get the community’s opinion!

TL;DR Horse lost four shoes in as many weeks. What can I do to help prevent this?

I've had my horse now two weeks and he’s already lost a couple of shoes. He also lost a shoe at the end of my trial ride with him and a couple of days before his PPE.

He’s in bell boots 24/7 and has fly boots on. What else can I do to help prevent this? Previous owner said she had the same issue when she first got him so she put him in glue on shoes for a couple of cycles. She then switched him back to regular shoes and he stopped losing them. If his current farrier thinks this is the best option, I’ll do it but I’d like to hear other thoughts too. (Unfortunately barefoot is not an option right now with the way his hooves are).

 

[Zimalia22]

"With the way his hooves are"

What do you mean?

 

[Acadianartist]

Yeah, I'd question why you need shoes first off. Not that I have a problem with shoes, but it would make your life much easier for him to just go barefoot.

 

[LooneyTickAcres]

Could you post some pictures of his hooves? Do his hooves appear healthy? It’s difficult for any of us to give much advice without pictures and a little more information.

I’m also not against shoes, but barefoot is always an option, especially with so many hoof boot options available. This horse may need to be barefoot awhile to grow in a new healthier hoof.

If you are insistent on shoes of some kind, look into some of the composite types… there are glue on and nail on varieties.

Has this horse always had the same farrier? If so, maybe that’s the problem.

 

[LowcountryEquestrian]

He has thin soles and his two front hooves are shaped differently. Both his old farrier and his new farrier think he needs to wear front shoes for now. I would definitely prefer him to be barefoot but gotta do what’s best for him.
Has anyone tried any hoof supplements that allowed them to transition to barefoot?

 

[LooneyTickAcres]

Barefoot builds healthy feet…. if you want to build sole, it happens much quicker with properly trimmed bare feet moving on solid ground. Shoes can perpetuate thin soles. Also, if your horse has uneven feet as you say, barefoot can help keep him better balanced since you can rasp and or trim more frequently. You can keep your horse barefoot and use hoof boots while riding or at least during the transition period if he’s sore. The key is finding a qualified hoof care practitioner.

Again, if you can get us some pics, we could all offer some more detailed suggestions and information.

 

[horselovinguy]

Was the horse able to hold shoes with the previous farrier or was he also losing them and as frequently?
The style of shoe being used, the fit the farrier is making, the nailing on and clinches being applied all come into consideration and reason of why the horse is losing shoes.
Since he has lost shoes several times is it always the same shoe lost or is he shod all 4 has he lost all of the shoes or specifically which ones?
Does he forge? Is he twisting the shoe when it comes off? Has he broken his hoof wall as the shoe comes off?
Does the horse have clips on his shoes? How many and where did the farrier place the clips?
Does the farrier "hot shoe" the shoe to hoof?
A picture of his hoof both shod and when lost a shoe could tell a tale of what might be happening.

Supplements can help if the hoof structure is weak and brittle... but they take time to allow growth of the hoof, nearly a year for new healthier hoof material to be grown down enough your farrier will be able to utilize when nailing.

It sounds like you have several issues possibly contributing to lost shoes...
Video of the horse moving cause shoes should not just fall off of a horse standing still doing nothing...
Picture of the horse standing on a solid, level hard surface so angles can be seen the horse is trimmed to, length of hoof, what the shoe being used looks like and what the hoof base seen so how the farrier fit the shoe can be seen...
This can be so many things as others have said...

It can also be the farrier needs gone and a new one found...and sometimes you can need to try several farriers before a good one and good match for the horse is found.
Not every farrier can shoe every horse and make it move well, keep its shoes on....and barefoot is not a choice for every animal.
And not every person should hold a rasp and just randomly rake it across a hoof if not truly knowing what and why they are doing something.. not even as a touch-up, no. jmo.
Some horses need to be in shoes for very real reasons...barefoot doesn't cut it for all horses.
I might consider hoof boots to protect the hoof if the hoof self-destructs so the horse can move about more freely...

Some pictures, video and more information shared please.
🐴....

 

[05_ag_girl]

could he maybe go without shoes and you could buy hoof boots to put on when you are doing work?
Just a thought.

 

[farmpony84]

Is he wearing aluminum shoes? If he is, I would suggest switching to steel. Is he in pads? If he is - is it possible to change the type of shoe so you don't need the pads? (wedge/bar/etc)

Is he losing the same shoe each time or is it random shoes?

I have one that constantly lost his shoes, we switched from aluminum to steel and dropped the pads so they lasted longer but he still constantly lost the left front. My farrier looked hard at the shoe and could see a point where he was knocking the shoe so he grinned that part down on the side and rounded it - the problem was solved....

 

[RoadRider / Rios Dad]

I ran a part time farrier business for about 25 years
I got started in shoeing when I could not keep shoes on my 7 horse endurance team
On a typical ride we would loose 3 or 4 shoes and that is not acceptable
Some of the big name farriers were guilty of this
I was strong, use to working in 1000's of a inch so my wife bought me the text book and I started shoing
34,000 logged miles on my own horse and lost 1 one shoe in all that time
My team lost nothing
I have seen farriers at the barn that can't keep a shoe on a horse for a 8 week cycle
Mennonites do not seem to loose shoes so I shoe like the amish
Rio personally has never lost a single shoe in 14 years
Loosing shoes is about a farrier that doesn't know how to put one ons
I do shoe by the numbers, 54 front, 56 back

 

[bobrameters]

He has thin soles and his two front hooves are shaped differently. Both his old farrier and his new farrier think he needs to wear front shoes for now. I would definitely prefer him to be barefoot but gotta do what’s best for him.
Has anyone tried any hoof supplements that allowed them to transition to barefoot?

I've had good luck with Durvet "Biotin Daily", and it's affordable compared with a lot of biotin supplements I've seen. I also use Hooflex or Rain Maker to condition the outside of the hoof. I'll bet that by the time the brittle part of the hoof grows off, you'll be able to let him go barefoot, which (my vet told me) really toughens up their soles.
\

 

[stevenson]

Get his feet xrayed. He may have internal issues with his feet being different sizes. Coffin bone issues, P3 rotation, laminitis or past founder issues.
I use remission for my horse with thin soles. It is made to help the laminitic horse. it has helped him grow soles. Also Equinity helped him.
You horse could be club footed on one foot and not the other. But he needs to make good hoof for the shoe to stay on. DO they roll his toes ?

 

[beau159]

Loosing shoes is about a farrier that doesn't know how to put one ons

Could be. A bad farrier certain can cause for shoes to go flying. But NOT always.

I use the very best farrier in my region. Quite a few years ago, I had an issue with my horse Red. He was constantly catching or pulling a shoe, on a nearly weekly basis. I had specialty shoes on front for his navicular, and had rim shoes on the back for traction for barrel racing. Found out later that he had soreness issues in his stifles and his hocks. He would "scramble" out in the pasture when those things would bother him, cause him to misstep, and then catch a shoe. When those issues were corrected and he was feeling better, the shoe pulling stopped.

So there can be a lameness issue or pain issue that could cause issues with shoes staying on. And might have nothing to do with the farrier at all.

@LowcountryEquestrian can you post good pictures of your horse's feet so we can access the farrier/shoe job?
If you have not done so already, I would also echo the suggestion to xray the feet. It's good to know what is going on inside, actually measure for thin soles, etc etc.

 

[farmpony84]

Loosing shoes is about a farrier that doesn't know how to put one ons

That really isn't a true statement, nor is it a fair one. There are many reasons why a horse could lose a shoe, hoof health being just one example. You also have the turn-out conditions the horse is dealing with as well as how the horse moves and so many other factors to consider.

 

[My Salty Pony]

This thread is 5 months old so I kinda dont think they are worried about the shoes anymore, lol, I dont know why this older thread was bumped up..

 

[ShirtHotTeez]

@My Salty Pony These posts pop up on our feed and some of us are guilty of not checking the date before we reply.

Having just read this from the start I feel like the book has lost the last pages. What happened about the horses feet? There were no pics added.

Just yesterday I was reading a topic when I (fortunately) realized the article was from 2020!!

 

[RoadRider / Rios Dad]

That really isn't a true statement, nor is it a fair one.

I have been shoeing for about 35 years and at one time did 25 horses on a regular cycle
One quarter horse that I did for years moved away
I never lost a single shoe on that horse in years and yet with her new farrier she never made cycle without
loosing a shoe
Got the horse back after a few years and started shoeing him again. Never lost a shoe again
I watch some of the farriers at the barn, we have 40 horses and some farriers loose shoes all the time
I only shoe a few now, don't want others but every now and then I take pity on someone and agree to do their horses,

I like how the amish shoe
Also shod my endurance team, 6 horses and all our shoe losses were a think of the past
It has a lot to do with how a shoe if fit
I use 6 nails , no clips per shoe and even with aggressive studding I don't loose shoes
Aluminum shoes are harder to keep on and last me about 2 weeks max

 

[jaydee]

Old thread now closed