# Riding with a lost shoe



## sherbet (27 January 2009)

My boy has come in tonight missing a front shoe. I have a lesson booked for the morning can I still ride him. Its in a sand school. I dont know if he is lame etc as I am at work and OH got him in and Im very suprised he noticed the shoe missing!!!

Also was going to hack Thurs but think thats not such a good idea, farrier due Thurs eve


----------



## connie1288 (27 January 2009)

It depends on the horse/feet, i have had dressage lessons minus both front shoes, lost them that morning out hunting, and jumped on a surface and grass having pulled a shoe in the collecting ring with a mare that was a nightmare to shoe!


----------



## riderroo (27 January 2009)

Depends on your horse, the surface and whether your horse has damaged his/her hoof when the shoe came off. 

However if the school has a good surface, the hoof is not damaged and your horse is sound on the surface then I think it is fine to have your lesson. Although I wouldn't go for your hack until your farrier has been


----------



## lynsey1808 (27 January 2009)

Definitely depends on the horse, couldn't with mine he behaves like he's had a leg chopped off when he loses a shoe!!


----------



## Evil_Cookie (27 January 2009)

Balance would worry me, having one shoe on and one shoe of, could cause unnecasary strain on the horses joints, I wouldn't do it, would prefer to postpone lesson until farrier had been.


----------



## kick_On (27 January 2009)

If it was mine, it's a 'no brainer' - defo would cancelled lesson


----------



## Laafet (27 January 2009)

Can I ask why Kick_On? Tarquin went through a stage of losing the same shoe, he's only shod in front. I still continued with his lessons and he was fine. I told my instructor and she would not have let him continue if he was not right. Each time it happened it was a clean loss, the hoof was fine. Even at work we still exercised the racehorses if they were sound without their shoe. I also removed the other one when he lost one of his shoes the day before the Newmarket Ride as I couldn't get hold of my farrier. My reasoning being that he was better with no shoes than one shoe and he was fine. Infact it was probably better that he had no shoes on as he was a right s*d on the pathways through the town and probably would have slipped over if he had shoes on. Needless to say if he was at all sore or there was evidence of damage to the hoof I would not ride him.


----------



## Kate260881 (27 January 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Balance would worry me, having one shoe on and one shoe of, could cause unnecasary strain on the horses joints, I wouldn't do it, would prefer to postpone lesson until farrier had been. 

[/ QUOTE ]

So your school is perfectly flat with no give in it at all is it?  A horse won't noticea centimeter difference in a sand school as  sand school isn't completely flat and level anyway.  I've schooled with a front shoe missing absolutely fine.  Agree about hacking though, I wouldn't take a horse on the roads with a shoe missing (I have been known to take the other front shoe off though).


----------



## kick_On (27 January 2009)

cos if mine they would go lame -senative Tbs with thin soles. And IMO IS a lesson really worth making my horse unsound, that's why to me it's 'no brainer'. 
Plus i have a super star of farrier, who will put shoes on my horses almost same day, if not next morning!! I've even gone out to field seen horse has thrown shoe, phoned farrier and had shoe back on within hour!!!


----------



## CrazyMare (27 January 2009)

My mare has lost several front shoes out hunting and I've always continued to work her on the surface. Farrier usually manages to stick it back on within days though.


----------



## niagaraduval (27 January 2009)

Ditto, Have always ridden my horse without a shoe, only in the soft sand arena though.


----------



## Inchy (27 January 2009)

i figure if mine can pull a shoe out hunting and not notice, then he should be fine in the school!


----------



## HelBel (27 January 2009)

have ridden my horse in the school with a front shoe lost before, have hacked with one missing but thats becuase he pulled it off on the hack and i didnt notice!!
xx


----------



## claire77 (27 January 2009)

cant ride mine without a front shoe as he acts like his leg has been chopped off!!!!


----------



## Natassia (27 January 2009)

My horse lost a shoe in the field on Sunday and I didn't ride on Monday and kept him in, shoe was replaced this morning. In my opinion, for what its worth (maybe 2 days out of action) its best to not work the horse, they will be unbalanced (espcially if its a front) and it will put excessive strain on their joints, not to mention if they trod on a stone and bruised their sole. So I would postpone the lesson and the hack, its only 2 days.


----------



## Fantasy_World (27 January 2009)

If my horse lost a shoe I would not choose to go out and hack until the shoe was back on but I would ride in a sand school. Albeit not in fast work though, walk and trot only in my case and only if it was absolutely necessary ie couldn't afford to miss work or a lesson was booked and I may get charged for cancelling at short notice ( don't know if this happens as I have never been in that situation before).
As for riding with a shoe missing though yes I have done that. In December I did a 20 mile pleasure ride and my horse lost a shoe at some point on the ride. Was unable to get transport home and too far away from the yard to lead back so we rode. I did dismount and check all his feet and legs though at that point and he was fine in all ways as the shoe had come off cleanly. Horse was fine as he has been ridden barefoot in the past with me anyway. Only reason we don't stick with bare is because he has a tendency to knock his feet up and doesn't like stony tracks and all the bridlepaths where we are consist of them. We made it home in one piece though and we just walked and trotted back on a mixture of terrains. Horse returned sound, no pain, or heat anywhere. We cold hosed both horses legs off anyway post ride to ease any aches or to prevent any problems from occurring after what was a long ride for both of them. Had no problem at all, both horses sound the next day and after that and the cob was even barefoot.
I would say to the OP I think only you know your own horse really and what they are capable of handling. If you think they will be fine then go for it but go steady if possible. If you have any doubts whatsoever then don't do it and cancel the lesson.


----------



## Laafet (28 January 2009)

Fair enough, I'm lucky mine are quite hardy, my TB x Welsh D acts like cripple on the road if he loses a front shoe, despite only being shod in front, the older one couldn't care less.


----------

