# Grrrr- why does my horse keep losing shoes!!



## tusc2 (18 February 2011)

New horse arrived on Sunday  Promptly pulled front shoe off in field on Monday   Farrier came out on Wednesday morning and fitted new fronts, came in from field that afternoon with only one front shoe on   He is shod behind and these have stayed on so far.  He is only a baby (5 in May) and is unbalanced so I can understand why he might pull a shoe.  a farrier once told me that shoes can be sucked off in the thick mud...does anyone think this is true???

I have been thinking that I might try him barefoot until he can balance himself better as I really can't afford to have new shoes every day!!!!


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## Kayfm (18 February 2011)

My warmblood always pulls his off, infact he pulled a front off yesterday.  Sometimes can be a real costly nightmare but we get though it.  I have a good blacksmith who comes out immediately for me.  I do keep over reach boots on him 24/7 which does help, however the mud does not !!!!


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## Dogstar (18 February 2011)

I have a mare with funny action who pulls shoes off a lot; as with Kayfm's, she lives in overreach boots 24/7 and that helps greatly. The mud is also very sticky at the moment. I suspect things will improve as he matures and he certainly may not need shoes at all- all of mine manage without hinds including for hunting- try without, it saves a lot of money!


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## galaxy (18 February 2011)

mud does not "suck shoes off".  The mud holds your horses leg down longer than it should and he will be standing on his front leg with his hind foot and pull the front shoe off.  That's why over reach boots might help.

Speak to your farrier.  Your horse also might have weak feet and a supplement such as Biotin may help.


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## maggiesmum (18 February 2011)

I always think that if they're pulling them off consistently they're trying to tell you something, try him without them and see what happens? You can always put them back at a later date.


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## oscarwild (18 February 2011)

My horse has just removed a shoe today too.  She wears over reach boots 24/7 which helps but I do think the mud had a part to play in this one.
Wont know until I got horse shoe searching tomorrow to find out which part of the field its in but I have my suspicions. haha.


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## soloequestrian (18 February 2011)

Go for barefoot - much better for many reasons other than the money!


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## tusc2 (19 February 2011)

I think I will try going barefoot for a while, my only concern is he paws the ground when he is tied up, he also does this at the field gate when he wants to come in and in his stable when its feed or turn out time! I'm worried that he will wear down the hoof wall which might lead to other problems.eg.lameness.

He is gradually pawing less as he is getting used to the new regime, but in the meantime it could be a problem.


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## niagaraduval (19 February 2011)

My horse was exactly the same and only looses a shoe when he needs new ones now. He used to loose them every couple of days, it drove my crazy!

My solution : Barefoot for 2 months whilst on biotin supplement.

Never had any problems since. Good Luck - It's costly and very annoying!


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## maggiesmum (19 February 2011)

He's unlikely to paw it away to nothing, he will grow what he wears and wear what he grows, he's also unlikely to wear it to the point of lameness, if it gets to the point where it starts to feel sore then chances are he's not going to want to scrape at the ground with it.


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## nixxyz (2 March 2011)

i had this problem, but was told when i changed farrier (got sick of loosing shoes and then taking weeks to be put back on) that it was because my horses feet were too soft, so had to ride barefoot and use keretex ( cant remember which one) worked a treat. not had a prob yet


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## K27 (3 March 2011)

My horse went through a spell of this last summer and kept getting cracks on his feet as well - it's so annoying isn't it!

Mud most definitely can take shoes off!

Also I had figured that the shoes my horse was wearing were too heavy for him- since he has switched to an almost aluminium like shoe, and he now has a different farrier- hey presto much stronger looking feet with no cracks that don't lose shoes.  

Quarter clips can help if it's the front feet, as can a pair of over reach boots.  Also a farrier once told me to make sure that the foot is not over filed when they are finished off, as otherwise too much off the foots protective membrane is taken off which lets water in and then the foot shrinks and expands which can also result in lost shoes.


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## MagicMelon (6 March 2011)

tusc2 said:



			I have been thinking that I might try him barefoot until he can balance himself better as I really can't afford to have new shoes every day!!!!
		
Click to expand...

Does he even need shoes at all anyway?  I keep mine barefoot all winter while its indoor events and only shoe because I have to for studs once the outdoor season starts.  Would def keep barefoot otherwise - so much cheaper!


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## Luci07 (6 March 2011)

Just go with using over reach boots for the short term and see how you get on. I switched my horse onto natural balance and then had to turn/work him always in over reach but the shoes stay put. Supplement may help but prob worth talking to your farrier first - I had a TB who lost his shoes frequently so was stuck on a course of farriers formula - but my farrier got it for me a lot cheaper than at the local shop.


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## Doncella (6 March 2011)

Seriously have his mouth and back checked.
My big moving homebred 7/8tb started pulling his front shoes off.  He didn't feel right under saddle or in his mouth so I stopped riding him.  Dentist found a bone spur just in front of the premolars which had caused a cranial twist behind his right ear and a corresponding twist behind the left wither, result six months off in the field.  He is now barefoot, in a Hackamore until the b££$$%%y thing is removed, saddle has been reflocked and he is now jumping like a stag, fab.


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## millitiger (7 March 2011)

if the barefoot doesn't work for him for whatever reason try these;
http://www.shoesecure.com/

have a few friends who have used them with great success.


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## Magnetic Sparrow (7 March 2011)

One of mine used to pull a front shoe off on pretty much a weekly basis despite his hooves being perfectly ok and my farrier trying various solutions. I got a McTimoney (sp?) chiropractor out and after one treatment he stopped losing shoes completely. It took about five years before he lost another shoe, and he has only managed to pull a shoe off three times in the last eleven years.

I must admit I was pretty surprised at the success, and it might not work for you, but it might just be a potential solution.


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## jroz (8 March 2011)

Yes, depending on the depth and stickiness of the mud it can suck shoes off. I have seen it happen! This would happen to a horse I used to lease. When we'd be out trail riding, we would have to avoid certain parts of the woods that would get real messy if there was a lot of rain.


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## Angelbones (9 March 2011)

Its a tough time of year for shoes - the ground is drying out quickly on top at the moment and if you are on clay it is still really deep underneath. You've only had the horse a short time - what soil was he on before and how recently had he been shod? My horse used to lose shoes weekly - he came from chalk to clay and really paid the price. Finally we had his hind shoes put on with 3 clips and they've stayed put since. He has overreach boots on all four for turnout and that also helps. He also had thin hoof walls - strong but thin and supplements really haven't help him at all. The best one was Formula 4 Feet.


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## missponymad (10 March 2011)

what type of fencing do you have because if you have fece with square holes in it (if you know what i mean  :/ ) because we had a horse that used to put his whole foot through the square bit and lean back and he used to pull his shoe right off  (very costly) in the end we had to get all new fencing because he had ruined it all (even more costly)


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