My horse keeps on throwing is shoes, what can i do to help stop it?

Question

i do eventing with him, and i got him this febuary, and the place i bought him from he was inside most of the time, and now hes out 24/7 because we havnt built our barn yet, and we are trying to board him at someplace but im not sure if we can get him in.
he has 2 front shoes and they are aluminum with quarter clips
i do eventing with him, mostly like prelim and training level.
but what are some different types of horse shoes that could stay on better?

o and hes an appendix if that helps.

Answer 1

It means that his hoof angles are off an his hind feet and he is not turning over fast enough on the hind and clipping his front shoes. What I mean by that is that he has low back heels and too much toe. Without enough heel, it takes longer for his hind feet to fully touch the ground (it is really hard on the tendons and stifle as well). Same with the front feet. He probably has to much toe and not enough heel so he is not picking up his forelegs as quickly as he should (also hard on the tendons). Take a close look at your horse when he is standing square. Are his hind feet too far under him? Are his front pasterns at too sharp an angle? Ask your blacksmith to only trim his toes and let the heel grow out. You may have to stand over him and watch him. A lot of blacksmiths are too ingrained with one way of trimming feet. The problem should correct itself over a couple of resets, but getting the hoof to grow back in the right shape takes longer. Using more nails will only mean that more of his hoof will be torn off.
Here are some good sites for you to scan through
http://members.cox.net/shotgun.ranch/pag...
http://www.hoofnexus.com/hoofmodel.htm...
http://www.healthyhoof.com/case_studies/...

Answer 2

Speak to your farrier. Aluminium shoes are not very strong and do tend to wear very quickly and come off easily. Perhaps steels would be better.
If he is not shod behind, as you suggest, then consider hind shoes, as he may be overreaching and pulling off his front shoes that way.
Also being out, after he's been in for along time he's now got more time to run around. Try putting him in a smaller ring - even if it's only for the night, so he cant run around so much. Make sure that the area he's in is dry and not boggy or wet, so he will be less likely to pull his shoes off.
You may find that his hooves are brittle and dry after standing in, a hoof supplement, would encourage hoof growth, and strengthen the walls so that nails stay in longer.

But mostly, discuss the problem with your farrier and consider steels.

Answer 3

There are several possibilities here- aren't there always with horses? lol. 1st, like someone else said, check the saddle. Make sure it's the right width for his back. (You can also try adding an extra saddle pad, or gel pad, to reduce concussion to the back) 2nd, watch your riding position while on trails- are you leaning back too far? A lot of TB's (including mine!) have a soft spot behind the cantle that when hit, causes pain and- you guessed it- bucking. With any new horse, working on relationship building is VERY important. Is your boy off the track, by any chance? If so, they tend to geld racehorses a little late, letting a bit more testosterone in the system. Meaning, we get geldings who think they have more junk in there than they actually do, lol. Check out some Monty Roberts info to help establish YOU as the head of "his herd"- this has worked wonders for my boy. He used to stop at the edge of the barn, too- and at the opening of the arena, and anywhere else he wanted. Now, if he tries- I give him one look, and he follows without questioning. Give him a rider he can trust wholeheartedly- that will get him safely out of any jam. Often, with "kid proof" horses, there's a trusted handler somewhere nearby and this gives even a would-be nervous nelly horse a bit more confidence, because Mom or Dad is right there, holding their hoof, so to speak.

Answer 4

I use aluminum shoes on the front and steel on the back. This is because of the recommendations of my vet and farrier for my type of showing. The aluminum shoes are lighter than steel, but depending on the terrain you work in, may not offer the strength your horse needs. Use bell boots when at all possible. This will help prevent your horse from any over reach problem he may encounter. One other solution may be to use something like an "easy boot" while he is turned out.

The problem with shoes constantly coming off is that every time you have them put back on, it weakens the hoof wall as they have to find a new solid piece of the hoof to nail it back to. You may need to go "barefoot" for a while to let the hoof wall grow back solid, then start over.

Talk it over with your farrier and vet and see what solutions they may have to offer.

Answer 5

i have 3 horses on my property and all have shoes. (steel) none have ever lost a shoe unless they where left on to long.(one of the horses i board) the only reason for a horse to throw a shoe is either bad feet or a bad job by the farrier. make sure your horses feet are in good shape and the shoes are put on properly.

Answer 6

quick fixes:

bell boots : 10-30 bucks. these protect the front hooves from being hit by the rear hooves when landing a jump or over reaching...

steel shoes.

long term fix:

if this horse has naturally weak hooves, you should give him biotin. this will strengthen them and also make them grow faster, so make sure you keep up to date on your farrier visits. talk to him about going barefoot.

you should find a more4 permanent way to keep him IE either in a barn or in a pasture or what have you. this will lessen the stress on his hooves. his body may be trying to adjust and just cant physically adjust quick enough.

Answer 7

You might want to consider letting him go barefoot for a while. If he's out 24/7, he's in an ideal position to make the transition to barefooted-ness.

You might want to try a biotin supplement that will help his hoofs grow a little stronger, but you won't see the effects over night.

Answer 8

My horse is off all the time too, and ALWAYS pulled his shoes off!!! after talking to my farrier, we came to a desision, and he went barefoot with only easyboots on with the things that keeps them on!

Hope that helps!

Answer 9

Kismet is right. Steel shoes will tend to stay on a lot better.

You could also try bell boots, but be sure to take them off and wash the leg and the boots often to avoid rubs.

Answer 10

It may be the quality of his feet rather than the shoe in question. Have your farrier tell you what he/she thinks. Supplementing his diet with Horseshoers Secret or some other hoof supplement may help long term.