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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
 
| So, I have a very long legged 5 year old who is always pulling his front shoes. I have tried 3 different farriers who all say the same thing that he overreaches and catches the shoe. Now, I have had bells on him for long term and they do not seem to help the situation. Going without shoes it not an option as he is thin soled and we tried that and he got abscesses in every foot over the summer. He mostly pulls it when he is out terrorizing the pasture.
Any suggestions?
I have heard to wrap the heels and edge of shoes with vet wrap but my concern is not being able to breathe. I have thought of maybe some BOA boots or something similar but he will probably eat those.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 915
Location: SE KS | If all 3 farriers say the same thing, what was their suggestions to help with this issue?
Other than their recommendations, I have no idea!!! 
I hope you get some good ideas on your post here!! |
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I Am a Snake Killer
Posts: 1927
Location: Golden Gulf Coast of Texas | Can you tell if he is pulling them off from the outside of the front heel or the inside? I had a gelding with sore stifles that would pull the front shoes off a lot and it was because he was compensating and pulling them off at the inside of his front heel. Soon as we fixed stifle issue he never pulled them off again. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
| One had suggested clips which hasnt made much difference but the general idea that I got from all of them was.. you will just have deal with it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| Had same problem!!!! My track baby did the same thing. Only real way to fix it is to grow more foot. Its taken me almost 2 years but My horse has hoof wall and sole now! LOL I FEEL YOUR PAIN. Pick a good supplement and stick with it. I used farriers formula. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
| he is catching them square on the back because he has pads on and you can see the mark on them |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
| FLITASTIC - 2016-05-13 9:49 AM
Had same problem!!!! My track baby did the same thing. Only real way to fix it is to grow more foot. Its taken me almost 2 years but My horse has hoof wall and sole now! LOL I FEEL YOUR PAIN. Pick a good supplement and stick with it. I used farriers formula.
OMG! He is a track baby who had TENNIE TINY feet for his size so we have gotten his foot bigger finally and I honestly think he has no clue how to use them! and I have had him on Farriers Formula and it is wonderful. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Did they set hind shoes back and square the toe? it can help with faster breakover and might help , unfortunately with big strides it happens.. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 596
Location: Somewhere in the middle of nowhere | Bibliafarm - 2016-05-13 9:10 AM
Did they set hind shoes back and square the toe? it can help with faster breakover and might help , unfortunately with big strides it happens..
This! ^^^ |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Bibliafarm - 2016-05-13 10:10 AM
Did they set hind shoes back and square the toe? it can help with faster breakover and might help , unfortunately with big strides it happens..
I think you need to qualify that... Square the front toes to get them out of the way quicker.... Leave the back toes a bit longer to delay the breakover and slow them down. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 152
Location: wherever my gypsy soul lands | Maybe have your vet take x-rays of the foot(DP and Lateral) to see where he is internal angle wise. He might need his breakover tweaked. And maybe a square toe on the back. My gelding pulled at least 2-3 shoes in a 6 week period for over a year until we changed his feet. and he LIVES in bell boots.
Edited by JFlynn 2016-05-14 10:47 AM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| If the horse is pulling shoes, he isn't balanced.
I would take the horse to a lameness vet, flexion texts, blocks, X-rays to ensure the horse isn't sore.
I wonder why the horse needs pads, what ailment is being covered up.
At the last resort, a farrier can stick trailers on the back shoe, this will cause the horse to travel outside the front feet. Long term effects, pelvic, stifle, and hock issues. |
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Get a better farrier that will balance the whole horse. If you can't find one put a heavier shoe on the back and square off the toe. |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | some horses overreach... its not that they are always unbalanced.. they have large strides ..its a good thing with warmbloods.lol its not a huge ordeal.. just more proactive..
Edited by Bibliafarm 2016-05-15 3:37 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| I have a horse that was pulling off shoes almost every time I ran because he over-reaches. He grows really good feet but his biggest problem was that he was more of a half size so the shoe that fit his foot better stuck out the back so my farrier has to take a grinder and grind a little bit of the shoe off at the very back and makes it rounder. He also sets the shoe back just a little (on the back feet) so that it is less likely to happen. So far, so good. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
Location: Roping pen | Been shoeing horses for 30 years. If it was my horse, I would roll the front toes a little to increase break over, use a "lite" shoe on the front (they are typically thinner shoes), make sure the correct nail size is used (depending on shoe brand and size, I use 4.5 or 5...in this case I would try a 5 as they are a little bigger and stronger), and most important, tuck the heels in but make sure it does not interfere with the bulbs on the front foot. One could even roll the bottom inside edge of the shoe on the heels a little.
Sounds to me like you have several things that need reviewed. Maybe too big of shoe on the front is being used? Are the heels rolled in under the heels? Are the clinches being left a little long (a lot of people like to see very little clinch--I disagree and leave more than most), and most important, what is the overall hoof wall soundness--brittle feet are a challenge and after they lose one shoe, you really tear it up with new nail holes.
Sometimes, on a horse prone to lose shoes, I use just 2 nails on one side, 3 on the other. It goes against common thought as most put all 4 in. Problem is, when they tear off the shoe, I still have good hoof wall to go to...when the shoe is put on, I have 2 fresh holes on one side and 1 on the other.
Had one a few years that was a real bugger. Finally, went with just a lite keg shoe that was real thin and appeared to help. Left the rims in the truck...
And finally, does he really need shoes? Some horses are better without them.
Good luck! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
| I have to respond! It sounds like you're describing my mare! the last two years she has pulled her front shoes, until a shoer started putting smaller shoes on her, but she still got abscesses as she has a weak wall and thin soles. pour in pads was reccomened.I have also struggled with many abscesses for the last two years. While pregnant last winter, I pulled her shoes, and to my surprise her hooves have held up through the winterand I have started riding her again and for the most part her hooves are still in decent shape. but they did have four months of nothing but pasture to grow out from the shoes. at this point, I don't want to put shoes back on her, as I had to deal with the constant pulled shoes and going through a lot of farriers! Are her feet perfect? NO! and it will certainly be challenging at barrel races to keeph her feet away from bad ground, but I am going to give this a try as like you, I am tired of the alternative! |
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 JMHO
Posts: 1869
Location: Oklahoma | Zipping up my flame suit. Here's my opinion. I have a 16.2H gelding that is very short backed and has very long legs. If his toes get long (normal for most horses) he will stumble, over-reach and has pulled his front end down at the lope flipping over landing on me. He's broke my Fibula and foot doing this. Now I keep his toes....all 4 feet!!! short, short, short!! I've never herd of a vet or anyone else for that matter say "your horses toes are too short". If you want to mess up hocks and stifles then be sure to leave those back toes a bit long! It just does soft tissue damage and keeps you from riding and winning. mho
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Durango CO | I completely agree that the toes are too long. Almost always the case! |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | mreklaw - 2016-05-13 9:37 AM Can you tell if he is pulling them off from the outside of the front heel or the inside? I had a gelding with sore stifles that would pull the front shoes off a lot and it was because he was compensating and pulling them off at the inside of his front heel. Soon as we fixed stifle issue he never pulled them off again.
This is what I was going to say too!
My Red used to catch/pull shoes all the time. Sometimes it was once a week. He usually never pulled them while we were riding, but just while he was turned out to pasture.
After I improved his sticky stifle on the right side, AND injected his fusing hock on the right side, he quite literally 100% stopped catching/pulling shoes.
Sometimes if they are hurting somewhere, they are more prone to "scramble" and catch a shoe.
So, any possibility he could be hurting somewhere? Something to think about anyway.
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I've got a little horse who's pulling shoes bad right now.
He's in between shoe sizes and my farrier is getting in shoes that are apparently more of an in between size...
Better work or I'm on to the next farrier... |
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Draw the Line
Posts: 1371
Location: Too Far North | I have a mare that overreaches and used to pull shoes. My farrier fixed it easily. He makes his own shoes and makes hers shorter on the heels. I think he called it a hunter heel. Basically cuts off the little overhang that she would catch them on. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
Location: Roping pen | In my opinion and experience, you should never, ever, have any exposed shoe behind the heels on the front feet. But you must cover the apex of the heel-you only have about an eighth inch either way so the correct size shoe is a must---or as mentioned, you have to cut off some heel of the shoe... |
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| Spin Doctor - 2016-05-19 10:05 AM
In my opinion and experience, you should never, ever, have any exposed shoe behind the heels on the front feet. But you must cover the apex of the heel-you only have about an eighth inch either way so the correct size shoe is a must---or as mentioned, you have to cut off some heel of the shoe...
Agree with this. The shoe should never trail off where they could catch it. A friend's father was killed when his horse went ass over tin cup because he caught the shoe when running.
Secondly, could he be catching it on something in the field? Another friend had a mare that would paw at the fence during feed time and would rip them off on the fence.
You may also want to try two pairs of rubber pull on bell boots. |
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Pulling shoes