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Discussion on Missing Rear Shoe--To Work or Not to Work
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Member:
Canter
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 15, 2005 - 7:55 pm:
Hi All,
I've been told that if a horse loses a shoe in the front, it's not OK to work the horse, but if the horse loses one in the back, it is OK to work (by work I mean lower level dressage)until the shoe is replaced. I'm wondering about the validity of this. Also, if the horse had a previous serious hock injury, but is now sound, does that change the equation?
I'm wondering because now that we're in a deep freeze, and the ground is rock solid, my mare is losing shoes left and right. Fortunately, my farrier is wonderful and usually comes out within a day to replace the shoe (at no charge), but I didn't know that she lost a shoe yesterday until late at night and I hate to call the farrier out on a weekend unless it is an emergency. I also hate not being able to ride, but will not risk damaging my horse.
What's everybody think?
Thanks,
Fran
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Member:
Alden
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 15, 2005 - 8:24 pm:
Fran,
Having a good Farrier and an old injury I probably wait.
If the Farrier couldn't make it for a couple weeks then I'd knock the other hind shoe off and ride; but that's just me.
Good day,
Alden
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Member:
Canter
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Posted on Monday, Jan 17, 2005 - 8:25 am:
Thanks Alden,
You confirmed what my gut was telling me. Although I have ridden the horse with a missing rear shoe in the past, it was before this summer's injury.
Since I have absolutley no clue as to how to remove another shoe, darn good thing I have a good farrier!
Fran
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Jan 17, 2005 - 4:12 pm:
While it is true that the front takes much more concussion than the back (appx 50% more) it is not true that all horses need to stopped if it is the front or all horses are OK if it is back. Much depends on the ground, how good your horses feet are, and how long since the last shoeing. Feet trimmed for shoes are trimmed much shorter than for barefoot so loosing a recently put on shoe is different than a 7 weeks old shoeing job. If you decide it is OK and the ground not too hard, give it a try but start slow and watch for heat and/or soreness the next day.
DrO
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Member:
Canter
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 19, 2005 - 8:17 am:
Thanks, DrO.
Fran
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Member:
Paul303
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 19, 2005 - 9:31 pm:
Gee, Fran, why does she lose shoes left and right? I live in the northeast, and over the thirty some odd years I've owned horses, we've been through the gamut of extreme weather, all kinds of corrective shoeing, and horrid ground conditions ( like "spring muck suck" season ). I've had 4 different farriers in all those years, all wonderful, and I could honestly count the number of shoes my horses ( shod all around ) have ever lost.
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Member:
Canter
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 20, 2005 - 8:25 am:
Hi Elizabeth,
She has fairly poor quality hooves, despite quality feed and a biotin supplement. This summer, after stall rest for 4 months, her feet were beautiful--all the chips and cracks had grown out--and she was holding her shoes beautifully through a very mucky fall--pasture mud was mid-shin deep on me and we didn't lose one single shoe. But we went from warm rainy days, to frigid days, back to warm, back to cold and it turned the gate area of her pasture to a mess. There are frozen solid ridges and "hills" that are inches deep / high. I've been hoping for more snow, but we don't seem to get more than a couple of inches before it melts down again. Unfortunately, this area is also where the water bucket is (can't be moved--it's electric) and where they throw the hay for the horses. So the mares just hang around in that area, despite their obvious discomfort. These horrid conditions are chipping her feet again and making it difficult for all the horses to maneuver through it (but my horse is the only one that wears shoes). She lost the same rear shoe twice in 8 days. I have 100% faith in my farrier and am confident that he's doing a good job--we just have tough conditions right now
Also, my mare is low girl on the totem pole (funny because she outweighs the other mares by at least 400 lbs), so my theory is that when there's a bit of a scuffle over the hay, she can't afford the luxery of carefully picking her way through the frozen mess and knocks off her shoe as she tries to escape getting someone's teeth or hooves.
There is a riding arena that's next to the mare's pasture that I'm thinking of turning her out into. But there is no water source. With the frigid weather we've been having, I'm afraid any buckets I haul out will be frozen within hours, so I'm busily scanning the catalogs to see what options I have.
Ugh! It's always something...
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Member:
Paul303
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 30, 2005 - 11:26 pm:
Fran, maybe she needs some clips on her shoes. My QH mare has been navicular for 20 yrs., with brittle shelly hoof walls and weak growth. She's had corrective shoeing with degree pads since '86. Back then the supplement market was nowhere near today's, and the choice and quality in hay was not that great. In the last 7 yrs, she's come a long way since we have our own place and she's out of the mountains, rocks, and muck. We're on soft, rockless, flat sand now.
But the major change, is my ability to care for her feet daily, keep them protected with hoof dressing ( combating the wet/dry cycle ), treating sloppy wet areas - I'm still impressed with stuff called Dry Stall I put down last fall. I put it around the water tub and in front of the run in shed. Both were a soupy mess. It's held all fall. We'll see how it holds in spring after the snow melts. If you board, perhaps you could get permission to put some down. Maybe other boarders would be interested in getting their horses out of the mud too.
I still think she's losing too many shoes. Keep the hoof dressing on and good luck...I know how hard it is.
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Member:
Canter
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Posted on Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - 8:15 am:
Hi Elizabeth,
Since my last post, we received nearly a foot of snow and that helped a lot--No lost shoes in nearly two weeks (knock on wood!). She does have clips on the shoes and I believe it does make a difference. Now we're faced with warmer (low 30s) weather for the next week, so I hope those frozen ridges will soften up and flatten out a bit without it getting so warm that it turns back into a swamp.
I had mentioned that Dry Stall product to the barn owner and will probably push the issue come spring when we will face an extended period of muck.
What hoof dressing are you using?
Thanks,
Fran
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