What You Need To Know As An Owner

About Shoeing

By

 Dr.  Giles Holtom,

 PhD.  F.W.C.F.

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These notes are not a technical reference on shoeing, they are to give you a general idea of what to look for in a well shod horse, and the basics of how this is done, so that you can see what you are getting for your money that you are paying to the farrier to get it done. Do not think after reading these notes or ANY other article or book that you are now qualified to tell the farrier how to do the job. As an owner/rider you would be expected to discuss with your farrier how the horse moves and performs, also any problems that you or the horse has as when you do ride it. Then the farrier should explain to you what if anything he can do about it and how he will do so. If after all this you think you know more about it than your farrier then you should either change your farrier or, get qualified and do your own shoeing! After all you would not expect to tell your doctor or vet how to treat you or your animal, only what the symptoms are. Do not expect anything less of your farrier. If you do then I think you have the wrong man and, If I were the farrier I would think I had the wrong customer! If you do actually know more than your farrier, then you ought to change to a more competent one immediately.

There is an old saying that is in any and most articles about shoeing, and that is "No Foot No Horse" And with this I whole heartedly agree. Nothing you can say about a horse can be more true. You can buy the best of every thing for your competition horse, but without a farrier all of it is a waste of time and money, and without a GOOD farrier it applies even more so. Do no take these notes as gospel on shoeing they are just my opinion distilled over many years of shoeing. No-one is right all the time but, I feel I am more likely to be right than a layman. If you want to know more then read on.

Why Shoe!

The reason horses are shod is to protect the feet from wear on surfaces such as roads or very hard stony ground. Shoes also help to stop the hoof wall breaking when it strikes the ground when carrying the extra weight of a rider, especially when competing. I am often asked why north American Indians did not need to shoe their horses. The answer is, of course, that they did not have roads and they had plenty of horses, so if a horse became lame being over used or worked on hard going, they just changed horses.

Modern competition horses are more likely to have been bred specifically for the sport they are used for, than as a general purpose horses they were in the old days. This would not be a problem in itself, if it were not for the fact that breeders do not give enough importance to the type and quality of the feet required for the sport they are intended for. Shoeing such horses in an appropriate way is more important now than it has ever been, if a horse is going to be worked hard or perform at its best without going lame or footy. These days, rather like football, the season is getting longer and longer. because of this the strain on horses limbs increases with so little rest between seasons or even competitions. Because each discipline makes a different demand on the foot, it is obvious that the horse should be shod differently for each.

Do You Need To Shoe

A great many horses do not need to be shod at all as they are not used a lot, or if they are used, they are not ridden on the road or other hard abrasive surface. There are other horse that need to be shod even when they are not used at all, as their feet are so bad that shoes are used to stop the feet falling apart. Ponies in general have better feet than horses by far, and many more of them could get away with going bare foot as they say in the States. I think a lot of ponies and horses are shod to prove that you do use them and can afford to have them shod!

How Often Should You Shoe

A lot of horse owners thing their duties start and finish with paying the farrier. This is obviously not so. First of all you (the owner) must decide when the horse needs shoeing. Most books tell you this is every 4 weeks. When you first get a horse it is a good idea to set this as a target until you get to know how the horse wears its shoes and how quickly, also you will need to observe how quickly its feet grow. If after 4 weeks the feet have not grown (which is often the case in winter) and the shoe has not worn out then there is no point in refitting the shoes as all you are doing is making another set of holes, weakening the hoof, making it more likely for the shoe to come off. On the other hand, if the foot grows very quickly then the shoe will have to come off and the foot trimmed back before it grows over the sides of the shoe. In this case if the shoe is not badly worn then it can be re-fitted.

By having the horse shod at the correct time the owner can save a great deal of money over the course of a year, and also avoid losing the use of the horse because it has a shoe off. Never leave the shoes on too long. Firstly because it is bad for the feet and the legs, and you lose the use of the horse temporarily or even permanently through the resulting lameness caused by your negligence. Secondly the shoe could partially detach from the foot cutting into the opposite leg, or the shoe falling off and the horse treading on the exposed nails, again laming itself, perhaps permanently. Lastly the shoes could become worn smooth and slippery, and this combined with a slippery road could lead to the horse falling down injuring both itself and perhaps you.