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Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on August 29, 2010 at 9:55am

Hi, Kath:

I don't personally have any experience with glue-on shoes, but my farrier does, as do several other farriers whom I know reasonably well. None of them have much good to say about glue-on shoes, and my farrier says they come with all the problems regular shoes present, including pulling off chunks off hoof if they're pulled in the pasture or during work. Most of the farriers I know won't even consider them these days. They'd rather go to a boot as a short term solution (try something like the Cavallo Simple boot, or the Delta boot).

Our horses are on a 5 week shoeing/trimming rotation throughout the year, regardless of show season (we book our dates in February, around the show dates), which for us runs from March through the middle of October. We have more than enough hoof growth to ensure that there's only one set of nail holes growing out besides the set the nail are in, so we don't keep accumulating holes. I was taught by a master farrier years ago to fill the holes with "plastic wood" when the farrier had finished dressing the feet, which stops water and debris from getting into the holes. I do that even on the horses whose shoes we pull for the winter once competition season's finished, and it works well.

We do have a lot of hoof growth on all our horses, partly due to genetics, I think, but also due to a minimum of 10 hours per day of free exercise in large pastures, daily work, and a great feeding program. You might want to consider adding Farrier's Formula (don't accept substitutes) to your feeding program, as it seems to speed up hoof growth as well as grow healthier, harder, and thicker horn.

I hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by CanterHaven on August 29, 2010 at 1:42pm

Thanks, this does help. I have been playing phone tag with my farrier for the last week and I had to pull his shoes since one was loose. Thus my brillant idea of glue ons. Right now no shoes and I did rasp him a bit to be balenced. Down to one set of nail holes which has filled in nicely with dirt so I am liking your suggestion of plastic wood. Is that like the wood filler you get at the hardware store?

I had him on farriers formula when I first brought him home last year since you often hear about how bad TB feet can be. His feet grew quickly when on this. This year I did not put him on it so I think I will start again. I have his shoes replaced every 8 weeks or sooner if needed. He is at 7 weeks and started to over grow and thus the loose shoe.

My farrier always tells me how great his feet are and that he should be able to go barefoot. My only concern with this is that at the various show venues, you never know what you are going to get. Not so much worried about the arenas but rather getting to the arena ( scattered gravel, ect) that seems to always make a barefoot horse go ouch for a few seconds.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on August 29, 2010 at 7:39pm

Hi, Kath:

Yes, plastic wood is the wood filler you get at the hardware store.

I am a believer in horses being barefoot when/where reasonably possible, but I ALWAYS shoe for competitions. There are too many unknown variables, and I don't want my horse injured by something I just didn't bother to protect him/her against. Whenever possible our horses are barefoot through the winters, which is safer, because we get a lot of snow. However, I have a couple who cannot go barefoot, who are just too sore, even in deep snow, so they are shod year-round.

I would have issues with any farrier who did not support my horses being shod for competition, as one never knows until one arrives what the footing will be like, as you say, not only in the competition arenas but also between stabling venues and warm-up rings and competition rings, etc. All it takes is one stone bruise...My farrier's job is to take care of my horses' feet, whatever that takes. His job is not to push his personal desires (which might be quite ill-informed when it comes to competitive situations) on me.

I have a DWB gelding with beautiful feet, thick walls, solid soles, they grow wonderfully, he's always sound...except if he's barefoot, in which case he's so sore he can hardly move. His feet are textbook gorgeous, by every standard, but he can't tolerate being barefoot. On the other hand, I have a client with a Trakehner mare who has a horrible right front foot, crumbly, upright, tight, etc., and she is NEVER sore, even when she's lost a shoe and her foot's falling apart. I think you have to let the horses, not the farriers, or even the vets, tell you what's best.

I'd go back on the Farriers' Formula. I can't imagine getting 7 - 8 weeks out of any of our horses, they'd be losing shoes left and right, and the clinches would all be loose. We take off a significant amount of foot at 5 weeks!

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