You’re leading your horse in from the field in the dark, ready to put him to bed for the night, and hit concrete only to hear three metal-on-ground hoof beats, not four. Queue a big sigh - your horse has lost a shoe, AGAIN. You put your horse to bed and off you go, back to dig through the mud to find it.
Losing shoes is such a pain, especially through the winter when time is already tight, you’re limited on how much and where you can ride and the mud is normally so thick that finding the lost shoe takes ages.
Mud is one of the worst parts of the winter when you have horses; it gets everywhere and makes jobs so much longer, while getting everything you own filthy in the process! It’s a contributing factor to losing shoes, with the repeated wet-dry cycle weakening the hooves. Thick mud makes it more difficult for your horse to walk, increasing the likelihood of him standing on himself or overreaching and pulling off a shoe.
Excitable and energy-filled horses in a winter routine with short turnout will likely be kicking up their heels and tearing around paddocks which adds to the chance of losing shoes too.
Three main things will help to make sure shoes stay on this winter:
Using overreach boots Maintaining hoof health Managing turnout conditionsOverreach Boots
We would recommend using brightly coloured rubber overreach boots in the field - rubber can be quickly and easily hosed off, while the bright colours make them easy to find if they fall off! Overreach boots protect the heel and hoof should the horse over-reach/stand on himself, helping to prevent the shoe from being pulled off.
Maintaining Hoof Health
Ensure the horse is getting all of the necessary nutrients in his diet, with any additional support from supplements if necessary. Applying hoof treatments to strengthen and support the structure of the hoof wall will also benefit hoof health - a strong hoof will make the shoe more secure. Make sure you keep up with regular farrier appointments too.
Managing Turnout Conditions
A tricky one for the winter months! If you can, try to rotate and rest your fields, or areas of your fields, to stop them from becoming boggy. Preventing horses from standing at gateways will also help to manage the amount of mud. If you can, stabling your horse for part of the day will also make a huge difference in maintaining the condition of your fields.
