Anyone that has ever had a farrier put shoes on their horses feet has inevitably felt the frustration and concern when thier horse comes back into the barn with less shoes than they left with.

However, even though this is a common occurance for all of us in the equine industry many don't know the steps that you should take to ensure that your horse doesn't injury themselves and we will supply you with some tips that we know as farriers will improve your horses chances of not pulling shoes and will save you HUNDREDS of dollars!

The first instinct most horse owners have when they see thier horse has lost a shoe is call their farrier and try and get the problem fixed immediately. Now, what if we said that was the wrong first step?

Step 1: The Search

This is the most overlooked part of the whole experaince and it is that one that also can save you the most MONEY!

The entire first step consists of FINDING THE SHOE this step can be as easy as walking your property where your horse is likely to pull thier shoes for (for example: ponds, exposed tree roots, fencing, etc.) The reason finding the shoe is so important is because it if you can find that shoe and your farrier has the ability to reshape and reapply that same shoe it can save you on potential tack on fees that would be normally come along with your horseshoer coming out and nailing on a brand new shoe.

Also, and this is the most important reason is your horse's SAFETY! Doing a quick walk around your pasture can help assure that the shoe that your horse lost isn't left exposed for it to potentially cut/puncture your horses hoof again. We have seen this unfortunate occurance happen many times and once it happens the cost begin to sky rocket! That is because now a veternarian must be contacted to make sure that because no infections or other health concerns will surface because of this incident.

Step Two: The Call

WARNING: This step is going to come with some hard truths. However, we are going to give you a tip that will make you become your farrier's favorite client!

This step is the most obvious to a horse owner. Call the farrier that applied the shoe and have them fix it as soon as possible. We are going to shine the light on some common misconception about why a horse loses their shoes.

"The Farrier put on the shoe poorly and that is why it came off." Often this is not the case at all. Really in most cases it is rarely anyones direct fault! So many outside factors must be taken into account when discussing why a horse might pull shoes including, moisture on the ground, how wet/dry the hoove was when the farrier applied the shoe and the most likely reason is, HORSES PLAY! Especially during colder months you have seen your horses and smiled everytime they run around your pasture enjoying the cool weather that we don't get often enough down in Florida.

This was all to say that when your horse loses a shoe try not to call your farrier angry but rather understand that they are disappointed that the effort they put into forging, shaping, and applying the shoe didn't provide your horse the level of comfort or performance that you trusted them to provide your horse.

Step Three: Preventing The Problem

This is what everyone wants to know, how do they prevent thier horses from pulling thier shoes and costing them extra money!

What we instruct all of our clients to do that ask us this question is to be observant of the enivorment. As a horse owner your job is never truly done, you must be aware that if there has been heavy rain and you let your horse out to run around the pasture you run the risk of the wet ground acting as a suction and pulling your horses shoe. We also recommend that if our clients let thier horses out in a large pasture that they regularly walk the property to scan for any areas that could increase your horses risk.

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