My horse gets re-shoed roughly every 6 to 8 weeks. I only call to re-shoe if one or more of his shoes is coming loose. I know that when the hoof grows, it causes the nails to come loose, that's just common sense. But when the shoes come loose a bit early, would riding on concrete contribute to causing that? I ride on concrete maybe every other time that I ride and It's for around 1 to 2 miles at a fast rack. My horse's shoes has borine on them for grip so he won't slip or anything.
So, does riding a lot on concrete help cause the nails to come loose? Or do they just happen to come loose as a result of growing?
It really depends on the shoeing job and the horse's hooves, but if they're on good and you're horse's hooves are holding them well, concrete would not be a huge contribution to throwing shoes. The thing is, though, concrete is a hard surface that causes concussion to the horse's tendons. The shoes are protecting the feet, and they will wear down if you ride them too much or too hard on the concrete.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Seeing as you have him shod at appropriate times, that wouldn't be a contribution. Are his feet soft and brittle? They tend to not hold shoes very well. Is the shoe too big or small? If they fit to the shape of the hoof and cover the heel and don't overlap anywhere, it should be fine.
I'm not saying this would help a bunch, but put leg wraps at least on the front legs of the horse so the shoes and tendons won't absorb so much concussion when you ride on the concrete. (;
It may make a slight contribution, as there is no give in the road hence can cause a lot of shock to go through the hoof, which I guess could make it come loose. Though wear and tear in general comes from just them moving around anywhere.
Concrete is more of a contributor to actually wearing the shoe down and making it thinner.
The harder the surface you ride on, the more vibration there is of the nails holding the shoes on. That vibration erodes the wall tissues around the nail , which widens the nail holes and ultimately loosens the shoes. So riding on concrete does contribute to causing shoes to loosen sooner.
Well, riding on concrete isn't good for your horse at all. The impart of riding on concrete can send a jolt of pain up the leg that can cause damage or discomfort to the cannon or any of the fine bones that are a part of the horses legs.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Some horses hooves are very soft and that is probably why he is loosing his shoes alot. You can get special shoes that are used for horses that ride on hard surfaces that help balance out the hoof so it doesn't discomfort him. If those shoes come off, then it is possible that his hooves are soft. You can get supplements to harden them or you could get an easy boot
http://cdn.content.compendiumblog.com/up ... I have never used them and i haven't heard too many bad reviews about them but I have no personal experience with them.
If you are doing a fast rack on the hard then you are not doing your horse any favours as the jarring will both mess up his legs and as others have said loosen the nails.
Riding on the roads does not harm the horses legs providing that it is done at a sensible pace.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
In the Uk there are very few people who can go out and ride without actually going along the roads - I believe that steady trotting on the roads helps to harden the horses legs. I have mine doing a lot of road work when they first start getting fit, their shoes wear out rather than coming loose.
Mira, WHY are you riding your horse on concrete? Don't you know how harmful that is, not to mention dangerous, even with non-skid shoes? Riding on hard surfaces like concrete puts ENORMOUS amounts of unneccessary stress on your horse's bones and joints, and if you do enough of it, it can result in tendon or ligament damage. Plus, it's CRUEL to the horse. No wonder your horse's shoes are coming loose. That would happen to our horses too, if we did this, but thankfully we don't. Nails in shoes typically loosen as the hoof grows out. You shouldn't be waiting till your horse's shoes come loose before you call the farrier, either . Loose shoes on a concrete floor are dangerous-if they come off when you are riding, your horse could fall. When the hooves grow out, the shoe can start to pinch if it gets pushed out of place-and doing a lot of riding on concrete could certainly cause that.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Do you have any other place you can ride that doesn't have a concrete floor? What you're riding on now just isn't safe, either for you or for your horse. If you keep this up, your horse is going to wind up lame-and he could founder from all the concussion on his joints. Have you ever thought of that?
Your vet is WRONG. My colleagues and I literally have thousands of clients using easyboot epics with a gaiter. They are fantastic . Nothing will harm your horse's hooves like shoes. Really harmful.
