LOOSE SHOE IF IT’S ONLY SLIGHTLY LOOSE

Schedule a visit with your farrier as soon as you notice a loose shoe. But in the meantime, you’ll want to take steps to either keep it in place or remove it.

When a horse’s shoe comes loose the signs can be subtle or dramatic. A twisted or dangling shoe will be hard to miss, but if a sprung shoe pretty much stays in place, the only clue might be a sliding sound as the affected hoof hits hard ground. A bent shoe or one that’s working its way off can alter a horse’s gait or even make him appear lame.

The consequences of a loose shoe can be equally variable. Usually, it’s little more than a nuisance that requires a short visit from the farrier. Sometimes, however, a shoe may cause injury as it loosens or wrenches free.

The best way to handle a loose shoe depends on the circumstances and the hoof’s condition.

Even the best-set shoe will eventually loosen over time. Giving each shoe a “wiggle” as you handle your horse’s feet each day may provide an early warning that the nails on one are starting to lose their grip. If the shoe is still in place and all the nails are in their original positions, you may be able to secure it until the farrier arrives. Any one of these steps may help keep the shoe in place if the farrier cannot come right away:

Tighten the clinches. After a farrier drives each nail into the hoof wall, he bends the exposed nail tip that emerges from the hoof wall downward into a hook shape, called a “clinch,” that helps to secure the shoe. To tighten clinches on a loose shoe, you’ll need a farrier’s rasp and clinchers, a tool used to double over the cutoff nail. First, remove the old clinches: Place the hoof just above your knees, with th do sq your legs together. Then use downward strokes with the rasp to file down the clinches. Be sure to use the metal cutting edge of the rasp and to stay on the clinches---you want to avoid rasping the hoof wall as