How long do horseshoes last

What the purpose of horseshoes are? Well, we at Mountain Creek Riding Stable are here to give you some quick answers! Horseshoes are quite ubiquitous: it would rare to come across a person who does not know what they look like. But why are they a thing? And why is it that nearly all horses except wild ones wear them? Horseshoes are used to help aid in the durability of the hoof on working horses.

The hoof itself is made up of the same stuff as your fingernail, called keratin. However, the hoof has a soft and tender inner part called the frog circled in the picture above that can be injured. The hoof will naturally wear away when horses walk so adding a shoe onto the hoof helps to diminish that and keep the frog in healthy condition.

Horseshoes are made out of steel in most cases, though there are some exceptions to this. Racehorses usually wear aluminum horseshoes because they are lighter and thus perform better when speed is the top priority. People who put horseshoes onto horses are called farriers also spelled ferrier. Farriers use nails like the ones pictured above to affix the horseshoe to the hoof. Once the nails are put through the outer edge of the hoof, the farrier bends them over, so they make a sort of hook.

They will then file away the sharp points that are left and a part of the hoof to ensure a good fit. As the hoof grows out it will eventually overlap the shoe which is how you know when they have to be re-shod. Sometimes their hooves are too brittle, or they may have broken off a piece of their hoof, and so the shoe could not be adequately affixed. These horses can still do trail rides or work the farm, but they will have greater limitations on how much they work.

Therefore, they wear away their hooves slower than the hooves grow. Secondly, they do not have anyone to look after their well being, so if they have an injured frog or another situation where a shoe would be put on an owned horse — they have to deal with it.

As the hoof grows, the nails that keep the shoe on become loose and the horse can lose a shoe. Regular hoof trims and re-shoeing help keep your horse's hooves in good condition and properly balanced as well as replacing loose nails. There are a number of signs you can look for that your horse's shoes need to be reset:. While all of these signs mean it's time for a reset, it really isn't a good idea to wait until you notice one of these things. Instead, most of these signs indicate that the shoes have been on too long—although nails can loosen and shoes can twist or wear prematurely.

Six weeks is a general guideline for good hoof health. This is also about the time that a barefoot horse will have to be trimmed. Some horses may need to be reset sooner, and some can go a little longer. That can damage the hoof, and overgrown hooves can lead to soft tissue damage like strained tendons and ligaments.

When the shoes are reset, the farrier will pull the shoes off, trim the hoof growth off, shape the hoof, and nail the same shoes back on. Because there is no natural wear on the hoof —as there would be if your horse was barefoot—the hooves may seem to grow a bit faster. Your farrier may have to reshape the shoes, especially if a problem needs to be corrected. Shoes can be reset as long as there is no excessive wear to the metal.

This will depend largely on the type of terrain you have been riding on. For instance, shoes may only last through one or two resets if you typically ride over an abrasive surface like rocks but may last months if your horse walks mainly on grass.

Irrespective of whether a domestic horse is shod or unshod barefoot they all need good regular hoof care. A domestic horse is unable to wear their hooves down as nature intended. Wild horses maintain their own hooves by moving many kilometres a day across a variety of surfaces.

Unshod domestic horses rarely move enough to wear down their hooves correctly and the hooves of shod horses do not wear at all as horseshoes prevent any wear from occurring. Unshod horses need regular trimming. Soft surfaces such as pasture and stable bedding do not wear the hoof down at all therefore the hooves need to be trimmed about every three to four weeks six weeks maximum. Horses that are wearing their feet down on more abrasive surfaces may need less frequent trimmings however even with these horses regular light trimming is necessary to maintain the correct shape of the hoof.

Theses courses teach you all about hooves, not just how to trim them and are a great way of learning about this very important part of your horse.