How to Correctly Fit Horseshoes

It is important to care for a domestic horse's hooves since they are less likely to keep them worn down through constant travel as they would in the wild. Fitting horseshoes is an effective method for protecting the walls and the toes of the hooves. It is important that the application is carried out correctly, and many horse owners go to a professional farrier to get the job done. If your horse is good-natured and will let you raise each hoof easily you may want to fit the hooves yourself. The shoes should then be changed every six weeks to allow for the hooves to be trimmed. Keeping your horse unshod or fitting shoes incorrectly can result in the horse becoming permanently lame.

Things You'll Need

  • Hoof knife
  • Hoof trimmers
  • Metal sander
  • Horseshoe
  • Nails
  • Hammer
  • Equinox
  • Solvent
  • Fibreglass
  • Plastic
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the hoof for shoeing by cleaning away any rocks or mud. Even the sole of the hoof using a specialized hoof knife to even out any bumps and trim the overgrown edge of the hoof with a pair of specialized hoof trimmers, taking care not to over-trim as this could be painful for the horse. Run a metal sander over the hoof to ensure that the surface is even and to keep the toe rounded to prevent chipping. Trimming should take place every six weeks according to Horse-And-Horse-Information.com as a horse's hoof will grow a quarter of an inch in a month.

    • 2

      Ensure that the shoe has been specifically fitted to the horse's hooves through hot or cold forging before it is fitted. Horseshoe Express highly recommends that if you are not familiar with the process of forging, you should consult an expert farrier to show you the correct procedure.

    • 3

      Place the shoe onto the hoof and ensure that it is level. This is easier to do if the shoe has been fitted with a toe clip, which will mark the center of the hoof wall. The ends of the horseshoe must be equal to ensure that they both meet the ground at the same time when the horse is walking. Once the shoe is in the correct position, insert a nail into each marked hole and secure with a hammer.

    • 4

      Use specialized horseshoe glue called equinox to fit a horse's shoe if the hooves are weak. In this case the shoe should be made slightly larger than the wall of the hoof. Wash the hoof and the horseshoe in a solvent. Mix the equinox with strands of fibreglass to allow the glue to be easily molded. Roll the glue into a tube and place around the underside of the hoof wall before placing the shoe on top. Wrap the foot in plastic and leave to dry for two hours.