how to shoe a horse with ringbone

 

Not all equine hoof problems are severe, but sometimes they are. A horse shoeing is the answer to many such "simple" hoof problems. Here is a guide on how to do it in 4 easy steps.

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It's very important that you keep the horse calm and quiet during this process, so take him for a walk if he's tied up in the field or stable. If he's tied up, leave him with some grain and water while you work - horses tend not to object when they're aware of what's going on.

If you have an assistant, this is the time to use them.

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Take the needed tools out of your toolbox, including your nippers and rasp. Your farrier will often provide them to you when they come out to an appointment.

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Now that you've got your tools, it's time to assess whether or not they're needed in this case. Lightly rub your finger along the horse's hoof wall - if it seems somewhat soft, 

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it probably needs attention. Good candidates for a shoeing are horses with "soft" hooves (ie: ill health, heavy work) or horses that need a new shoe.

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Horses with soft hooves often have a nail that is loose, worn, or even broken. Some horses with sore feet (ie: from being stabled) will show a lameness that is actually more of muscle/joint pain.

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If you find a nail that is clearly broken, you might want to take the horse in for care. However, if the shoe can possibly be saved - and assuming you've read this article - this nailing should have been done in order to avoid the problem in the first place!

So now you're ready to do some work! If your horse is tied up, make sure he's comfortable while you're getting things set up.

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If he's free to move around and he seems calm, hold him still with one hand and give him a drink with the other. This will keep him quiet and calm for the duration of your work. You may want to ask for help from your assistant if you're trying this alone.

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You have 2 options here - either remove the shoe from his front or back foot (depending on which foot it's on), or take off his shoe in the front of his shoeing box, and secure it somewhere else until the job is done.

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In this picture, the jockey shoe has been removed from the horse's front foot and is being held by some rope in the foreground.

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If you want to remove the shoe from his front foot, you should use your farrier's toe vise. Set it up exactly like you would for a hoof trim - hold it flat on top of the horse's foot, 

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tie his toes in with a good knot, and place your farrier's rasp in one half of the cinch. Find where he clipped his nail collets (you can see what they look like in step 5), and insert your farrier rasp into that hole. Then, while keeping his toes free of the farrier's rasp, carefully begin to work around the farrier's rasp and your horse's hoof wall.

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Because you're using a toe vise, you can't use your nippers. This is why the farrier will often provide you with his own nippers (or both). If he doesn't, use a pair of garden clippers - NOT nail clippers. 

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You'll want to keep both halves of the cinch taut to help prevent slipping. If you're careful at all times, it should only take about 20 minutes for you to remove the shoe from your horse's foot.

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