# Shoe Safety for Tail Horses



## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

I've always loved riding on the trail, and I'm very aware that a horse wearing shoes is best not being taken on the trail due to deep, sticky mud possibly taking them off. I was wondering if there was a safe way to get around this problem, or a healthy alternative? If there isn't I won't worry too much about it. I was curious because there's a lot of nasty rocks and hard ground around here, but when it rains, mud lasts forever and tends to be a problem.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

You probably have a different mud than I do. But I've never lost a shoe in mud. I think if you keep them on a regular schedule, from a farrier that pays attention to the proper shape of the shoe, No problems. Let the shoes get a little old and loose and viola, the mud gets it.

That said, I have pretty much quit shoeing mine and run them barefoot or with boots.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

i use shoes with quarter clips on the fronts, which helps keep them in place in mud. but like painted horse said, the biggest thing is having a good farrier and staying on the proper schedule for your horse's hoof growth.


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## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

Alrighty, thank you. I'll see how things go.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

My horses are now barefoot but Biscuit does have a pair of Easy Boot Gloves. My friend also has used them in the mud with her TW gelding with great results. Boots stayed on through gumbo sticky mud!


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Your shoes won't come off (90-95% of the time) if they are tight, well put on, and a good fit. Good farriers are a must. My horse wears all four shoes during competition season. :wink: Very few populations of mud are too powerful for a good shoeing job! 

Easy Boots are terrible with rocks, in my experience. I had my easy boots ribbed off three times when I was riding through rocky streams in NC. I don't trust them much with mud either... Mind you, my pair was borrowed and not the most well fitted. 

When riding with shoes, always carry duct tape. You can tape on a shoe with a sprung heal for long enough to get back to the barn or tape over a barefoot hoof for some temporary protection.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

The horse shouldnt lose his shoes just by walking through deep mud, unless the shoe is alreadly loose.
I think mud is a concern if he is living in it all day, where it is constantly sucking at his hooves.
Spring where I live is a mess. For about 2 months, we have nothing but sucking mud! You have to wear tall rubber boots to get the horses, and you always risk losing a boot! For that reason, I do not shoe until the paddock mud dries, and they live in reasonable footing again.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

The trails I ride can get pretty muddy especially after a rain. As already mentioned, if your horse has a good hoof and his shoes have been done correctly, they aren't coming off in mud.

This past Saturday, we rode for ~3 hours and the trails were pretty bad. Not a single horse lost a shoe.


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## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

My main concern is also the living space. She's a 24/7 pasture horse, and will likely remain that way when I move. I'm leaning away from shoes, just because I don't know how frequent a farrier visit is in either place she'll be at.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

My horses are 24/7 pasture. A horse needs to be trimmed as often as he needs shoes - they go hand in hand. Just because he can't get shoes as often as the 6 week typical cycle, does not mean that he doesn't need trimming at 6 weeks.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

if you don't want to use shoes I recommend easy boot epics...they have the glove attached and they are really great for trails.


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## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

It'll depend on how things are. I'm honestly not too concerned when it comes to riding right now anyway, she's only a year old. It was for future reference, and so I might be able to use the knowledge for when I start training her. I believe I've gotten my answers, thanks guys. I call this thread properly responded to.


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