"Hi H&C, we have a Thoroughbred who keeps pulling his front shoes off. We have been told of an over reach boot that fits around the back of the hoof, so preventing the shoe being pulled off. Have you heard of any or know where we can get one from, or any tips on how to keep shoes on? He mainly does it when being ridden and he gets excited and starts mucking around. Thanks, Sarah."

H&C expert Jenny Rudall replies: “Sarah, I can completely sympathise with you as I am currently training a Thoroughbred myself with the same problem and it can be very frustrating.  The horse I currently deal with has an excellent farrier, who has recommended he wear over reach boots all day every day and even in his stable at night.  I do keep a regular check to make sure they are not rubbing and it does seemed to have helped. 

Supplement and condition

Strengthening the hoof can also help, so ask your farrier to recommend a good supplement and in this dry weather some good conditioning treatment applied every day will also help. I can’t help but recommend the old fashioned cornucrescine that you have to rub in every day with your hand.  It may be messy but it works. There are plenty of products out there and trial and error will help you find one that suits you.

Supastuds do a shoesecure, which is an invention to prevent a horse from treading on the heels of its front shoes and ripping them off.  Products like this are worth a try but I would always recommend getting your farrier to assess the shoeing and try strengthening the hoof first. 

Good luck and I would love to hear how you get on. Jenny “