A horse’s shoe may need to be removed for several reasons with preventative shoeing being the most common. The main aim of preventative shoeing is to offer support and to protect the horse’s hooves. Hooves grow at an average of 5 to 10cm a month and this growth is not stopped by the horse’s shoe.
A horse’s shoe should be removed every 5 to 8 weeks as the hooves need to be trimmed to prevent them from over growing. Horse shoes may also need to be replaced if the hoof is injured, to perform a lameness examination or hoof radio graphs, in preparation for surgery or if the horse steps on their shoes and partially displaces them.
Restraint
When removing a horse shoe, it is very important that the horse is adequately …show more content…
The horse must be tied up to a breaking point like a piece of string attached to a wall ring that will break if the horse is startled. The horse must also be given a sufficient length of rope to ensure that it is able to stand comfortably during the procedure.
During the procedure, the horse’s foot needs to be picked up and held still. To do this you can hold the foot up or you can hold it between your legs.
FIGURE 1 REMOVING A HORSES SHOE USING A SHOE PULLERS. THE SPRUCE. (2016)
Picking up feet
Before picking up a horse’s foot to remove its shoe it is important to ensure that the horse is weight bearing on all four limbs so that the horse can adjust to his limb being lifted. Before picking up the horses front foot you should make the horse aware of your presence by stroking him and talking to him to avoid startling him. You should then run your hand distally along the caudal aspect of the forelimb until you reach the fetlock. A gentle squeeze will encourage the horse to lift his foot which can be grasped at the …show more content…
The sharp part of the nail is then removed and the part of the nail that is left is bent over at a 180 degree angle and flattened against the hoof wall this is known as clinching. To remove a horse’s shoe the first part you have to remove is the clinched part of the nail.
Clinch Removal
Before you begin removing the clinches you begin by counting the nails present to determine how many need to be removed. To remove the clinches a hoof rasp can be used to file the clinches away but if the clinches are too close to the surface of the hoof wall this may be difficult. If the clinches cannot be filed away a clinch cutter is used. A clinch cutter has a blade and a flattened top which can be struck by a hammer. The blade of the clinch cutter is placed under the clinch and aligned with the hoof it is struck until the clinch is straight enough for the nail to be removed.
Nail Removal
Once the clinches have been straightened out or removed the nails can be removed by using crease nail pullers. The nails are grasped by the head using the creased nail pullers and pulled out of the hoof. Once all the nails are pulled out it is necessary to dispose of then correctly to prevent them from injuring the