Unlimited access >

Any Updates on Glue-On Shoes, Especially in Showing?

I’ve read the previous threads about glue-on shoes, and am hoping some COTH folk have had recent experience with them. I’m competing in jumpers and I’m especially interested to hear about whether people have had success with glue-ons there, in view of all the required roll-backs and tight turns.

The key to having them stay on seems to be a careful and pretty involved gluing process. Have there been recent improvements, either in the glue itself or in making the process a bit simpler?

In my experience, glue ons are perfectly fine for jumpers and rarely come off. They’re generally harder to pull than nails. I don’t know if there have been any improvements, I haven’t heard of any problems in the past so I haven’t seen the need for major updates.

2 Likes

My jumper was in glue-ons for the last couple of years and they worked great. There are a few different versions; my farrier uses Sigafoos. We were able to get him back into regular shoes this past shoeing cycle but if he ended up needing glue ons again I wouldn’t hesitate.

A few of the event horses in my barn, up through FEI levels, are in glue ons and other than the usual pulling shoes in the paddock thing horses like to do, they haven’t had issues with them coming off on XC or anything like that. I feel like that is a really good test, since they are galloping over terrain, through water, etc.

1 Like

My horse spent several years in Polyflex glue ons, both eventing and show jumping. We had zero issue with them staying on. He lived out 24/7 for several years with them. We’re in PA, so we have all four seasons and every kind of weather/footing, and we had no problems whatsoever. They also have wedges, studding options, etc. if you need more than a basic shoe.

The key is application. If the farrier doesn’t do it properly, then the glue will fail. It’s not the fault of the shoe.

3 Likes

This - when the glue is applied properly, it’s adhesive to the point of the shoes being harder to remove than nailed on shoes. It’s harder in wet/cold seasons/climates, though. If a horse will have glued on shoes, they probably need to be stalled overnight (or at least several hours) to make sure the hoof is dry enough for the adhesive to work.

Thanks for the assurance. I watched the whole Curtis Burns video, which gave an excellent, detailed account of the whole Polyfex shoeing process. It looks precise and time-consuming, and requires a number of different tools.

For time, attention to detail, and cost, how does the application on glue-on shoes compare to the application of steel shoes? (I read on an old thread that a COTHer paid $400 for glue-on shoeing. From what I saw, it’s probably more now, and I can see why.) In any case, I’d gladly pay whatever the current going rate might be to have the benefits of leaving nailed shoes behind.

1 Like

I pay 300 for sigafoos glue ons up front only.

The farrier where I work part time is a protege of Curtis’
He does quite a few for us, but we have no high level jumpers. However I can say that they hold up incredibly well to the wet conditions prevalent 6 months of the year in the southeast coastal area.

1 Like

Why would glue on shoes be a problem? If they’re put on properly there are no more/less likely to get pulled on a jumper than nail on shoes. If they’re put on well they can be more durable. I had a horse that lived his whole life in glue ons and never pulled a show showing once he was wearing glue ons.

I compete in jumpers and had glue ons on my jumper horse for about 2 years. Never had an issue. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs to shoe their horse but has a horse that can’t tolerate steels for whatever reason.

100% My former lease mare had glue-ons up front and the first farrier we used, which was her normal farrier for regular shoes, claimed to be able to do glue-ons but that was a load of crap. He did a terrible job and we were lucky if she made it a week without one falling off. We switched to a farrier with a clue, and though they were more expensive, they actually stayed on so it was well worth the price upgrade. I’d rather pay more for shoes that stay on so I can ride and show!

3 Likes

How are glue-ons removed?

For Polyflex, the farrier nips them off. I’m not sure about other brands.

We used a flathead screwdriver. Insert it along the edges and use a hammer to tap it into the glue a few times. Wiggle it around and do the other heel. Usually once the heels were not as stuck you could just pop it right off.

Alternatively, you can just use your nippers and cut them off. But I always reused mine a few times.

When my horse was in Poly, I was paying $230-$300 for fronts only. I’ve seen it go as high as $500-$600/pair. It depends on your area and your farrier but overall they are considerably more expensive than a basic steel or aluminum shoe.

My farrier uses these https://broadlinefarriersolutions.com/ where the shoes are glued on via the tabs on the sides. They work great and horses seem to love them. I have a 3’6" A/O hunter who plays hard in turnout and so far have not had any issues with them coming off.

1 Like

We use sigafoos up front and regular steel eventers on the hinds. It’s about $460 + the $75 for the shoes (I order them myself) every 8 weeks (sometimes up to 10 in the winter). Like others have said, the key is a good farrier. I think in the 2 years we’ve been using them, we’ve only lost 2 shoes and my farrier has been able to clean it up enough to re-use until we’re due for a reset. He uses a combo of nipping and a wedge and hammer to get the cuff lifted. There’s no reusing them after he gets them off though - the cuff is shot. Cannot rave about them enough though. I have a horse with a club foot and he just couldn’t hang on to regular nailed in shoes up front - he’d pull massive chunks of hoof wall out, leaving my farrier with nothing to nail a shoe to!

2 Likes

My TB had sigafoos up front and they were the best. He lived out 24/7 and they stayed on so much better than regular shoes. Yes, they were more expensive, but I didn’t need to have him reshod every 5-6 weeks and he wasn’t constantly damaging his hoof wall.

3 Likes

Issues with speed or height of jumps no - my horse was in glue ons for a few years, jumping 1.10m, freejumping 1.40+ and grids at 1.20m with no issues.

No issues living outside in the Midwest with them on either.

Application is 100% key if it’s not done well or correctly they WILL come off. When done correctly, they have to be pried off and take some effort to do so.

Cost for my horses fronts only was $450-$480 every 6 weeks. Just because they will stay on for 10+ weeks does NOT mean your horse should go that long between trims.

Why are you looking to move away from nailed steel shoes? There may be other options available that suit your needs as well (better/ cheaper).

1 Like

Ok, I’m interested.
The horse I lease has glue-ons, but I think he’s done about every 5-7 weeks?
My own horse has trouble with the wet weather and his feet crumbling. He went barefoot all summer to build back up his feet. Wondering if it’s worth it to investigate trying glue-ons?
What is the weight comparison of steels vs glue-ons vs aluminums? Trying to figure out if it would make them move better than steels?