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Glue on horse shoes

Horse Care
#1

Hi! Please read and understand this part first. :slight_smile: I am not interested in taking this mare barefoot. I have many reasons, one huge one is the terrain we live in and another is she was barefoot and not ridden for 2 years on pasture and still not comfortable barefoot. There are other reasons. This is non-negotiable. So if you want to come on here and espouse the benefits of barefoot, I’m aware of them but this is not the time or place for that particular argument. 'kay? Thx

On to the reason for the post. Has anybody had any experience with the glue on shoes? I’m seeing a lot more choices out there and claims of shoes lasting 4 weeks or so. I want to know if this is fact of fiction for one. And I want to know if anybody has found a shoe that THEY can put on without a farrier present. Ideally, I’d like a farrier to do a good trim, but if a shoe comes off, I’d like to be able to replace it. Or if the feet have only grown to rasping a little to be nice again, I don’t want to have to call out the farrier. IOW, I’d like to be able to do it myself for the upkeep for the most part, farrier only as needed. Yes, I know how to rasp a hoof well.

So - any input? Users? Yay or nay, help or hype, what say ye?

TIA!!

#2

I’ve had Polyflex shoes on my horse with great success. Currently, DD’s horse has them and is doing quite well. My farrier uses them regularly for horses that pull shoes a lot or for lameness issues unresolved by other shoeing methods (my horse fell into that category). All of the horses I’ve seen with them (about 7 or so) seem quite comfortable in them. Unfortunately, they’re probably not something you can apply yourself. It takes quite a bit of skill to glue them correctly.

#3

I used glue ons for my OTTB when he had some damage to his hoof wall and couldn’t hold a shoe. They were great. As I recall they stayed on for almost 10 weeks with no problem and he’s turned out 24/7. There was a lot of set up involved with getting the shoes on, not something you could do yourself. Here’s my blog post that shoes them being put on. https://equineink.com/2016/09/25/fre…gh-tech-shoes/

1 Like
#4

Our Highland pony foundered when she was at a boarding barn and the Barn Manager inexplicably turned her from dry lot to 4 hours of June grass. It was tragic, but we had good luck with Sigafoos when trying to find the right combination of support and angle after she rotated.
Here’s their info: http://soundhorse.com
I wish you all the best with your horse!

#5

I used the Sound Horse glue ons as well for my horse when he blew an abscess out the cornary band last year and we were dealing with some hoof defect issues right where the nails would go. He is a master at pulling shoes off and the glue on stayed put for his entire 6 week shoeing rotations without any problems. My farrier did have to shape the shoe a bit so I can’t say you could pull it out of the box and just slap it on. The application process was very easy and by the 3rd time we did it we were pretty darn proud of how aesthetically pleasing it looked. The first time applying it was a bit comical. My farrier almost glued my hand to his hoof!

#6

My FIL actually created the adhesive that is used for majority of the Glue-ons. They are fairly easy to put on as long as the hoof and shoe are shaped. Hoof must be extremely dry and clean, like take a torch to it to get the moisture out dry and wipe with an alcohol wipe clean. They work great. In the lab they can stay on up to 8 weeks in mud if I remember what he was telling me from testing.

If you learn how to shape both the hoof and shoe, I don’t think you would have any issues. The adhesive isn’t difficult to put on. It is a PITA though.

#7

Several years ago the guy who was probably the best farrier in our area was a booster of glue on shoes. Then, over time, he seemed to change his mind. It was not the application that he had problems with, it was the removal.

An iron shoe comes off in a few seconds when pulled by a competent farrier. How are glue on shoes “pulled”?

G.

#8

Depends on the type of adhesive that is being used. There are quite a few on the market now, so you might be using one I am not familiar with.

Acrylic adhesive you just buy special remover. Or use nail polish remover in a pinch.
https://www.rshughes.com/search.html?q=adhesive+remover

Urethane - utility knife to cut between the bottom of hoof and shoe.

My FIL worked on the acrylic adhesives. I’ve used both types of adhesive and quit using urethane because of the difficulty in removing it without cutting off a finger.

#9

My farrier used acrylic glue instead of nails on my mare for a while when she was having trouble with crumbling walls. It’s a useful option but obviously pros and cons to everything. Seems that the glue “failures” are related to moisture, so they can be more difficult to apply in wet conditions or extreme cold. They required not only warming the acrylic in the winter but also the horse’s foot. When they stayed on, they stayed on very well, which was most of the time.

If you are a competent hoof care professional, you could learn to put them on. It would definitely be easier if you had help - someone else to apply the acrylic and hand you the shoe, for example, because you might have to use a blowdryer to dry the hoof and won’t want to put it down again. My farrier works alone and he could do it, but then again he is a pro. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to do it.

G - as far as “pulling” an acrylic shoe, it’s literally pulled/pried off, usually requiring a strike or two with a hammer to break the adhesive. Most of the time they came off fairly easily. On one or two occasions we marveled at how well the acrylic held after 6-7 weeks.

#10

Both of mine had front glue ons this year. One was aluminum shoe that just glued to the bottom. The other one had to go with the cuff style. They are expensive but my farrier is able to leave them on pretty long as in 10 weeks or so. Both horses have slow growth and we are trying to fix some issues so leaving them on that long has been a good thing. Since the hinds are nailed on the front and hind feet are on different schedules. Thankfully the farrier comes to that barn regularly.

#11

My mare had glue ons for 2 yrs when she was having trouble with crumbling hoof wall. They lasted 5 weeks each shoeing cycle. Expensive but they worked well. Most 8mportant ingredient is a farrier who has experience with them. The mare had them again when she foundered in 1 foot. She hated all the other options so we went to glue ons which made her very happy. That was only for 2 shoeing cycles.

#12

Thank you all for the input.

#13

I have been using glue ons for the past few showing cycles with one of my horses, and I really like them. My horse is finally comfortable. I have a farrier do mine but I do think someone could do them themselves with a bit of practice. My horses shoes last the full 6 weeks. He wears polyflex, my only complaint is the toe of the shoe wears out but I really would attribute that to our nasty footing where I am. It’s rocky, tough, and all my horses had to go from being barefoot to shod. To remove you insert a strewdriver into the glue line and loosen around until they pop off. I haven’t seen any good damage from this.
To apply, my farrier does a nice trim, cleans them with his hoof knife, uses a blow torch to get all the moisture out, puts the foot in a boot and then adjusts the shoe to fit and then applies the shoe. He coats the shoe and up the sides of the hoof wall a bit, and a bit on the inside of the hoof too.

If if you have someone local who does it, have them come out and watch. Just be prepared to pay more than a normal shoeing.

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