This is a farrier issue, for sure. But I don’t think one extra nail per shoe will make a difference in a 1000+ lb animal who is galloping, etc.
I agree that it’s a trim issue (long toes) and/or nails are too low.
I would probably give the farrier one chance to explain/change if you otherwise think he’s going a beautiful job. Shoes are supposed to last the full trim cycle. Of course things happen. But this is clearly a pattern that points to the farrier.
If this is happening with all your horses, I’d also lean that this is a farrier/trim issue. If it were one horse that was throwing shoes maybe not? You also have the data point of your horse that the trainers that had no issues with that farrier.
All signs seem to be pointing towards your current farriers work. Pictures will definitely help.
Our pastures where I board can be unkind to horseshoes, but none of the horses throw shoes like you’re describing.
My horse forges, the previous farrier who I just switched from was fitting them so tight, that he was contracting his heels. Honestly, I’d rather have a clean pulled shoe over fitting a small shoe and ruining the foot. His foot became dishy and no heel. A TB who already lacks decent feet. UGH!
He’s short backed, he pulls shoes, but it happens when they get dumb some times. I learned toe clips were also working against him, he is now in quarter clips.
It’s amazing when you trust a farrier how much they can still ruin a horses foot. The new guy is good so far. I’ve been taking progress pictures for the last 2.5 years between switching farriers. It’s quite fascinating to see.
It’s not nitpicking the “If a horse looses a shoe more than one time, it’s the farriers fault.” comment. I wasn’t addressing the OP’s situation in my last comments, I was speaking to your blanket statements that implied it’s always the farrier’s fault
100% agree
You say ‘farrier, I’ve noticed some of the horses seem to be losing a shoe almost every cycle, what do you think is the best way of preventing that?’. Then hopefully he throws out some ideas - maybe it’s different shaping, maybe it’s bell boots, maybe it’s shoes with clips and different nails in different places. If the shoes are just plain falling off, then yeah maybe two more nails would help. But if you respect his skill and work, let him tell you how to solve this problem and listen to his reasoning for only using two nails per side.
When I switched to my current farrier a couple years ago after moving the horses home, my OTTB was losing a shoe maybe every other cycle.
Farrier changed things up slightly every cycle this happened to try and address the issue. None of the things he did involved an extra nail. He was just as frustrated when he had to come out and tack one back on (he never charged when he was in the area but I gave him $25 either way). Can’t imagine it going on for a long time and not trying to address it.
Finally got to a shoeing balance that meant no more pulled shoes. No bell boots. Sometimes muddy, sometimes dry, sometimes on trails–didn’t matter. And his feet got better and better (so it’s possible to change things without contracting heels or sizing the shoes too small).
I don’t think I have ever had a farrier put less than 4 nails per side on any horse I have ever owned.
I will have to go count on my mare and see how many he did last time.
4 nails on a side generally means a nail in the quarter area, which is pretty much a no-no unless there’s a good therapeutic reason. The quarters and back expand/contract the most, and inhibiting that with the 4th nail is a good way to cause some degree of contraction.
My thoughts:
My horse used to pull is front shoes regularly without 24/7 turnout boots. He has a long walk stride and can be lazy. He can’t wear the boots in front anymore (after 5 years) due to the huge amounts of dew we now have. My farrier fits the front shoes with very little excess heel and he’s on a 5 week schedule. Now, he pulls a shoe every long once in a while or if he’s particularly excited. My farrier doesn’t charge to put a shoe on if it’s within a week of shoeing. He can not charge if longer because I’ve been such a good and long client. He puts 6 nails per shoe normally, strategically placed.
If its more than one horse, its the shoeing. Usually they lose shoes because the toes are long, and when the toes are long, the heel is underrun, too. Even if it was just one horse, I would want the toes backed up and make sure he had a good heel.
I too would like to see pics.
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