[Haleye5197]

My horse sprung a shoe... It's a pretty big gap from heel to shoe. We vet wrapped and duct taped it and put her bell boots on. The other side was still on very tight so the trainer who was at the barn at the time advised us to wait until tomOrrow for the farrier to take it off... You can learn something new everyday...

[Laurierace]

What did you learn?

[Win1]

Is this the first time you've had this problem? Lucky you! Keep bell boots on, the pull on's with the super stretchy top and double thick bottoms are my fav and I leave them on 24/7 but sometimes flip them up for things to dry out.

Last month my horse had shoes on for 8 days due to very hard ground. I thought maybe I didn't need the bell boots and he pulled both shoes completely off within 10 minutes of riding. He's a very short backed guy who apparently interferes more than I thought So, even though he's barefoot again I'll keep the boots on to protect those heels, just in case

[Haleye5197]

First time I've had any problem with shoes.

[Rick Burten]

Is there a question here?

[Haleye5197]

Was it best to leave it on? Should we have taken it off? How urgent is a spring shoe?

[dbolte]

Unless you have the right tools and the know-how, using the Vetrap and the duct tape to keep it as flat as possible is probably your better option. I once did have to pull a sprung shoe without tools because the clip was digging into the sole, but it took a fairly large chunk of the hoof with it, especially because of the clips! If your farrier can't get out for a week or something he may ask you to pull it, but I would try to get hold of him first.

[Langfuhr]

And trainer/barn doesn't have nail pullers?

[LookmaNohands]

Take the shoe off! Have your farrier show you how and buy the appropriate tools so you can do it in the future.

A sprung shoe can bruise the foot and torque the ankle.

[Haleye5197]

Ahhh crap. Barn owner was going to take it off. Trainer came in and said that since the nails on the other side were so tight, we should just leave it on and wait for the farrier tomorrow at noon to do it. So that's what we're doing. Was that a bad idea? I didn't really think about the effect it could have on the ankle.

[Rick Burten]

Unless you have the right tools and the know-how, using the Vetrap and the duct tape to keep it as flat as possible is probably your better option. ....... If your farrier can't get out for a week or something he may ask you to pull it, but I would try to get hold of him first.

Exactly! Great advice.

And, whatever you do, do not remove the other shoe of the pair unless it too is sprung.

You should have on hand for these situations a rasp(to cut clinches) pull-offs/shoe pullers and if you can afford it, crease nail pullers. Your farrier can give you an old rasp to use and the other two tools don't have to be 'professional grade'. Do not attempt to remove a shoe unless you have received proper instruction in how to do it. A good idea would be to be present when your farrier is there and ask him to show you the steps involved, and then, under his/her supervision, remove a couple of shoes. And don't forget to pay him for the extra time s/he spends instructing and observing you.

You can also reference this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8YvYiSKDQ0

Here's another method which I do not recommend, but in an emergency with no other options/tools available...............
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9zBjMbIKAU

And you should always have a boot of the correct size, on hand. one that I recommend to my clients is: http://www.castleplastics.com/hoofboots.htm

[Tom Bloomer]

A sprung shoe can make a horse lame under certain circumstances. Ought to be pulled ASAP.

[Haleye5197]

So, the farrier didn't show up today. Went camping with his dog, dog ran away and had to look for him. Different farrier is coming tomorrow.

[SmartAlex]

My horse spung his shoe over the weekend and I quickly removed it. Of course, it has a quarter clip that he was trying his best (and succeeding) to step on, so no other options. I bought a basic farrier kit to deal with such emergencies, otherwise I would have been pretty well screwed. The one side was still on very tight and would have been no match for everyday tools.

Usually, a sprung shoe will work itself loose and cause more damage to the tight side before the farrier arrives. And barring that, the horse can step on it and wrench the heck out of things even worse. Always best to remove it ASAP.