Does concrete cause shoes to come loose?

It really depends on the shoeing job and the horse's hooves, but if they're on good and you're horse's hooves are holding them well, concrete would not be a huge contribution to throwing shoes. The thing is, though, concrete is a hard surface that causes concussion to the horse's tendons. The shoes are protecting the feet, and they will wear down if you ride them too much or too hard on the concrete.

Seeing as you have him shod at appropriate times, that wouldn't be a contribution. Are his feet soft and brittle? They tend to not hold shoes very well. Is the shoe too big or small? If they fit to the shape of the hoof and cover the heel and don't overlap anywhere, it should be fine.

I'm not saying this would help a bunch, but put leg wraps at least on the front legs of the horse so the shoes and tendons won't absorb so much concussion when you ride on the concrete. (;

Well, riding on concrete isn't good for your horse at all. The impart of riding on concrete can send a jolt of pain up the leg that can cause damage or discomfort to the cannon or any of the fine bones that are a part of the horses legs.

Some horses hooves are very soft and that is probably why he is loosing his shoes alot. You can get special shoes that are used for horses that ride on hard surfaces that help balance out the hoof so it doesn't discomfort him. If those shoes come off, then it is possible that his hooves are soft. You can get supplements to harden them or you could get an easy boot http://cdn.content.compendiumblog.com/uploads/user... I have never used them and i haven't heard too many bad reviews about them but I have no personal experience with them.

Your vet is WRONG. My colleagues and I literally have thousands of clients using easyboot epics with a gaiter. They are fantastic. Nothing will harm your horse's hooves like shoes. Really harmful.

Riding your horse on concrete with shoes is not good, especially on a regular basis. The concussion is greatly increased and there is a lot of "shocks" going through that food that is so much worse with the shoes. The shoes prevent the feet from flexing and expanding normally and then you are putting so much more compressive forces on the feet. It will make the shoes more likely to come loose and again, is very harmful to the feet. Using boots would be greatly beneficial and really help to protect your horse's hooves.

If you are doing a fast rack on the hard then you are not doing your horse any favours as the jarring will both mess up his legs and as others have said loosen the nails.

Riding on the roads does not harm the horses legs providing that it is done at a sensible pace.

In the Uk there are very few people who can go out and ride without actually going along the roads - I believe that steady trotting on the roads helps to harden the horses legs. I have mine doing a lot of road work when they first start getting fit, their shoes wear out rather than coming loose.

Mira, WHY are you riding your horse on concrete? Don't you know how harmful that is, not to mention dangerous, even with non-skid shoes? Riding on hard surfaces like concrete puts ENORMOUS amounts of unneccessary stress on your horse's bones and joints, and if you do enough of it, it can result in tendon or ligament damage. Plus, it's CRUEL to the horse. No wonder your horse's shoes are coming loose. That would happen to our horses too, if we did this, but thankfully we don't. Nails in shoes typically loosen as the hoof grows out. You shouldn't be waiting till your horse's shoes come loose before you call the farrier, either. Loose shoes on a concrete floor are dangerous- if they come off when you are riding, your horse could fall. When the hooves grow out, the shoe can start to pinch if it gets pushed out of place- and doing a lot of riding on concrete could certainly cause that.

Do you have any other place you can ride that doesn't have a concrete floor? What you're riding on now just isn't safe, either for you or for your horse. If you keep this up, your horse is going to wind up lame- and he could founder from all the concussion on his joints. Have you ever thought of that?

It may make a slight contribution, as there is no give in the road hence can cause a lot of shock to go through the hoof, which I guess could make it come loose. Though wear and tear in general comes from just them moving around anywhere.

Concrete is more of a contributor to actually wearing the shoe down and making it thinner.

The harder the surface you ride on, the more vibration there is of the nails holding the shoes on. That vibration erodes the wall tissues around the nail, which widens the nail holes and ultimately loosens the shoes. So riding on concrete does contribute to causing shoes to loosen sooner.

Loose nails is a pretty simple fix!

If you do not have a clinching block go to a metal sop and get a piece of square or rectangle piece of steel needs to only be 2x2 or so pick up the foot place the sharp edge of the steel on back side of the clinch against the hoof take a hammer or a rock and whack on the shoe side of the nail and it will tighten the clinch. Do each nail if they appear to be loose.