How to Remove a Horse Shoe

During a trail ride, the night before a show or in the middle of a lesson, its Murphy's Law that your horse's shoe is guarantied to come off or become loose at the worst possible time. How to remove a horse shoe is a practical skill every horse lover, owner and rider should know.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Pinchers
• Rasp
• Nippers or shoe puller
• Leather gloves
• Chaps

1. Put on snug leather gloves to protect your hands. While gloves are optional, many farriers do not to use them, amateurs are far more likely to get cut or scratched using the rasp.
2. Pick up the hoof, facing away from the horse's head, rest it between your legs just above your knee. If you own a pair of full-chaps put them on. It is far safer to wear them to protect your legs than just jeans.
3. Cut off the clinches using nippers or rasp the clinches off. Make sure to pull any side clips on the shoe away from the hoof, otherwise you will accidentally break off hoof wall when you try to pry the shoe off.
4. Remove each individual nail with nippers. This is very handy if the shoe is still tight or the hoof is sore and inflamed; it is also a more practical method for a novice then just trying to pry the shoe free. Use extreme caution when working with a horse that has inflammation in the hoof. If you inadvertently press on a hot spot the horse may try to yank his hoof away and kick out.
5. Pull off the shoe using nippers. Start on the side closest to the heel and push the nippers inward toward the sole of the hoof. It's tempting to pull outward, but don't. You double your chances of breaking apart the hoof wall. Work your way toward the tip off the shoe pulling just a little at a time.
6. Repeat this process until the shoe comes off and remove any nails left in the hoof.
7. Place a hoof boot or slipper made of diapers around the barefoot. This is not necessary if both feet are bare and your horse is sound; but it is very important to provide some padding and protection when dealing with a hoof that is sore, has a puncture wound or abscess.
8. Call your farrier to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.