How often does a horse need new shoes?

Answer 1

Every horse is to be seen as an individual. Therefor every horse's hoof horn will grow in a different pace. The individual growing rate depends on a lot of factors: on what you feed, how much minerals it gets, how the horse is used, the hoof horn quality, age, sex, breed, if it needs an orthopedic hoofshoe to correct hoof imbalances and many more.

In general it takes about 6 - 8 weeks in average until it will be necessary to re-shoe. By then hoof horn has grown in such a pace, that a hoof shoe does not fit any more the way it should, it starts to loosen, or worse parts of the hoof wall underneath can break, leaving spaces between shoe and the normally stabile, carrying horn.

Answer 2

Depending on the quality of the shoes and how much the horse works on what surfaces (gravel roads will wear shoes a lot faster than grass or sand indoor arena) the horse's shoes may need changing anywhere between every month and every two months. Six weeks is normal, that's eight sets of shoes every year on average.

Answer 3

There are several factors that must be considered when taking care of older horses and their feet. His amount of exercise/work is probably not what it was when he was younger. As long as he is not ridden on hard, rocky surfaces and he has health feet he may not need shoes at all. If he is to be a "pasture "potatoe" it is better for him to just have regular trims (every 6 to 8 weeks). The other factor is physical problems may crop up in older horses (navicular, ringbone, Arthritis, to name a few). Some of these problems require corrective shoeing. Corrective horse shoes can also be costly if this is the case. But if the horse is healthy but just has a decrease in work his foot care will not vary much from what it had been.

Answer 4

It depends on the horse, since each horse has different shoeing needs.

Generally speaking, normal horseshoes are replaced when the hooves need trimming, rather than when the shoe wears out. The average pleasure or show horse is attended by a farrier every six to eight weeks, but racehorses or horses with hoof problems may require more frequent trimming or shoeing. It is, however, highly individual; ideally, each horse owner will devise a hoof care schedule in conjunction with their farrier and/or equine veterinarian that is suited to their own horse. Additionally, there is a growing "barefoot horse" movement, as there is evidence to suggest that given the right conditions, some domesticated horses can develop hooves as strong and durable as wild horses, and may only require temporary boots or shoes if conditions necessitate. A significant number of owners now choose to leave their horses unshod for at least part of the year. If shoes are worn year-round, the horse still will often not require them until late in its juvenile period, when it begins working or exercising hard enough to merit additional protection or support for the hoof (though trimming typically begins at a very early age).

Assuming, however, that a horse is shod every six weeks from the time it is three years old until death at 30 years (the upper range of a normal equine lifespan), it will need somewhere in the neighborhood of 936 shoes. The breakdown is as follows:

27 years equals approximately 1404 weeks, or 234 visits from the farrier at six-week intervals. One shoe per hoof, 234 times, is 936 shoes.

Answer 5

every 6 to 8 weeks.

Answer 6

every 6-8weeks

Answer 7

$55.00

Answer 8

6-8 weeks