Glue On Shoes
Categories: barshoes, Barn Animals, Laminitis, barrel racing, Equestrian, farriers, jumping, Horses and horseshoeing
Hello again, hope everyone's doing great. I want to show you and talk to you a bit about Glue on Shoes today. The pictures below are from a client of mine who's horse has very thin hoof walls and also straight up and down hoof wall which makes for very tricky shoeing, particularly nailing.
Nails placed close to the sensitive tissue ( close nails - hot nails ) can cause abscesses in the horses foot. As the case with this horse we decided to not risk more problems with his feet when it came to nailing and Glue on shoes were the option. My client was wanting to go on a ride over the weekend.
You'll notice the feet are quite short still and broken out on the sides. The commentary on the shoes follows.
The shoes worked very well. The quality was top notch. This particular set of shoes came with all the necessary hardware - glue ( only need one of the two tubes ) sandpaper to clean and roughen up the hoof - the great shoes and thorough easy to understand directions. However
1. The shoes are not easy to shape. The amazing rubber on the shoe absorbs and recoils hammer blows. It took probably three times the usual force of the hammer to shape the shoes.
2. The little fingers that get glued down to the foot also get in the way when shaping.
Other than that the rest of the process was a not so unusual or difficult. Of course a co-operative horse is always a blessing.
Here's the procedure.
1) Rasp the foot level . If you don't understand level contact me and i'll do my best to explain to you. Discerning true level is not easy yet it's one of the most important aspects to get correct to maintain a sound horse.
2) Shape the shoe to fit. A snug fit is better than having alot of shoe hanging out on the sides or the heels. Just test fit by placing the shoe on the foot / pulling the fingers/tabs away to slip the shoe on.
3) Sand the outside hoof wall very cleanly. A coarse grade of sandpaper is best such as 40 grit. When it comes to glue on shoes cleanliness is next to godliness so you'll see in the picture the hoof wall is virtually all sanded cleanly.
4) Before you're ready to glue whipe the shoe fingers with a cleaner such as denatured alcohol , oil from your hands will inhibit a good glue bond so make sure your hands are very clean as well - wash with soap and water before handling the shoe.
5) Also whipe the hoof wall with the denatured alcohol. It must be clean if you want the shoes to stay put.
6) So you're ready to glue now - it's best if your horse has a clean space to stand and hopefully it's well behaved and doesn't dance around while the glueing starts otherwise it will all be a stressful operation ( it somewhat is anyway )
7) Get your glue ready - it's basically a super glue type but comes with the shoes. Puncture the tip and be ready to move quickly.
8) Slide a shoe on the foot. Have the horse stand. If at all possible have someone hold the other foot up so the foot you're working on stays put. Quicly pull back the finger at the heel. Start a drip of glue from the top of the finger and let it run down the finger, Quickly press that finger onto the hoof, it will bond quickly. Move to the opposite heel finger and glue it down. Then progress rapidly in any feasable succession of glueing the fingers down. It can't really get much simpler than that . Providing the horse is co-operating.
The glue sets quickly as any super glue does but i wouldn't feel real safe riding the horse for at least a couple hours till the glue really has time to cure ( just my opinion ). I'm a believer in overnite curing times and i don't care how fast someone tells me it's supposto cure.
Here's a picture - before - and the After following.
You can see how clean everything is after whiping down the the Denatured Alcohol. Do not shortcut this part. everything must be as clean as you can get it. 
And the finished product . hammer the aluminum tabs down against the foot which helps keep the shoe on. You can see there's quite a bit of surface area to the fingers which are glued down. If when riding a tab somehow works itself loose just roll the rubber tab/finger between your fingers and the old glue should mostly come off and then reglue the finger back down.
Considering aluminum shoes such as the "Natural Balance" shoes are somewhat costly at nearly 20 $ the cost of these rubber glue on shoes is quite reasonable . Right at around 50 $ for two, and as mentioned comes with glue - sandpaper - a sandpaper pad and i believe gloves as well makes the set very reasonable ( my opinion ).
Ok , that's about it for now. It's always a pleasure and as usual happy and safe riding and remember to always www.Care4Horses.com
thank you : John Silveira
ps. I'm still available and providing consultation at no cost ( Free ) conformation analysis, shoeing issues, and any other expertise i can share.
And for those of you waiting on the DVD, stand in there - it's coming on the way. I should be posting soon on the website the first chapter , i'll let you know right away ...
thanks everyone - feel free to leave comments it's a benefit to everyone . Take care
Very informative piece. I am anxious to try the glue-ons. Two questions:
(1) How do you remove the shoes?
(2) My horse is prone to quarter cracks. Over the years, this problem has subsided somewhat...I can even ride her barefoot as long as the surface isn't too hard or rocky. Our ground here in Southern CA is nasty...decomposed granite...but some is not so decomposed! It is, of course, abrasive. Let's just say that when I do leave her barefoot, we literally don't have to trim her but every 3+ months or so because she treads on "sandpaper-like" ground! So, is there any problem with using this method on a regular basis [every 6 to 8 weeks]?
Thanks.
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Reply: Hello , thanks for stoppin in.
you know removing the shoes is not the problem it's really keeping them on is the problem - i've used glue ons a few times and no matter how clean i get the hoof wall (including cleaning with acetone) the glues don't stick well over time. I haven't tried every brand of glues so there may be some that work better than others , but i've been less than excited about the results. To remove the shoes just pick at the tabs with a screwdriver or something like that and pry the tabs loose, the rest will be easy - grab the tabs with a pair of plyers or something and pull them off.
Have to wonder why your horse is getting quarter cracks - feel free to send me photos at my email address here John@Care4Horses.com usually the quarter cracks are because the foot is out of balance / Long toe and low heels. There's alot of information on the blog about what to do about remedies for this.
Also , i had a client who used to bring her horse up to me every couple months saying "Is she ready for a trim yet" and i'd say "No sorry not yet" and this went on for a couple years . Didn't have to touch the feet for years till one day we decided to do just a clean up rasping just to make the owner feel better (-:
I've automatically enrolled you to recieve the ebook "Inside Horseshoeing Secrets of lameness Prevention" soon as it's done - looking for a completion date end of September.
thanks so much for stoppin by and best wishes
happy and safe riding and always remember to www.Care4Horses.com
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I just had a bad case of whiteline(half the left side quarter) we doctored for about 4 wks.with whitelighting till it became clean and dry.we then applied glue on shoes with acrylic patch. This helped, but there seems to be a little heat in the heels of both feet. Question? will there be a little more heat because of the plastic shoes. The shoes feel fine no heat. When should i become concerned with the heat, it appears to stay the same.
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Hello
thanks for the question, it's a good one.
i wouldn't suspect plastic shoes causing heat. There may be other issues - is the horse low in the heels causing deep flexor tendon stretching across the navicular bones ? Are the toes too long slowing down breakover stressing the tendon again. Sheered heels causing the same problems as above. Perhaps the foot is not level ( low on the medial or lateral side ) tweaking the coffin bone joint?
Heat is a clue - keep an eye on it . As far as how much heat to be concerned about - that's a tough question . I've seen feet get quite hot and nothing happen so i'm not quite sure how to answer that question for you. I'd say keep within a couple degrees of normal but if you're not quite sure feel free to call a vet for more advice and see if there's a way you can measure degrees of heat.
feel free to keep in touch . i'd like to know what you find out.
john "TheFootDoctor" silveira
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I will read from time to time for that.
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Thank you so much for the well
written and informative article.
You are very generous with your
knowledge. The article was most
comprehensive.
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thank you. my pleasure
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Hello everyone , it's been a while. I won't bore you with details but life has it's way sometimes and can take one away from things like posting to a blog. Anyway - below is some questions from Carol about her horse that has foundered. Foundering can be one of your biggest nightmares and i just want to share this and my answers to Carol with you.
Glad to be talking with you (-: it's long past christmas since my last post - Wow ! i might as well almost make this the next Christmas Post ---------- funny (-; Ok - see you next time
Carol's post starts below :
My Thor. 14 yr.old gelding has a h/o mild lamititis & white line disease. I have had him for 10 yrs. Never known for great feet, been through 4 abcess's...one was extreme. His hooves are flaring (front) one splitting 3/4 up in the middle. Long story short, flared cracking front hooves,walking on his soles, very short strided now, mildly lame. Put front shoes on him last wk. He was in so much pain with the shoeing he nearly buckled to his knees, farrior nearly hurt more than he admitted. Had asked him about using pads under shoes..said not needed. Asked about glueing shoes, don't think he is familiar with this technique. My horse has improved, but not 'back' & don't want a replay of this ever again. using supplements & hoof dressings, but very concerned. Limited on farriors here & no trailer to get him to a more experienced one. He consulted with his mentor who said crack was likely a chip in the coffin bone, I don't buy it. Laid off work so limited resource's @ this time. Would very much appreciate any suggestions.
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Hello Carol.
thank you for stoppin in.
Laminitis is always a serious issue for horses. You'll have rotation of the coffin bone ( tip pointing downward) to varying degrees depending on how serious the laminitis. Very hard for me to say why shoeing caused lameness . Could have been a nail too close to the sensitive tissues. The foot could have been cut too short and the sole pressure on the shoe putting pressure on sensitive tissue . Those are two of the most typical reasons for lameness after a shoeing.
It's not going to be uncommon to use pads under the shoe on foundered horse's either. Alot depends on the horse - thin soled ? Sensitive to pain ? Now with the coffin bone closer to the ground much easier for the horse to object to pressure in that area from stepping on even small stones. Pads are a good idea. I shoe a horse that foundered years ago but it's feet are just not able to go without pads , and the soles look thick .
The laminitis destroys what holds the hoof together ( the lamina ) and with the flare you say the horse has it's going to be easier for the hoof to crack because it's not attached to the foot by the lamina. I agree with you , it's most likely not a cracked coffin bone. If you don't already know keep in mind it's going to take at least a year for your horse to grow a whole new hoof wall - until that time the bond of the hoof to the foot is going to be weak , any kind of use with the horse ( even just a hard romp by itself in pasture ) could set the recovery back , then more time to grow a whole new foot again. Point here is to take it easy with the horse until the whole new foot has grown.
Something else to know - it used to be after a horse foundered the way to trim the foot was to leave plenty of heel on the hoof during trims so the deep flexor tendon doesn't get stressed putting further rotation on that already compromised coffin bone. These days however current philosophy is to lower heels so the horse does not stand on the tip of it's coffin bone . Lowering heels puts the coffin bone back to it's more natural position . I follow that advice but i do so with care , paying attention to how the horse handles the lower heels .
i personally haven't had very good results with glue on shoes. Have tried several types and with Veterinarian guidance but they've all come off within a week or two, so i don't have a recommendation for you on that one. Actually while thinking back a bit i've thought if i were to use glue on shoes ( the type with the finger tabs that glue against the hoofwall ) i think i'd build up a whole layer of epoxy or fiberglass resin over the glue on tabs , in other words building a whole new layer of hoofwall over the glued on tabs - would seem to help keep the shoe on longer. I'm not against glue on's but if the foot has enough hoofwall to get nails into i'd rather nail a shoe on.
The supplements you have the horse on is good.
Keep the flares down to a minimum - especially the flare at the toe which slows down breakover and pulls the deep flexor tendon that's going to try to rotate the coffin bone more . Move the shoes farther back under the foot ( more to the rear of the foot ).
If your horse is tender or thin soled and still feeling ouchy without pads feel free to put iodine on the sole or Venice Turpentine to toughen up the sole.
Sorry to hear about your horse's problem , founder is never easy. But many horse's work their way out of founder and go back to good service. If the founder is as mild as you suggest you should be one of the lucky ones. One of my clients has a horse that foundered - the horse is going barefoot currently and doing well. She was one of the lucky ones. Maybe you'll be lucky too.
Hope this helps you make some decisions and gives you some direction you can follow. Feel free to stop in anytime.
Good luck with it all and be patient.
John "TheFootDoctor" Silveira
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