How to help prevent your horse from losing a shoe

says Paul.
Consider the barefoot option
How about considering going barefoot over the winter or even permanently? If your horse is having some down time after a busy season its easier on the pocket and your paddock as well as better for his feet to have a period without shoes. And no shoes on means no shoes to come off apart from hoof boots of course but these are easier to pop back on.
Talk to your farrier
If you have a repeat offender for lost shoes discuss the problem with your farrier to review possible causes and how to address them. Wire fencing is a common culprit for example says farrier Phillip Denton. Horses paw at the fence then catch the shoe on the wire and tear it off.
Look after your horses feet
Sounds obvious but Phillip says not everyone takes the time to pick out feet daily or apply a good quality hoof dressing to protect the hoof wall and soles. Theres a big difference in terms of hoof quality between horses which arent receiving that attention to detail and those which are you cant fool your farrier! Its our job to put the shoes on correctly but its the owners job to help them stay on and healthy hooves are more likely to keep their shoes.
Consider your horses diet
And finally make sure your horses diet is designed for optimal hoof health. Equine nutritionist Clare MacLeod MSc RNutr says hooves rely on an adequate supply of essential nutrients for strength resilience and health
and good growth rate. Its a misunderstanding of nutrition to simply add a hoof supplement into the diet before investigating whether the basic diet is balanced she says. A balanced diet is absolutely essential for all body parts to function correctly yet many horses diets are not balanced