HOW TO... Remove A Horse Shoe by Chris Boag To read more click to purchase this issue or subscribe. Basic farrier packs are available from most feed stores or saddleries at a reasonable price, and are definitely something all responsible horse owners should have in their equine tool kit for those emergency situations where a shoe has to be removed to protect the horse, before the farrier can get there. The pack usually contains a hammer, buffer, pinchers, nippers and a rasp; tools that may not be of the highest quality but would be adequate for pulling off horse shoes in an emergency. L eft: The tool s required l eft to right: buffer, hammer, p inc hers ( C hris uses an ol d p air of nip p ers, p ic tured, for his p inc hers) and a rasp . B el ow: ( 1 ) Standing nex t to the horse’ s shoul der fac ing towards its rump , run a hand down the l eg ( 2 ) to j ust abov e the fetoc k and giv e a gentl e squeez e. I f no resp onse then squeez e harder until the horse giv es the l eg. ( 3 ) O nc e the horse l ifts its l eg immediatel y hol d the toe of the hoof so the sol e is fac ng up wards, as this giv es the handl er c ontrol and the horse c annot p ut its foot down ev en if it wants to, whereas if the hoof is hel d around the p astern then it c an easil y p ut its foot bac k on the ground. ( 4 ) Stil l hol ding the hoof by the toe, p ut it between the handl er’ s l egs so it is sol e up , and c l ose the k nees ( go a bit p igeon- toed to hel p hol d the l eg) . This l eav es hands free to c arry on with the task of remov ing the shoe. 1 August September 2013 - Page 8 2 3 4