Hoof Care Under Glue-On Shoes: What’s Happening Beneath the Shoe?

Glue-on horseshoes have transformed the options available to farriers and horse owners.

For horses with compromised hoof walls, horses transitioning away from traditional nailed shoes, or those requiring specialist therapeutic packages, modern composite glue-on shoes can provide protection without putting nails through the hoof wall.

They can also be light, flexible and adaptable, and some designs allow horses to stand on all four feet during much of the application process — potentially making shoeing easier for horses that struggle to hold a limb up for extended periods. EasyCare highlights this as one advantage of its glue-on systems, particularly for horses dealing with arthritis, back discomfort or lower-limb injuries.

But there is another side to glue-on shoeing that deserves attention:

What is happening to the hoof underneath the shoe during the four, five or six weeks when we can no longer see it properly?

The answer makes good hoof preparation and preventative hoof care particularly important.

Glue-on shoes change the hoof-care environment

A healthy horse’s foot is certainly not sterile. Research examining equine hooves has found substantial bacterial populations on the hoof wall, sole and frog even after extensive cleaning and disinfection.

Usually this isn’t a problem.

The hoof is continually interacting with its environment and, when accessible, the sole and frog can be picked out, inspected and cleaned.

Once areas of the foot are covered by a shoe, pad, impression material or therapeutic package, however, our ability to do that changes.

Depending on the particular glue-on system being used, parts of the frog, collateral grooves, white line or sole may be considerably less accessible until the shoe is removed.

That matters because microbial hoof problems often begin in exactly these areas.

Thrush, for example, is a degenerative condition of the frog in which anaerobic bacteria are believed to play an important role. The central sulcus is frequently the first area affected before disease spreads into the collateral sulci and frog. Moist conditions, hoof conformation, deep sulci, narrow heels and inadequate hoof cleaning have all been identified as possible predisposing factors.

This doesn’t mean putting a glue-on shoe on a horse automatically causes thrush.

It does mean that covering an already compromised frog, deep central sulcus or contaminated white line without first addressing it can allow a small problem to become a much bigger one before the next shoeing appointment.

The most important hoof-care work happens before the shoe goes on

This right left comparison image shows the condition of Formahoof when removed after a full cycle – the dark side was a hoof sole not prepared with any products to support sole health or reduce microbial load while the light imprint is the side where Artimud was applied ahead of the Formahoof to protect the sole and frog from degradation.

Interestingly, the requirements for successful glue adhesion and good hoof hygiene have a lot in common:

Start with a meticulously prepared foot.

EasyCare repeatedly emphasises hoof preparation as one of the most important factors governing glue-on success. Before adhesive is applied, the hoof wall needs to be properly prepared, clean and dry. Poor preparation, moisture or contamination between the hoof and tabs can compromise the bond.

The same opportunity should be used to examine the underside of the foot.

Before covering any part of the hoof, check:

• the central sulcus of the frog
• both collateral grooves
• the white line
• old nail holes
• stretched or separated areas of white line
• cracks and fissures
• undermined horn
• any black, soft or foul-smelling material.

A hoof pick and wire brush can reveal a surprising amount.

If a central sulcus disappears into a deep slit, for example, don’t assume that because the surface of the frog looks healthy the bottom of that crevice is healthy too.

Likewise, apparently minor white-line separation deserves attention before it disappears underneath a shoeing package for several weeks.

Treat first, then cover

This is an area where preventative hoof packing can be particularly useful.

EasyCare’s own glue-on guidance specifically recommends using Artimud or another hoof clay in the grooves and frog area before applying certain glue-on systems, with the aim of discouraging unwanted microbial growth beneath the shoe.

That recommendation isn’t new.

An earlier EasyCare article describing glue-on shoe application also shows Artimud being packed around the frog before the shoe and impression material are applied.

The principle is straightforward:

Deal with potentially vulnerable areas while you still have access to them.

Artimud is a clay-based hoof putty designed to remain in shallow hoof crevices. Red Horse Products recommends it particularly for frog clefts, shallow white-line separation and external cracks, and specifically lists its use underneath pads and stick-on shoes.

The thick clay consistency is important here. Unlike a liquid treatment that may disappear relatively quickly, a putty can physically occupy shallow voids and remain in close contact with the horn.

EDSS Hoofcare has also looked specifically at Artimud and its combination of bio-active honey, zinc oxide, French green clay and eucalyptus oil, discussing how these ingredients are used to help create an environment less favourable to unwanted microbial activity. EDSS also notes that further research is needed to fully establish the clinical mechanisms and applications of the individual ingredients.

That distinction is important.

Preventative hoof packing isn’t a replacement for correct trimming, diagnosis, debridement where required, veterinary care or good farriery.

It is another tool in the toolbox.

But keep hoof packing away from the glue bond

There’s an important practical point here.

The areas being packed and the areas being glued are not necessarily the same.

Your adhesive needs the surface conditions specified by its manufacturer.

EasyCare’s application guidance stresses that the hoof wall being bonded should be properly cleaned, prepared and dried.

Artimud, therefore, is generally used in areas such as the frog, sulci and appropriate areas of sole or white line — not smeared across the clean hoof-wall surface where adhesive needs to bond.

The precise preparation will vary considerably between glue-on systems, so always follow the shoe and adhesive manufacturer’s instructions.

Shallow and wide versus deep and narrow

One simple rule can help when choosing what to pack into a hoof defect.

For Red Horse Products:

shallow and wide = Artimud

deep and narrow = Hoof-Stuff

Artimud’s clay consistency makes it particularly useful for shallower frog grooves, white-line separation and areas of sole.

Where a crack or crevice is deep enough to retain fibrous packing, Hoof-Stuff may be more appropriate. Red Horse Products suggests a simple practical test: if damp cotton wool could be packed securely into the cavity, it may be deep enough for Hoof-Stuff rather than Artimud.

This is particularly relevant when preparing feet for longer-term shoeing packages.

Simply covering a deep central sulcus with a thin layer of product at its entrance isn’t the same as addressing the full depth of the problem.

Don’t seal in an active problem

Perhaps the most important rule is this:

Don’t deliberately seal over something you haven’t identified.

If there is obvious infection, significant frog damage, deep white-line disease, drainage, heat, pain or suspected abscessation, investigate it before covering the foot.

An actively draining abscess, for example, should not simply be plugged and forgotten.

Red Horse’s instructions for Artimud specifically state that an abscess cavity should have finished draining before packing, and that initially the packing should be removed regularly to ensure fluid isn’t accumulating behind it.

Deep or painful hoof pathology warrants veterinary and professional farriery input.

Glue-ons aren’t all the same

It’s also important not to talk about “glue-on shoes” as though they were a single system.

There are cuff shoes, tab systems, composite shoes, aluminium shoes bonded with adhesive, therapeutic applications, open designs and systems used with pads or impression material.

Their effects on the foot will therefore differ.

There is research, for example, showing that some forms of firmly glued shoe can reduce heel movement compared with nailed shoes. A study of Thoroughbreds found less mediolateral heel movement under glued aluminium shoes at several speeds, leading the researchers to suggest further investigation into the possible effect on normal hoof mechanics.

A later study comparing different types of glue-on footwear again demonstrates why it is unwise to assume every adhesive shoe affects the foot in exactly the same way.

So the important questions aren’t simply:

“Glue-on or nailed?”

They are:

Which shoe?

Attached where?

Supporting what structures?

For what purpose?

On what foot?

The reveal at the next shoeing matters

When glue-on shoes are removed, don’t rush immediately into trimming and reapplication.

The condition of the foot underneath provides valuable information.

Look at the frog.

Open the collateral grooves.

Inspect the central sulcus.

Check the white line.

Look for softened or degraded horn and pay attention to smell.

Compare what you see with photographs from the previous application if possible.

One useful habit is to photograph the solar surface immediately before the shoe is fitted and again as soon as it is removed.

Over several cycles, this creates a simple visual record of whether the hoof underneath the package is becoming healthier, remaining stable or deteriorating.

If the frog repeatedly looks worse at every reset, simply cleaning it up and applying exactly the same package again may not be addressing the underlying problem.

A practical pre-glue hoof-care routine

Before fitting a glue-on shoe:

1. Trim and balance the foot appropriately.

Foot balance and shoe choice come first. Topical hoof products cannot compensate for inappropriate biomechanics.

2. Clean the entire solar surface thoroughly.

Remove loose horn, dirt and debris so you can see what you are dealing with.

3. Inspect the frog and central sulcus.

Probe carefully rather than judging the foot solely from its surface appearance.

4. Examine the white line.

Pay particular attention to stretched areas, old nail holes and pockets of crumbly material.

5. Deal with pathology before covering it.

If something is painful, deep, draining or suspicious, investigate rather than simply sealing it away.

6. Pack vulnerable areas where appropriate.

Artimud can be used in shallow frog grooves, white-line crevices and suitable areas underneath pads and stick-on shoes.

7. Keep the adhesive zone pristine.

Prepare, clean and dry the hoof wall according to the adhesive manufacturer’s directions.

8. Document the foot.

A quick photograph before application provides an excellent comparison at the next reset.

Think about what you’ll find in six weeks

Glue-on technology has given farriers extraordinarily useful new ways of protecting, supporting and rehabilitating horses’ feet.

But sophisticated shoeing doesn’t remove the need for basic hoof hygiene.

In fact, when parts of the foot are going to disappear from view for an entire shoeing cycle, what you do immediately before they disappear arguably becomes even more important.

Clean it.

Inspect it.

Address anything suspicious.

Protect vulnerable crevices where appropriate.

Then apply the shoe to the best-prepared foot possible.

Because the real measure of a successful glue-on application isn’t simply whether the shoe is still attached five or six weeks later.

It’s the condition of the hoof when it comes off.

Sources and further reading

Red Horse Products – Artimud and hoof-care information.

Red Horse Products – Glue-on Horseshoes: Help or Hindrance?

EasyCare – glue-on shoe application, hoof preparation and Artimud guidance.

EDSS Hoofcare – Does Honey Actually Work for Hoof Health Restoration? and hoof-care resources.

Merck Veterinary Manual – Thrush in Horses.

Takahashi et al. – research into heel movement with glue-on and nailed shoes.