Helpful tips for your horses feet over the winter.
During our cold and unpredictable winters here in ontario, we deal with
snow, ice and mud, which can all be hazardous to your horse. There is a risk of
slipping, falling and hoof damage from the slippery, slick surfaces. Here are
some tips to keep your horse’s hooves healthy and safe during the winter
months.
If at all possible, you may want to let your horse go barefoot
and take a break from shoes for a little while. A couple months without shoes
can give the horse a needed rest from his shoes. Make sure the horse’s show
schedule, hoof quality and health will allow for it if your not sure ask your
farrier for advice. You may also want to have the edges of the hoof wall
smoothed and sculpted a bit to decrease chances of chipping and cracking on the
frozen ground.
If you decide to keep shoes on your horse, you may need
to put snow pads on as well. Without the pads, snow can build up under the shoes
and pack into balls, causing slipping, pressure and bruising on the soles, as
well as strain on tissue and ligaments. There are a few different types of snow
pads, rim pads that dont cover the whole soul so you can still pick the foot out
,or a bubble pad which covers the whole foot but protects the whole soul, after
application your farrier will then put silicone between the foot and the pad for
added comfort and to make sure nothing gets between the foot and pad.
Around here, since we tend to have icestorms and slick conditions, borium or
drive-in studs or even screw in corks might be a good idea on the bottoms of
shoes. This helps with traction and makes riding the horse safer for both the
rider and the horse.
Once things begin to thaw, mud becomes an issue. If
the conditions are extremely muddy, it’s a good idea to pick out the horse's
feet. This will minimize the chance of having a problem with thrush as it lets
the horse’s feet dry out, also horse's tend to shead there frogs over the winter
it is normal, you can apply kevin bacons hoof solution,coppertox or
thrush-buster a few times a week until thrush is gone.
Finally, it’s not
uncommon to stretch out the intervals in between shoeings as hoof growth slows
in the winter. It can even be extended by one to two weeks. Check with your
farrier to see if this will work for your horse
Thanks for reading,
Russ & Katie's Farrier Service (happy trails)
During our cold and unpredictable winters here in ontario, we deal with
snow, ice and mud, which can all be hazardous to your horse. There is a risk of
slipping, falling and hoof damage from the slippery, slick surfaces. Here are
some tips to keep your horse’s hooves healthy and safe during the winter
months.
If at all possible, you may want to let your horse go barefoot
and take a break from shoes for a little while. A couple months without shoes
can give the horse a needed rest from his shoes. Make sure the horse’s show
schedule, hoof quality and health will allow for it if your not sure ask your
farrier for advice. You may also want to have the edges of the hoof wall
smoothed and sculpted a bit to decrease chances of chipping and cracking on the
frozen ground.
If you decide to keep shoes on your horse, you may need
to put snow pads on as well. Without the pads, snow can build up under the shoes
and pack into balls, causing slipping, pressure and bruising on the soles, as
well as strain on tissue and ligaments. There are a few different types of snow
pads, rim pads that dont cover the whole soul so you can still pick the foot out
,or a bubble pad which covers the whole foot but protects the whole soul, after
application your farrier will then put silicone between the foot and the pad for
added comfort and to make sure nothing gets between the foot and pad.
Around here, since we tend to have icestorms and slick conditions, borium or
drive-in studs or even screw in corks might be a good idea on the bottoms of
shoes. This helps with traction and makes riding the horse safer for both the
rider and the horse.
Once things begin to thaw, mud becomes an issue. If
the conditions are extremely muddy, it’s a good idea to pick out the horse's
feet. This will minimize the chance of having a problem with thrush as it lets
the horse’s feet dry out, also horse's tend to shead there frogs over the winter
it is normal, you can apply kevin bacons hoof solution,coppertox or
thrush-buster a few times a week until thrush is gone.
Finally, it’s not
uncommon to stretch out the intervals in between shoeings as hoof growth slows
in the winter. It can even be extended by one to two weeks. Check with your
farrier to see if this will work for your horse
Thanks for reading,
Russ & Katie's Farrier Service (happy trails)
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