Anyone know how to prevent snow balling up in feet?

[jazzyjeff11]

any tips please??!
thanks

 

[Cedars]

Im sure someone has told me baby oil before.

Its something obvious like that, anyway!

Or salt?!


Ignore my babbling! xxxx

 

[happyhack]

I'm sure someone has said something about baby oil in the hooves, but I may be wrong, so dont quote me! lol!

 

[quirky]

I have packed the hooves with Vaseline in the past.

 

[posie_honey]

i've head salt mixed in vasaline....

but to be honest - lived in the US one winter for the hunt season - had a foot of snow for a month - we just rode as usual to keep the horses fit....

 

[VioletStripe]

ditto, vaseline or baby oil!

x

 

[sally2008]

Pack them with axle grease - stays put and lasts forever!

 

[Rowreach]

Traditionally it was Stockholm Tar (smells gorgeous

) and this seems to work best, but anything thick and greasy will do if applied to dry hooves

 

[jazzyjeff11]

thanks everyone for that ....Im off to Boots!

 

[cptrayes]

Barefoot! No problems for horses with no shoes ))

 

[cariadssogreat]

Yup - grease of some description

 

[Chico Mio]

[ QUOTE ]
Barefoot! No problems for horses with no shoes ))

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL! Just what I was going to say

(We're not helpful are we?

)

 

[luckilotti]

another vote for using grease - you 'used' to be able to get specialist hoof grease, not sure if you still can?

 

[brucea]

What cptrayes said

I ride my barefoot boys in all weathers and they cope well with snow - never get "stilts" like the shod guys do. Maybe take the shoes off for winter, give the feet a chance to recover?

 

[Hippona]

[ QUOTE ]
What cptrayes said

I ride my barefoot boys in all weathers and they cope well with snow - never get "stilts" like the shod guys do. Maybe take the shoes off for winter, give the feet a chance to recover?

[/ QUOTE ]

Recover from what?

 

[brighteyes]

<font color="blue"> Recover from what? </font>

Do you really need to ask...

 

[lucy1984]

Buy some lard and pack their feet with that

My gee gees are barefoot, it's becoming more popular and rightly so

 

[Storminateacup]

Take shoes off for the snowy months - never found any other method works for my cob.
Last year he horrified me as he slid across a sheet of ice by the water trough on "CASTORS" like Bambi on ice!
Not taking chances this year.

 

[Ali2]

Another vote for barefoot!

 

[proctor]

I used to use Effol hoof grease but I've not seen it in the shops for ages so maybe they don't make it anymore. You used to be able to get a clear one or black one and they both smelt lovely!!

 

[dwi]

Daisy can't go barefoot, we've tried and her soles are just too thin.

I've tried putting engine grease on her hooves but this only seems to work for a bit? The first few balls of snow drop out but the grease seems to stick to the snow rather than staying in her hoof so you're balled up before long.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[philamena]

You used to be able to get something called sno-ball but I'm pretty sure it was just baby oil type thing.

 

[SpruceRI]

Snow, balls in my shetlands' feet and he's unshod

He also gets big balls of ice hanging off his feathers which really upsets him. I turn him out in his travelling boots to stop the icy-balls !!

 

[diggerbez]

it annoys me when people say 'just take the shoes off'- for some people its really not as simple as that

i'm gonna try some ale grease if its still snowy tomorrow- do i just stick loads in the bottom of the hoof?