Interesting thoughts yesterday on the way home from yard..

[Shadow the Reindeer]

You look at Christmas cards and you see horses pulling sleighs, watching Horse Whisperer, you see people out riding on the snow... yet, when snow arrives here, we become bound to the yards..

At the risk of sounding thick, what do they do differently with their horse's shoes?

 

[Montyforever]

My ponies gallop around their fields fine! Only thing I wouldn't do is go out on the roads!

Maybe it's another barefoot vs shoes post? mine are barefoot!

 

[SallyBatty]

If horses have shoes on then the snow builds up in them whereas if they are barefoot you don't get the snow build up.

 

[Shadow the Reindeer]

The horses in The Horse Whisperer, clearly had shoes on (you could hear them as the horse's were walked out of the barn).. I know about the snow compacting under the shoe, and know of a method used to help prevent it, but which isn't totally effective, but it doesn't stop the horse from slipping on the ice whether they have shoes or not.

'Petroleum jelly or non stick cooking spray on the soles of your horse’s hooves can prevent the packing of snow, mud, and ice.'

 

[Auslander]

You can get snow pads - which are a narrow tube which sits just inside the shoe. Every step the horse takes, the tubes compress, and push the snow out. They use them on ponies playing snow polo.

 

[Shadow the Reindeer]

Thanks, very useful Auslander

 

[putasocinit]

Ok where do we get these and we need a farrier to fix them?

 

[Rowreach]

If horses have shoes on then the snow builds up in them whereas if they are barefoot you don't get the snow build up.

The horse in the pic has shoes on

I don't ride mine in the snow, but then they are not used to it. Maybe that is the key? If we had snow for 6 months of the year I'd be riding in it and my horses would probably not fall over

 

[Dizzydancer]

I think the biggest difference is snow type. In the UK we tend to get quite icy snow as in once fallen it then re freezes and becomes like ice.
In countries like the above mentioned they have soft snow for many months.
I would ride in soft snow although not on roads but i wouldn't ride on the ice snow we often end up with. It was 2010i think that we had good snow and i rode in that round the fields.

 

[Auslander]

Ok where do we get these and we need a farrier to fix them?

I photographed these ones whilst interviewing a farrier, who brought them along specially to show me. They will need to be fitted by a farrier, so yours is probably a good place to start.

 

[putasocinit]

Uhmmm, not too sure, think stockholm tar will work just as good.

 

[Toffee_monster]

Doesnt stop me , i was the only one on a yard of 30 that drove my pony / schooled in the snow, no shoes so no problems.