Road nails/Advice for silly hacking horse

[lisab]

I broke my foot a few weeks ago hacking out. I was trotting up the hill in the rain, my horse spooked, spun and slipped over, knocking me out and i broke my foot.

It healed well (23 days in plaster) and I took him out again 4 hours after getting my plaster off. And it nearly happened again - trotting uphill, he spooked, spun and nearly slipped over.

I'm not afraid of hacking out but had decided that it wasn't worth the risk of going out alone. I have 200 acres of farm to ride round, a grass school and jumping paddock, so I have some other options. I've schooled him, lunged him and ridden round the farm.

But I do miss hacking out as and when I please and the other girls on the yard work different hours to me, so it's difficult to find company.

He's always been stupid on the road but the roads do seem to be more slippy than normal at the moment.

I've had different opinions on road nails/studs - some say they work great and some say they don't and cause extra concussion.

I've learnt the hard way not to trot on the road any more, so I guess the extra concussion won't be such an issue if we're just walking. And he's an absolute swine to stud up, so these would be a nuisance.

Any advice/opinions would be most welcome. Thanks.

 

[JennBags]

I have road nails put in my old boy's shoes - has made a huge difference, we have a few very slippery roads around us.

No need to worry about studding up - the farrier just knocks a couple in when he shoes them.

 

[Archangel]

Road nails make a huge difference. One of mine has to have them as he is a heavier type and the way he puts his foot down encourages a slide, it is very un-nerving for both of us (actually me more than him).
Sounds like a nasty accident you had, glad you are on the mend.

 

[POLLDARK]

Have the roads been recently tarmaced ? There is a new surface called SMA, (Smooth Macadam Aggregate I think) which is very slippery. You could complain to the council if this is the case & they might !! surface a strip up the side with something else as it is also dangerous for bikers. Or try a different route, I don't like road nails. If it's a quiet road you could try zig zagging up/down it as you would on steep grass.

 

[rambling]

SMA ( Stone Mastic Asphalt ) is nearly as slippy as ice when it goes down first and when they first used it here I got the Farrier to put "pins " in my horse's shoes . They are less holding than road studs or the nails but make enough of a difference for the horse to feel more confident on the slippy surface. http://www.horseshoes.co.uk/tools-and-supplies/studs-related-tools/gp-tungsten-pin-4-3mm-packet-of-100-/prod_434.html?review=write

Have taken this section out of Wikipedia's entry on SMA.
"Disadvantages

* Initial skid resistance (lack of Friction) may be low until the thick binder film is worn off the top of the surface by traffic. In critical situations, a small, clean grit, may need to be applied before opening to traffic.

[edit] Concerns over skid resistance

Concerns have been raised in both the UK[1][2] and Australia[3][4] over the use of Stone mastic as, under certain conditions, it can take up to two years for the material to offer an acceptable level of skid resistance (grip). "

POLLDARK I remember being told that it is more dangerous to ZigZag as the horse is more likely to go over sideways that a slope should be ridden straight , that may just have been one persons opinion.

 

[Aces_High]

All of the horses who come to me have road nails put in straight away. There are many different rules for thought but discuss with your farrier for the best advice for your horse. I wouldn't ride on our roads without them. Sometimes on very slippery roads the middle can be less smooth and provide a little more grip or the very edges in the dust. I wouldn't risk slipping up again and get road nails in immediately

 

[hessy12]

I have road nails put in my old boy's shoes - has made a huge difference, we have a few very slippery roads around us.

No need to worry about studding up - the farrier just knocks a couple in when he shoes them.

This. It's made a big difference. I really hope your farrier can help and pop some in.

 

[tazzle]

have you considered barefoot, or barefoot with boots, both of which give increased traction .... less concussion too

 

[POLLDARK]

SMA ( Stone Mastic Asphalt ) is nearly as slippy as ice when it goes down first and when they first used it here I got the Farrier to put "pins " in my horse's shoes . They are less holding than road studs or the nails but make enough of a difference for the horse to feel more confident on the slippy surface. http://www.horseshoes.co.uk/tools-and-supplies/studs-related-tools/gp-tungsten-pin-4-3mm-packet-of-100-/prod_434.html?review=write

Have taken this section out of Wikipedia's entry on SMA.
"Disadvantages

* Initial skid resistance (lack of Friction) may be low until the thick binder film is worn off the top of the surface by traffic. In critical situations, a small, clean grit, may need to be applied before opening to traffic.

[edit] Concerns over skid resistance

Concerns have been raised in both the UK[1][2] and Australia[3][4] over the use of Stone mastic as, under certain conditions, it can take up to two years for the material to offer an acceptable level of skid resistance (grip). "

POLLDARK I remember being told that it is more dangerous to ZigZag as the horse is more likely to go over sideways that a slope should be ridden straight , that may just have been one persons opinion.

See, I knew I had the techie name wrong !! I'll stick to my guns re zigzagging though, from a child out hunting it was the advice always given & I've never seen a horse fall doing it but have seen someone go ass over tip not taking the advice.

 

[monkeybum13]

This. It's made a big difference. I really hope your farrier can help and pop some in.

Yes, road nails have made a huge difference to my horse when hacking on slippery roads/going down hills.

 

[lisab]

Thanks very much for the replies and advice.

I've asked my farrier to fit road nails with the next set of shoes.

So that's £65 shoes, £5 stud holes and £5 road nails - £75 every 5 weeks, eek!

Oh well, it's only money.

 

[StormyMoments]

the road nails i was getting were wearing down very quickly so i had my farrier drill some road pins into his shoes and they are really good no slipping at all - we used to ice skate on the roads x

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

Road nails do make a huge difference! If you are just walking, then you don't need to worry about concussion. Some people say that the use of road nails prevents the degree of natural movement which is normal. I use one road nail per shoe and having watched my horse walk, this natural slippage is still there, but he's not losing his footing and his legs don't slide away from him.

The roads where I live seem to be really bad at the moment, and it's because we've had quite a long spell of very warm weather, meaning the tarmac has softened, and the cars have squished down and smoothed off the top grippy surface. The roads around me almost have a sheen on them.