Snow -Is anyone not putting vaseline, lard, socks ..

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Daisy2

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My two are out shod on the fronts with nothing added to their feet to stop snow balling, it does not seem to be a problem, just wondering if you do or dont apply something and have you had problems becasue you didnt... my guys live out 24/7 so I am not sure how long it would last if I did apply something.

And just one more question, my guys are also unrugged and seem to be doing well, my friends horses rugs however were frozen solid on their backs, I thought they looked cold and rather uncomfortable they are fine horses, not brutes like mine but do you think they might have been better without rugs or still warm under stiff frozen rugs??
 
Better without rugs than with, if they've got good fluffy coats. And same with putting stuff in their feet. If they don't need it, then leave them as they are. You're lucky!! ;-)
 
My highland has full set and I'm putting nothing in her feet. She's managing thus far and no balling up occurring.
Do they feel warm under their rugs? Individual horses have different needs. If, as madhossy says, they have good, fluffy coats, then leave them without rugs. If they are fine AND cold, then rug as necessary.
It's difficult to give a simple answer as some fine coated horses are fine minus rugs and then some natives are wimps and need rugs.
 
mine all live out (bar the ill ones) and have nothing put on their feet and not had a prob, i have 2 of mine unrugged and they are doing better this year than they have the last few years with darn expensive rugs on them.
Only just rugged the tb's a few weeks ago
 
One of my horses always seems to get the snow balled in his front feet, he came in on stilts today! The other one doesn't. Wonder if it depends on the shape of their feet? Both mine are shod in front only and the one who does get stilts has egg bar shoes.
 
If your horse has flat feet, you seem to get less balling. Those with deeper or boxier feet will hold more snow. Makes sense really
 
Mabel98 said:
If your horse has flat feet, you seem to get less balling. Those with deeper or boxier feet will hold more snow. Makes sense really
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This would tie up with what I'm seeing with my two. The ID has seriously flat feet & I've never known the snow to ball up in his, the welsh cob has nice feet but keeps coming in a couple of inches taller than he went out!
 
Ginger arab and his sister have bucket feet and snow balls up in them. But, the field shelter was full of hoof shaped ice balls today so i guess they aren't lasting long before falling out. I put a bit of vaseline down the sides of his frogs but i dont think they need it to be honest.
 
Both of mine are living out and havent had much of a problem with snow balling up yet and i'm not putting anything in them. Lola only had front shoes on but dont have a problem at all with her. Gem is shod all round and occasionally snow balls up in her front feet but it comes out easily so not too much of an issue. Never has them in her back feet. As for rugs, both are out in 300g combos at the moment. Up until last week Gem only had a fleece underneath a rainsheet but with the drop in temps over the last few days they've both started feeling the cold more so have had to up their rugs quite a lot. It was -10 last night though and neither were cold this morning so wont be going any heavier than that.
 
My mare is unrugged- her coat is very thick and she seems to be really loving the colder weather. She is unshod, occasionally the snow does build up but it tends to drop out on its own. I do remove the packed in snow but it just forms again immediately as she walks around the field and as long as there's no problem and it continues to fall out on its own I'm not going to do anything more.
 
Out of the three living out, the only one struggling with the snow has boxy, upright hooves. It took my OH to get the snow stilts out tonight! I am putting grease in all of the shod hooves as they don't ever get a break from the snow.
 
My unshod horses are fine. My shods seem split into two camps - those that need regular attention and those that don't seem to snowball at all. So I'd go along with what everyone else has said - foot conformation seems to be playing a part here.
 
Bizarrely mine, shod all round, has come in both nights with impacted ice and snow in just one front hoof! The others all clear...goodness knows what that's all about or how he manages that..he is slightly toe in on that foot but I don't know whether that would make a difference!
 
Non are shod and none get anything on their feet. It sometimes pack into their hooves but they don't get stiletto heels on. And it's brilliant for developing the soles and frogs!

Only one is rugged - his rug is often frozen solid - it just means he's loosing no heat through it. Same with the unrugged ponies - two of them always get piles of snow sitting on their backs they're the toastiest ponies because they're loosing so little heat through their fluff.
 
One with a full set and one horse unshod. The unshod who has boxy native feet is having the balling up problems but she lives out 24/7 so not a lot I can do. I have left her to it like the last 8 years I have and shes fine. She arthritic and only has her heavyweight on and is toasty what ever time of day. And then have my (other pony) welsh x hackney who has 2 rugs on and I refuse to put another on she still doesnt feel toasty warm shes good a good covering of flab on her and isnt tucked up.
 
My newfie has terribly boxy feet and his fronts (shod) are balling. The hinds (unshod) are fine, am considering taking all off for the worst weeks next year as I hate seeing him trying to balance on 3" of ice below his shoes! Cant be good for his legs :( I am vaselining his fronts but it doesnt help that much.
More annoyed about the outdoor water butts feezing right through so I cant break the top :(

But anyway guys, look on the bright side...no mud!!!!!!
 
Not putting anything in any of ours, normally they all end up with balls but this year the snow seems to be much firmer i think well actually frozen solid would descibe it well so they arent getting balls...yet!!
 
Tobago is barefoot - tough Arab feet, doesn't need shoes! - so no need for vaseline, etc.

But he is stabled and rugged up to the eyeballs - not-so-tough fine Arab coat and thin Arab skin!;)
 
htobago said:
Tobago is barefoot - tough Arab feet, doesn't need shoes! - so no need for vaseline, etc.

But he is stabled and rugged up to the eyeballs - not-so-tough fine Arab coat and thin Arab skin!;)
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I remember Elizabeth being taught at the PC that Arabs shouldn't be rugged as the desert gets cold at night! Just goes to show we should rug to suit the horse.

BTW Tobago is stunning.
FDC
 
Mabel98 said:
If your horse has flat feet, you seem to get less balling. Those with deeper or boxier feet will hold more snow. Makes sense really
Click to expand...

I thought that too, but one of mine has flat feet, and she was the only one out of mine that had the snow slightly balling up when she came in.. the other two have 'normal' feet and were fine.. odd..
 
Titch - unshod is coming in with very very minimal snow in her hooves. She is out naked in the day - her only turnout is a rainsheet to keep her cleaner and there's no mud at the moment!

Genie - shod all round with deep feet is having the snow ball, but I'm not putting anything in them, just making sure they are picked out thoroughly! She's out in a mediumweight turnout in the day (hunter clipped) and is toasty warm, and a heavyweight stable at night.
 
Mine is shod alround and gets snow balled up in his feet after about 5 mins. Is very difficult to pick out and makes him walk like Bambi! Vaseline doesn't work. Haven't tried socks??
 
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