From: Roxie
Dear Jessica,
Winters here are a lot snowier and hence, icier, than I was used to in California. I've heard pros and cons of working my horse barefot, with borium caulks, with just regular shoes, with borium painted (?) onto the soles of regular shoes.
Most of our work would be on paved (blacktopped) roads, which tend to be kept pretty well plowed, except for days like this past week, when the snow just kept coming down and the temperature stayed *around* freezing, resulting in lots of messy slush with a pretty snow topping, which would then freeze overnight. The other option for riding will eventually be on dirt roads through the forest, but that has two problems: my mare gets spooky in the trees (Of course, I'll be working to desensitize her, but that's a goal, not an instant change thing.) and the local authorities ask us not to use these forestry service roads during the time they/re wet and soft/sloppy, as it increases erosion.
My horse is a little 13-3 almost eight-year-old Haflinger mare, is very agreeable about having her feet messed with, whatever we decide to do will be doable without trouble. I just want her to have secure footing for trail riding and driving, without jarring her feet and straining her joints due to too much *grab* from her footwear.
Thanks for your help, and once again, for your wonderful book!
Roxie and Lora (and Thomasina the Corgi)
Hi Roxie! I'm glad you liked the book, thank you. ;-)
Haflingers are very sure-footed horses, with good feet and solid hooves. You're right to be concerned about jarring her feet and straining her joints -- this is always a problem when you add "grabs" to shoes.
I think that you're going to have to use a combination of common sense, which you obviously have, weather awareness, and advice from your vet and farrier. My own preference is always to remove the shoes for winter -- the edge of a horse's hoof will cut into snow and slush, let it slide a little, as it's designed to do, and give it just the right amount of traction, without risking the joint torque that comes when a specially-treated shoe grips the surface, eliminates the slide, and sends the concussion and twist UP the leg.
As long as your mare's feet are in good shape, and as long as you're dealing with snow and slush, not with sheet ice, you're probably best off keeping your mare barefoot through the winter. Talk to your vet and farrier, who know your horse, her balance, and her hoof quality -- and who know the roads that you'll be working on, and the local winter weather conditions. If they have a compelling reason for you to put shoes on the mare, then you WILL have to add something to the shoes to make up for the natural traction that she'll lose; in that case, talk to your farrier about using ice nails, which provide a bit of traction.
If you need more traction, there are special calks for winter (you're already aware of the disadvantages) -- or you could ask the farrier to weld "borium" (actually tungsten carbide chips) to the toe and heel of the shoes. One warning, though -- this process creates shoes that LOOK as though they wouldn't inflict as much torque as the ones with calks, but that's not true. They grip the surface very well -- TOO well -- and like shoes with calks, their use comes at a price to your horse's legs. You'll have to decide what's best for your mare. Your professionals will be able to help you by giving you good advice about your specific situation.
Since you're talking about working on roads, I'm assuming that you'll be spending most of your time at the walk, to minimize concussion. If you get a good accumulation of snow on the roads -- several inches or more -- the footing should present no problem. Snow can be a nice surface to work on, and you've got the right horse for the job. And on truly icy days, you would be better advised to stay off the roads in any case!
Good luck, and happy winter riding!
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