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 Regular
Posts: 52
| For those of you that get snow... Do you pull your horses shoes for winter or leave them on? And for those that do pull shoes... How do the horses handle it? I'm thinking about having my horses go barefoot for the winter and was just looking for opinions/suggestions/advice lol Thanks! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | I think it all depends on how much you ride and the reason your horse has shoes on. If you have the chance to pull them and let their feet rest I think that is always a good idea. My mare has flat feet that flare out terribly without shoes. We are correcting years of bad trimming so I keep shoes on her as much as posssible. I didn't get the chance to pull them last winter and she did just fine on the snow/ice up here in ND but this year I already have it planned out to let her be barefoot Novemember-Mid January so long as we don't loose any progress with her feet.
If your horse has no issues to maintain and you aren't using them I would vote to pull the shoes for winter.  |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
  
| MidWest1452 - 2016-08-18 10:10 PM
I think it all depends on how much you ride and the reason your horse has shoes on. If you have the chance to pull them and let their feet rest I think that is always a good idea. My mare has flat feet that flare out terribly without shoes. We are correcting years of bad trimming so I keep shoes on her as much as posssible. I didn't get the chance to pull them last winter and she did just fine on the snow/ice up here in ND but this year I already have it planned out to let her be barefoot Novemember-Mid January so long as we don't loose any progress with her feet.
If your horse has no issues to maintain and you aren't using them I would vote to pull the shoes for winter.
Ditto. The majority of the horses we have we will pull. We have one gelding we will likely leave shod due to correcting issues. All of them will stay trimmed |
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 Maine-iac
Posts: 3334
Location: Got Lobsta? | Our season is very short up here. My horses shoes get pulled the week after the last show which is sometime in October (Unless we go to GA) and don't get put back on till late April. Never had any problems! |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Horses need to be barefoot in snow because they can build up chunks of ice and snow under their shoes. It can be very dangerous for suspensories etc. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | classicpotatochip - 2016-08-19 8:35 AM Horses need to be barefoot in snow because they can build up chunks of ice and snow under their shoes. It can be very dangerous for suspensories etc.
I had heard this as well and haven't found it to be true. My barefoot horses last winter had more issues with snow packing in their feet than my two I left shoes on. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 582
Location: Wherever They Send Me | When I lived in Alaska, I pulled my mares shoes to let her feet rest during the winter (October to April); she did really well. My (now) 24 year old has always had shoes, and he ended up springing a back shoe and pulling a front shoe - I made the decision to leave him barefoot.
My farrier put pads on and zinc "grippies" to help prevent snow balls and to help keep them from slipping.
I think the snow helped them transition to being barefoot without too many problems and now all of mine are barefoot and I LOVE IT!!!
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Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| MidWest1452 - 2016-08-19 8:44 AM
classicpotatochip - 2016-08-19 8:35 AM Horses need to be barefoot in snow because they can build up chunks of ice and snow under their shoes. It can be very dangerous for suspensories etc.
I had heard this as well and haven't found it to be true. My barefoot horses last winter had more issues with snow packing in their feet than my two I left shoes on.
Odd for sure. I have seen them ball up under barefoot horses too, but horses with shoes always struggle. When the snow is really dry it's no issue regardless, but wet snow is impossible for them. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | classicpotatochip - 2016-08-19 9:04 AM MidWest1452 - 2016-08-19 8:44 AM classicpotatochip - 2016-08-19 8:35 AM Horses need to be barefoot in snow because they can build up chunks of ice and snow under their shoes. It can be very dangerous for suspensories etc. I had heard this as well and haven't found it to be true. My barefoot horses last winter had more issues with snow packing in their feet than my two I left shoes on. Odd for sure. I have seen them ball up under barefoot horses too, but horses with shoes always struggle. When the snow is really dry it's no issue regardless, but wet snow is impossible for them.
They make snow pads for this reason - no snow balls. |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | I pull shoes on one of my geldings when I'm done running for the winter, which is usually the end of November to mid December. My other gelding with navicular wears them year round. To help with traction my farrier puts borium nodules on the bottoms of his shoes. He also wears wedge pads so we don't really have issues with snow balling up. If it does we just go out and chip it off. |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | Does everyone continue to keep horses legged up during the winter? We've had a busy (for us) summer, running a few times a month. But come winter time, we are planning on following the good weather down to Phoenix to race. I hate running my mare without shoes. I also hate chiseling out snow and ice ten times a day. |
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The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | ~BINGO~ - 2016-08-19 10:05 AM Does everyone continue to keep horses legged up during the winter? We've had a busy (for us) summer, running a few times a month. But come winter time, we are planning on following the good weather down to Phoenix to race. I hate running my mare without shoes. I also hate chiseling out snow and ice ten times a day.
I don't; too dang cold and I don't have an indoor arena. Mine pretty much sit out on 40 acres of pasture from about December to March. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | ~BINGO~ - 2016-08-19 10:05 AM Does everyone continue to keep horses legged up during the winter? We've had a busy (for us) summer, running a few times a month. But come winter time, we are planning on following the good weather down to Phoenix to race. I hate running my mare without shoes. I also hate chiseling out snow and ice ten times a day.
I keep my mare in pretty good shape all year round. She has COPD and it helps her to keep her lungs healthy and in the best shape possible. She does get easier workouts Nov-Early Jan but even in below zero I am out riding and I think she enjoys getting out and moving during winter. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | I used to...but this year I went barefoot through the summer too and have had great success so far. But, I agree, yes I think it is good to pull shoes in the winter, unless there is a reason they are shod. |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I normally pull shoes in the winter to let their feet rest but my gelding is in corrective shoes so he has them year round. We put snow pads in them and don't have issues with ice/snow buildup. Better than the ones without. |
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Member
Posts: 32
| If you're worried about pulling the shoes and your horse battling sore soles, you may want to try a product like Easy Care's Easy Boot Glove.
I am in the process of transitioning one of my geldings to barefoot who has had shoes his entire life in order to combat chronically sore heels and these boots have been great for him.
I long trot him in them, and put them on him for turn out when he is particularly sore. But of course would not recommend running in them. They should be removed and cleaned daily, and are not designed to be on the horse 24/7, but only as an aid when they need it.
Having boots on your horse does take some extra time and effort, but well worth it in my opinion. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| I like to pull shoes in the winter unless a horse needs to have them on. If they do then I'll put the snow pads on to keep them from getting too bad. Snow will ball up in barefoot or shod horses regardless, but I think the coldness of the shoe makes them easier to ball up in and ice over. That is just my observation in dealing with snow..
As far as keeping them in shape thru the winter, I try to keep them in pretty good shape and their wind built up. I feel it helps keep them sound and from getting sore as much as if they had the winter off. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| ~BINGO~ - 2016-08-19 10:05 AM
Does everyone continue to keep horses legged up during the winter? We've had a busy (for us) summer, running a few times a month. But come winter time, we are planning on following the good weather down to Phoenix to race. I hate running my mare without shoes. I also hate chiseling out snow and ice ten times a day.
We keep using them to check cows and fences etc, we'll go rope a few and ride at a friends indoor a couple 3 times a month but we don't have a workout regime.
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Regular
Posts: 52
| Thanks guys! My older mare has decent feet but I've never pulled her shoes. I'm not sure if my new mare "needs" them or not but I figured winter is the best time to pull them and see how it goes. I'm more worried about the snow building up in the shoes. Last year we got a decent amount of snow and they were stuck inside basically everyday.
How long should I expect them to be a little sore? Is there anything I can do to prevent their feet from chipping and to help with the transition? I'm worried their feet will turn to complete crap lol |
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 Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | Growing up, we always pulled shoes after hunting season. It gives them a good break from shoes and helps "drive the quick up" as the old timers called it. Do some reading on distal descent of P3, it is eye opening!
ps. Some (not all) of our horses would be a little gimpy at first, we would pull shoes after they were a good 4-6 weeks out after their last shoeing and make sure not to trim them up short right after pulling. Leaving a little wall and all the sole you can usually helps them when you first pull shoes. I would see how they do and go from there as to when you trim them. A real barefoot trim will incorporate a mustang roll which helps to prevent chipping (which is nature's ugly way of maintaining hoof wall length).
pps. All of mine are barefoot now year long.
Edited by ruggedchica 2016-08-19 5:54 PM
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