Time to decide…

Autumn is upon us and winter isn’t far behind. Now is the time when we’re all preparing for winter horsekeeping. Blankets are being laundered and repaired, water heaters are being cleaned and tested, and last minute fence and barn repairs are being completed. It’s also the time to consider winter hoofcare. Snowballing and slipping are real concerns during the winter months.

The remedies for these conditions include applying shoes with special pads to prevent snowballing and the welding on of borium or drill-tek, or driven in studs to provide traction. Leaving a horse shod with standard shoes is inviting an accident to happen. Another popular option, and my recommendation, is leaving your horse barefoot for the winter season.

There are numerous advantages to leaving your horse unshod. A bare hoof resists snowballing and has a good amount of traction in the snow. Beyond the benefits of wintertime safety, this period of going barefoot will reap additional advantages. A break from the shoeing cycle allows nail holes to grow out, strengthens the white line, which is almost always compromised with fungus after repeated shoeing, whether hot or cold. The shoe can also rob the frog of the necessary ground contact it requires and can cause the heels to contract over time. Periods of going barefoot can keep the contracting at bay. These are just a sampling of the reasons that most hoofcare experts and the various texts available, from the earliest printed to the most recently published, recommend pulling the shoes at some point during the year, and why not choose wintertime?

Successfully making the transition does require some forethought however. Do not wait until the ground is frozen rock solid to pull the shoes or both you and your horse are going to be miserable. Many times owners are tempted to get the most out of that last pair of shoes; doing so can actually rob you of wintertime riding. A properly trimmed hoof allowed to transition can remain rideable throughout the winter months. Again, the key is allowing the horse to gradually acclimate to being barefoot before the deep freeze of winter sets in.

While most horses can manage going barefoot during the winter months, the amount of the benefit derived from this period is directly related to the trimming technique employed. While safety is important, the comfort of the horse should not be sacrificed and a proper trim can minimize and most times prevent any discomfort. The trim is especially important if you are one of the growing numbers of horse owners that are on the fence about going barefoot year-round and want to “test” it during the winter. As I’ve stated repeatedly in this column, trimming a horse to perform barefoot is significantly different than the traditional pasture trim intended to just get the horse by until the next shoeing. Even if you are a die hard advocate of shoeing or your particular situation requires shoeing, this period of natural hoofcare will provide a noticeably improved and healthier hoof to shoe when the time comes.

One last issue that commonly comes up when I’m discussing wintertime hoofcare is the ability for a horse to traverse ice. Ice is dangerous regardless of whether or not the horse is barefoot or shod. I will concede that a horse shod with borium “spikes” is better equipped than a barefoot horse on a sheet of ice; however it’s not infallible and comes at a cost. The amount of borium necessary to traverse glare ice will stress both the legs and the joints; therefore it should be used judicially. It would be far safer to deal with the ice than gamble with your horse’s safety.

When investigating the various aspects of horsemanship there are few “one size fits all” solutions and hoofcare certainly holds true to this and offers a broad range of approaches. I do however propose that when it comes to wintertime hoofcare, barefoot makes sense in most cases. Until next time God bless you and your equine partners and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!