Shoeing

[Pony Soldier]

In a lot of the country I hunt in there are countless springs. As they ooze down the hill - they freeze. A couple of inches of snow to hide these patches can create a nasty situation unless you can train your horse to play hocky. I wear cork boots to hunt in because of heavy downfall and frozen ground but what about your pony.

I once met a hunter on a ridge and the topic came up.He said he had sharp shod his horses for this problem. However when he opened his trailer the inside was a blood bath. The horses had shredded each other.

I have hard surfaced the shoes and they lasted longer but didn't make any difference on the ice rinks.

This year I used mustads frost nails on my gentlest horse. They aren't sharp but do provide increased ground pressure for better traction. However (I haven't pulled shoes yet) early inspection showed the nail heads in the back shoes had sheared off. The fronts appear to had stayed. Riding on glaze ice roads showed similar success and failure. The fronts had traction while the hind feet slipped and slid dangerously.

I will know more when I pull shoes but I don't think I will do that again.

 

[rayporter]

if you dont have partitions between each horse you run the risk of them getting cut up whether they have drilltec on the shoes or are bare foot.

 

[Wrongside]

We’ve been using boots the last few years. Our scenario is year round trips to the mountains and foothills. Riding in our country can mean really rocky, muddy and icy terrain all in one day. The boots can be studded or have hardened bolts out the bottom. They’re quick to put on or pull off, so come off everyday. Way easier on the horses, trailer floors, etc. than our previous method of welding carbides onto steel shoes.

 

[Preston]

We’ve been using boots the last few years. Our scenario is year round trips to the mountains and foothills. Riding in our country can mean really rocky, muddy and icy terrain all in one day. The boots can be studded or have hardened bolts out the bottom. They’re quick to put on or pull off, so come off everyday. Way easier on the horses, trailer floors, etc. than our previous method of welding carbides onto steel shoes.

What kind of boots do you recommend? I really like this idea, bc we mostly just trim ours and go barefoot, but want something for water crossings, Rocky, ice/snow covered areas. I’ve heard that a lot of endurance rides use boots, that should tell us something…..Thank you

 

[Wrongside]

What kind of boots do you recommend? I really like this idea, bc we mostly just trim ours and go barefoot, but want something for water crossings, Rocky, ice/snow covered areas. I’ve heard that a lot of endurance rides use boots, that should tell us something…..Thank you

EASYBOOTEPIC.COM

easybootepic.com

These are the only boot we have experience with. But have been pretty impressed so far. We have quite a few miles on 3 sets. They have held up well over all, but will need some parts replaced before our next trip. Parts are readily available and reasonably priced from our local dealer, and the boots are designed to be easily serviced, so the main boot itself should last quite awhile.

We’ve been happy enough with the system and the performance of the Epic, that we will have them on 6 of our horses by the spring.

 

[burrohiker]

X2 on the easy boots. You can find a good deal on ebay for used boots which takes the bite out of buy a new set. However, just make sure you measure twice for size.

 

[pacoalcracker]

I use carriage driven type shoes with toe grab and raised heel studs on my Walker, which rides and drives. Way better on any surface than keg type smooth bottomed shoes. I might try a screwed on textured soft polyurethane composite shoe at some point after reading a 2019 article on it from New Zealand. They screw onto the bottom of a steel keg shoe. Seems to do even better than the shoes I use currently. If nothing else, the horse walks/trots faster with longer strides and less impact stress to the hoof and leg, especially the front. The comparison study was done in Austria by a number of equine universities. The study was done on smooth asphalt, which can be as slick as packed snow or ice.

 

[Hardtak]

I ride in the mountains all year around. I ride with borium. Yes it is considered a sharp shoe. I trailer my pony around with other horses alot (they are all sharp shod) and they are never in the condition you mention. I would bet he drove like a drunken sailor as we have never had cut up legs. Just drive sensible.

A few people I ride with use corks. These screw into a normal type of shoe. This might be a good option as you can take them in or out before and after you leave basecamp if you are worried about transport. You just need a wrench.

Either way, I would never ride around in the mountains on ice without borium or corks. They make the difference between getting home safe or not.

I also ride with a snow pads in the winter under the shoe to stop ice and snow from packing in the hoof.

 

[Hardtak]

My thoughts on boots. I know several people that ride with various types of boots. My wife rides in renegade boots for her mare. They are expensive upfront ($700 ish) to get with spikes etc. Cheaper in the long run than running corks or borium. They work but they are a pain in the ass if you want to cross mud. You will lose a boot in the mud. Either take it off before and put it back on or get dirty trying to find it 3 feet sucked down in a bog.

After the 10th bog you cross, you will be calling your farrier for some new kicks. I don't have the patience for boots.

 

[Procision Arms]

I use carriage driven type shoes with toe grab and raised heel studs on my Walker, which rides and drives. Way better on any surface than keg type smooth bottomed shoes. I might try a screwed on textured soft polyurethane composite shoe at some point after reading a 2019 article on it from New Zealand. They screw onto the bottom of a steel keg shoe. Seems to do even better than the shoes I use currently. If nothing else, the horse walks/trots faster with longer strides and less impact stress to the hoof and leg, especially the front. The comparison study was done in Austria by a number of equine universities. The study was done on smooth asphalt, which can be as slick as packed snow or ice.

There’s a few nail-on shoes available in the states with the same principle, I’ve had a ton of success with the Duplo composite shoe. They make a version that has traction grooves already cut in, and have the option of adding studs.

We use them on some very sore footed horses, and it’s life changing for some of them. Do very well on pavement too, the plastic/rubber gives you a lot of grab.


Another trick if you don’t want to use grab/studs/caulks, pick up some borium head nails. If you can shoe your own, you can add a few dots of borium when you need it and have them plain shod the rest of the time.

 

[stumpy waters]

I use the easy boots back country model. Absolutely no issues whatsoever so far. if you will measure the hoofs right after a fresh trim, they will tell you what size you need based on your trim schedule. You can upload the pictures on their website.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I have finally stalled enough and will shoe my horses in the next two days. The most recent headache is the lack of any shoes in the stores. Especially in the sizes 00, 0, and 1. Makes you wonder who we delegated to produce those. We can't seem to produce anything anymore.

 

[mntnguide]

Interesting, i haven't had any issues finding those sizes at my local store. I run st. Croix rim or toe and heel if the snow flies. And they have plenty of both. I just did my 4 year old over the weekend and they had boxes on boxes of shoes when i went and grabbed singles

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[Tobe_B]

Order your stuff in bulk from a farrier supply shop. It’ll save you time and money in the long run. Not a fan of using carbide nails, I don’t much like the way they drive and I don’t like torque applied directly to my nails head. Drill I’m studs are a PITA unless you leave them in all the time. Drilltec it nice, but I have a few horses that kick, so that’s not an option. Easy care Versa shoes are pretty good in rocks and mud, not so much on snow and ice. But they do have a quick attach stud that solves that problem.

We ride a lot of slick rock and do it in the snow and ice. Like several hundred miles of it a year. I’ve played around with heel and toe shoe, rim shoes, and carbide nails. Everything we take, learns how to walk on slick rock with a slick shoe. You go enough and the figure out how to walk without falling on their face. Best thing we’ve figured out to make a shoe last 6 weeks is using kerckhaert shoes. The steel is a little better quality and stands up to the job for longer.


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[mxgsfmdpx]

They make shoes now that are threaded for small removeable “cleats”. Rubber plugs go in the holes to protect the threads when the spikes aren’t being used. Comes as a little kit with tools, plugs, and spikes. Works great.