This message is from: Jean Ernest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Regarding "not shod in the winter." > >We've always had shoes removed in the wintertime and considered it more >humane but can't recall the basis for the practise, just assumed the reason >was that metal can be a cruel cold conductor. Ruthie
Generally the "winter shoes" here are put on with pads, either the 'Huf-grip" rim snow pad or full pads so maybe that insulates them. I just got the summer shoes removed and the winter shoes and pads put on my guys yesterday ...HOORAY!!!... My farrier thought that it was better to leave the plates on rather than remove them if he couldn't put the other shoes on, and it has worked out ok. He is VERY careful not to trim short when the weather might drop to the -40's etc. and didn't take much off their hooves yeasterday for that reason. He says that some other farriers have trimmed hooves too short for the cold conditions and horses have had problems. He wouldn't trim the girls at all yesterday for that reason even tho they were a bit long. The reason he wanted to leave the summer plates on rather than just take shoes off when it was too cold to put the others on was that the ground was so hard that taking the shoes off would have caused more problems than leaving them on. I trust my farrier and he sure knows his business shoeing here in the extremes of Alaska! After the boys got their borium shoes and pads yesterday they discovered that they had a lot more traction and 25 year old Bjarne went racing and bucking around the paddock, stopping occasionnaly to roll in the snow. Before, he had acted as if he wanted to roll, pawing and starting to get down, but then would decide against it, as his shoes must have felt slippery perhaps. but now he rolls with abandon to get the snow off his back then bounces up with a buck and races around chasing the others. We are enjoying balmy temps here, +25 degrees and we had about 18 inches of snow over the last few days. Sure glad I have a snow bloer as there would be no place to PUSH the snow! I still have to dig out the pickup and shovel snow off the deck ( Maybe try to get the snowblower on the deck to do that) then I can think about snowblowing the little arena and maybe I can actually RIDE! Hey, wouldn't THAT be a nice change..wonder if I remember how? LOL So when it is COLD here, it is WARM down there in the lower 48...And when it is Cold down there, we get the balmy weather! I like it this way..you folks can enjoy winter for a while! Jean in Fairbanks, ALaska, Almost shirt sleeve weather at +25! ************************************************************ Jean Ernest Fairbanks, Alaska [EMAIL PROTECTED]
