This message is from: Mary Thurman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Some quick questions. I have a lovely mare, Stella > III > who's 9 years old. She goes shoeless, but this > winter I > would like to drive her around the farm, and ride > her as > well. Problem is - we get lots of snow in upstate > NY - do > I need to shoe her so she won't clog up or fall Actually, unless you are dealing with lots of ice - and so need "sharp shoes" - a horse is better off with bare feet in the winter. The shape and warmth of the horse's hoof keeps it from balling up - the balls just slide out the back of the hoof. Shoes, on the other hand, can cause the balls of snow to become very well attached to the foot - the snow catches in the crevice between the shoe and the sole of the hoof. The resulting snow balls become very hard packed and are "the pits" to break up and get out of the hoof. If a horse must be shod in the winter, I have used a rubber pad that the farrier puts on with the shoe. It goes between the shoe and the hoof and keeps the snow from getting caught. However, this pad comes with its own set of problems if you live where the horse's feet are wet most of the winter. Most horses' bare hooves are a little sharp around the edges, so have good traction in snow, if you are somewhat careful about where and how you ride you should have no problems. Horses that compete in snowy conditions have their own set of problems and require a farrier familiar with their requirements to properly trim and/or shoe them for winter competitions. Hope this helps with your question on shoes. > Also, how do you say "whoa" in Norwegian? I'm not sure. Although I did learn a little Norwegian in order to "speak" to my Norwegian import mare, I don't think anyone ever told me the specific word for "whoa". I just(yust) say "ho" and that has always worked for her. She finally learned "gee" and "haw" after a few years. Verbal control is wonderful for those occasions when your hands are busy with something else! For this reason I really enjoy my driving horse when it comes time to bring horses in to the barn. No halter needed - just walk behind like you are driving her and she goes where you "tell" her to. Very easy. On the subject of "Norwegian ways" - did you know that in Norway they often do not use the halter to lead a horse? It is (or at least was) used to tie the horse up. They lead their horses by the forelock. A lot of the summer pasture land is very brushy and they do not leave halters on the horses. It evidently was easier to just "grab a forelock and go" than carry an armload of halters to the pasture. When we got our first Fjord, we were mystified by her reluctance to be lead by a halter - it was a real pain!! Then someone told us about the forelock leading. I must admit I thought he was pulling my leg, as the guy is a real jokester at times. But I went home and tried it - voila!! Works great. I teach all the foals born here to lead by the forelock. Very handy if the horses get out! Reach up, tug that forelock, the head comes down, you have full attention and submission all in one move - great! Anyone who owns a Raintree Farms (Raintree's _______) horse has a horse that learned to lead by the forelock as a baby. Mary Thanks! > linda wollowitz > > > ===== Mary Thurman Raintree Farms [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
