Disgusting Smell from Hooves

[goodhors]

I would NEVER recommend going at any speed on hard surfaces without some kind of traction devices on shoes!! Having seen excited horses slip and fall, dancing about or going faster than a walk, pavement is NOT the best surface for quick gaits with your horse. Road Rash on both horses and people, from sliding along, or even just landing on hard surface, takes a while to clear up. Wounds are VERY painful, both before and after picking out the dirt and stones..

shoes=slippery....barefooted=no slip...at least on blacktop...Don't be scared...

Guess you have been lots luckier than the folks I rode with!

Slipping happened to both barefoot and shod horses without traction on their shoes, on blacktop. Traction is carbide on shoes, small road studs tapped into shoes. Now studded hoof boots are available too.

Walking on hard surfaces, blacktop or cement finishes is safest. Never could understand why folks wanted to pound down the paved road after seeing those fallen horses and riders, some runaways that also fell. Real hard to do First Aid when you are not carrying any supplies!

You can ride any speed you like on pavement, but not something you want to advise others to do. Are you wearing a helmet? We had to go to the nearest house for an ambulance call on one wreck, head wound among others. I figure if horse is 'slippy' then that surface is not a good place to add any speed. Your choice how you ride. Does keep your guardian angels busy!

 

[()relics]

helmet??? really??? yeah No...

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I won't be able to trot her on the pavement, unless I'm running beside her.

When I was younger, my aunt told me to "hurry" to the arena. I started trotting her mare down the asphalt. She slipped, just a tiny bit and she was barefoot. Scared the crap out of me. I will never do anything but a walk in asphalt. I don't like doing it on cement either, seems like it would hurt and would be a bit hard on the knees.

I know it hurts like heck when I attempt to jog on the asphalt, I can't imagine how much stress it would cause on a horse that weighs 5x more than myself WITH me on him.

That's just the way I view it though, I'm not that experienced of a horsewoman, so I know my limitations.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Most Europeans (Brits especially) regularly trot on pavement

Relics, I nearly always wear a helmet. As an endurance rider, there have been a number of times trotting fast through the woods that my head has thunked on branches and I was always grateful I had one on.

Occasionally in competition I'll trot down a gravel road and some on trails we have to go a stretch down pavement or even cross it but I usually walk it.

 

[w c]

Riding a horse at speed on a paved surface is not the best idea. At the first barn I worked at, a girl had just gotten killed doing just that, though no one really knows what speed they were going. Karen Campbell- they started the Karen Campbell memorial trophy in her memory. She was with John Beech, and they were riding on the road, and her horse slipped and fell. He spent the rest of his life drinking himself to death. So I don't think it's a good idea.

It's common to ride on the road in rural areas, and it's very common to ride without a helmet.

It's also common for people to get hurt doing that...even at slower speeds. Horses simply are not robots, and drivers often do stupid (or intentional) dangerous things around horses.

Whan Brits talk of 'road work' they may do some walking and occasionally jogging on paved surfaces*, a very small minority of people do more than that, but most 'road work' is on the grass verge or shoulder, admittedly a pretty firm surface, but not paved...what road work there was, was on rural roads, tar and chip, rather than concrete, and the traffic was nothing like it is in my area...LOL. If I rode on the road here, the next thing you would hear was the schedule for my funeral, LOL. You regularly hear of Amish getting killed here, driving or riding.

Traditionally work on a hard surface, walking in waves on the beach, liniments, wrapping and stropping were all thought to improve fitness. So was long walk exercise or leading/ponying thought to fitten up horses. I think many of the things we hear, such as 'a good grooming is as good for a horse's circulation as a good workout' are a little exaggerated..and I don't think anything really substitutes for the workout the back muscles get from carrying a rider. I doubt walking in waves or walking on the road really does that much, I'm sure wrapping, while at times very useful, arose to conceal strained, puffy legs from a buyer, LOL. Horse trading is the SECOND oldest profession, lol!

They're no less concerned about safety in Brittain than other countries; in fact, with Pony Club having a strong influence people may be MORE trained in safety.

And there is no clear evidence that frequent work on a paved surface is beneficial overall, or necessary or superior to working on a hard surface of grass or clay.

To be honest, many people's arenas are so hard and compacted, they need go no further than their own arena to give the horse a work out on a hard surface. Trails are often that way too. I think most people don't need to ride on the road even if they do want a work on a hard surface.

One study of a small group of race horses suggested a brief work on a hard surface every ten days might increase bone density, but it did not balance that against accidents and injuries to tendons and ligaments on the road, or to the potential for concussion if too often or on a paved surface. In other words, it was just a study, not practical results.

* note that when they do even WALK on the road, the horses wear knee pads and all sorts of protection.

 

[ducks4you]

Most Europeans (Brits especially) regularly trot on pavement.

So do the Amish. Once they paved the roads that they use they just worked their animals on it, and now they wear out their legs in doing so. That's probably why they all get the reputation of being abusive.

Getting back to the post topic, I have heard from more than one farrier that this is caused by fungus. Most often the fungus grows in a chronically wet abd dirty stall when the horse spends most of the time inside, but it can occur in a turnout where there is a lot of moisture, as in a really wet season, even if the turnout is picked clean. The horse in question has probably spent time in both.

Borium on shoes, and more recent devices that I've not used, can grip asphalt. I wouldn't use them on a shod QH, since they love to plant their backlegs and turn on the forehand, thus stressing musculature on the back legs.
I try not to ride too fast on pavement. I figure that if there is any chance of ME slipping on a surface, I shouldn't ride my horse on it, although I'm probably clumsier.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Ah-ha!

After only a few days, the hooves seem a bit drier! It could be the actual weather, but the smell isn't as awful and the stuff is coming out easier as well!

I've been putting the Thrush-X on her hooves with a paintbrush every day (or at least, when she'll come up to me willingly. I refuse to chase a horse down.)

Woohoo! I feel better! She's started following me around. I'm sure it's because I'm the one that gives treats. I'm not above bribing...

 

[goodhors]

Ah-ha!

After only a few days, the hooves seem a bit drier!

Woohoo! I feel better! She's started following me around. I'm sure it's because I'm the one that gives treats. I'm not above bribing...

If bribes work, then that is what you do to get your hands on them!

Congrats on being persistant in putting it on her, and getting good results already.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

*WOOT!*

The hooves no longer have the smell, there is no white powder when I clean her hooves...she's doing darn well! Daily application worked!

I'm going to start doing a weekly application for both my horse and the Appy pony.


Found out how much they're selling the pony for... $1,000. She's as close to bombproof as you're gonna get though and now with her hooves in good shape...I'm gonna be sad when she goes.


She only comes to me though... They trimmed her hooves up today while I had her caught up. I figured she was gonna hate me but she was following me around as soon as the owners left.