Need Help Preventing Ice Balls

mylilchix

Overrun with beasties
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Out in Colorado. Our farrier comes out Friday for a trim. I'm hoping he can do a true barefoot trim on Lil Bit's hooves. His hooves aren't too over grown at the moment, but the fronts seem deeper than I've seen before. I think the other issue has been the snow is wetter than usual and the temps below zero. The snow has been freezing on contact to any warm surface. If he goes to the bathroom and walks back through it the snow will freeze almost instantly. I've even been sticking to anything metal outside while I do chores.
 

allbyme

Exploring the pasture
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Pick them daily or as often as possible. You can apply vasaline to the frog area( just slop it in there). Ya only gotta do this bout twice a week and it's cheaper at the Dollar stores.;)
 

MissMini

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:thumbsup

Clean out hoof and use some Crisco...pqack it in the hoof well OR try spray Pam If your little buddy will accept the noise~~~~~good luck

MissMini
:frow
 

CritterZone

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It depends on what type of terrain the horse lives on as to the concavity of their feet. Also, feet will change when their terrain changes. A horse in the desert where they are on sand tends to have flat soles, where a horse in rougher or more varied terrain tends to have more concavity. My sister brought me a mare last year who had lived in the desert for 7 years and her feet were flat. Over the last year living on our clay and very rocky soil they have changed so they are more concave.

Also, ice balls can and will form in unshod hooves. All six of my horses have always gone barefoot. When the weather is below zero and there is a couple feet of snow on the ground their feet pack with snow. One of the few times I ever put hooflex on my horses feet is in the winter because it helps keep the snow from packing in. My horses move around quite a bit, but that doesn't always help. My horses don't live in box stalls, but they do have access to a dry barn with rubber mats so they can get off the cold, frozen ground.
 
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