"So, I Shoulda Got Them Pads"
My traditional approach to winter, for the last ten years or so was to shoe my horses with snow studs (just little dots of borium) for the ice and snow pads to keep the snow from balling up in their feet. Last year and the year before I opted out because in the year prior we had so little snow the pads just didn't make sense.
This year, when my three shoers came, Kenny asked if I wanted pads. With the recent weather record, I opted out as I noted in an earlier post.
I used to call the pads "snow insurance" because it always seemed that once I had them put on, it would not snow again all winter. Well, this year, so far, ever since I decided NOT to put the pads on, all it has done is snow! I shoulda taken out my snow insurance policy!
Once again, when I got up this morning, the old snow, still not all melted was covered with a new layer. It's not a lot--just enough to be annoying--but it's still snow. To top it off--which it did--it coated the patches of ice in my driveway, hiding them well enough that on the way down to put out the garbage for collection, I slipped and fell. I didn't fall hard, but my knee is noticing it as the day goes on and I feel a few more twinges here and there. Bummer.
I certainly wish I could post some great riding news, but it doesn't look good for quite a while yet. The cold is supposed to hang around for more than a week from the looks of the forecast. That will mean this bad footing will hang around too. I may try a hack to see how it is out there, but with the new layer of snow hiding the ice, I will have to be very careful.
More maybe later.
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isn't that always the way, though, Jean? shame about your slipping ... ouchy!
ReplyDeletei've emailed marylou a screen dump showing her (and dave) what I see when i try to post on her blog! and said something about English grass as well.
Ouch, I hope your knee doesn't get any worse! Remember to apply ice!
ReplyDeleteI remember friends using borium studs in the winter in Maine where we get a lot of ice in the shoulder seasons. In Colorado I had snow pads on my flat footed saddlebred. They were full pads with a bubble in the middle. When he stepped down the weight would compress the bubble and when he lifted his foot the bubble would pop out, flipping out the snow. The horse that I was leasing right before I came here did not need full pads (probably didn't need shoes at all actually) so he had rim pads (like a tube which sits just to the inside of the shoe) which worked very well - no snowballs to tip toe around on.
I bet in a week or two the snow will be mostly done for the winter in NJ.
Claire, I didn't get an email from you! My address is: mlb.chem@googlemail.com
Also Dave republished my blog and while I was not able to comment yesterday, I could today from the pc at work. I will post tonight too. I am very curious to know what Claire said about winter English grass.
ML
Yup, same snow pads I usually use.
ReplyDeleteUsed rim pads one year with another farrier and they seemed pretty good too. Might consider them next shoeing over the full pads. Thanks for reminding me.