# ice built up in hooves



## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

Ya that sucks! Mine don't come in for the night so I don't have to worry about them slipping but this morning I was out there and they all had packed snow. Looks uncomfortable but there isn't much I can do. I've read somewhere you can spray their feet with Pam but don't know if it works. I wonder if you could use a deicer? Just on the bottom of their feet where they wouldn't ingest it. ?? Guess we'll both find out.
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## Carleen (Jun 19, 2009)

Is there any way you could bring a bucket of warm water to the barn and soak their feet in it to melt the ice? I personally wouldn't want to leave them like that all through the night. And as mbender said, spray Pam on their hooves once they are dry and before you turn them out again and it should prevent this issue.


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## AdrienneS (Aug 13, 2010)

We use ice picks to get the balls of ice out. They look like pointy hammers and they seem to work great with a little work on your part lol. I've also heard that putting vegtable oil on the hoof and all over the sole helps. I've yet to try it so I don't know if it works, but if you try and it does I'd love to hear about it! 

Good Luck!


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I have heard varying degrees of success using PAM and vegetable oil.

When I as kid on the farm, my horses had the ex-cow barn to run in and out of. They would get a tremendous build-up of ice to where they had trouble walking.

I would have to *very gently* take a hammer and screwdriver to break the top layers off. If the whole thing came off, that was great because I didn't have to finish up with the hoof pick.

I did that every morning at feeding time before I went to school and again at their night time feeding.

With them running in and out at will, it was the best I could do and thankfully no one got hurt from all that ice build-up.

If the ice balls on the fetlock hair grew to more than three or four, I cut them off because they would not melt away until the temps warmed up and the snow had melted below the hair.

I was careful to cut as little hair as possible.


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## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

I was going to post this..I was! lol

My mini came in and was standing on her hooves odd. I picked them up and she had so much ice that it was a good inch past her hoof. I couldn't get the ice out so I ended up sticking her in her stall so that it would melt. It did but I can't really leave her in her stall all the time because she has COPD and starts heaving. 

I think I'll try the vegetable oil thing...do you guys think baby oild would work as well?


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Crisco lasts a little longer than Pam, but it sure is messy.


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## Gus (Oct 22, 2010)

o gosh!!! never had that happen before (live in desert) I would say soaking in warm water.....


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Are your horses shod?
If yes, then have your farrier put snow pads on them. They come in a couple of different styles. This will prevent the ice balls from developing.

If your horses are barefoot they ice balls usually pop out on their own pretty easily. 

I have never had any luck with crisco or pam. Made a mess and that was about it.



To get ice balls out you simply have to be more determined than they are. MFM has shoes with out pads right now (she came to me that way) and she gets horrible ice balls. Sometimes I have to poke for a while with the hoof pick getting little bits at a time, but they do come out eventually. Just keep working at them.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

We use a rubber mallet. Anything else can slip and hurt the horse or your hand.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

MLS, can you explain how you use a rubber mallet? I am interested in a different technique. The hoof pick thing is tedious.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Alwaysbehind said:


> MLS, can you explain how you use a rubber mallet? I am interested in a different technique. The hoof pick thing is tedious.


 
Sure - We tap - or pound the ice balls out. Typically if you tap at an angle, it will dislodge the major portion of the ball.

Pick up the hoof as if you are going to clean it normally, tap the snow ball out and then use a hoof pick brush to remove any remaining snow.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

So you tap at the heel area?


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

when i live in montreal, all we used was pam, prayed it on there hoofs befor turning them out or trail ridding.......


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## loveBradforever (Oct 6, 2010)

Carleen said:


> Is there any way you could bring a bucket of warm water to the barn and soak their feet in it to melt the ice? I personally wouldn't want to leave them like that all through the night. And as mbender said, spray Pam on their hooves once they are dry and before you turn them out again and it should prevent this issue.


i agree! hot/warm bucket of water will help. hope there ok.


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## flamehead (Dec 14, 2010)

I know its totally different amounts of snow in America but I've used with success here whacking a load of vaseline in their feet. They mostly come in without any, and if they do, they fall out super quick. xxxx


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

I just pull their shoes or put snow pads. Just had the farrier out today in fact. The boys got pads and gypsy got her shoes pulled bc I'm not made of money and she has the best feet. 

I also put vaseline on their barefeet if they are prone to getting ice balls.

I live in wi btw
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## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

I dont know how true this is but i was always told to remove iceballs and dont let them stand round as it was the equivalent to wearing highheels for horses and prolonged standing at the angle can damage suspensory ligaments and tendons.

Do not qoute me on that however as im not sure


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## CheyGurl17 (Aug 19, 2010)

i use the back end of a hammer. it works really well to get the snow/ice out of my 24/7 outdoor horses. since i live in canada, i get LOTS of snow and my horses love being outside, and only go in their shelter if the weather is really, really bad. i tried many differnt strategies, but this one i found worked the best! good luck!


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

If you have shoes, do you not use snow pads? They are a rubber thingie that is attached in between the hoof and the shoe, it has a ball like thingie in the middle. They are fantastic and just a few extra $$ from the farrier. 

As I had a few too many thingies in my description, here they are. 

Scroll down the link, there are photos. 

Google Image Result for http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii302/Horseshoes1976/Shoeing074.jpg


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## newowner (Sep 10, 2010)

They do not have shoes but I will remember about the snow pads in the future. 

The heat from the barn melted everything by morning but I will not leave them like that overnight again. 

I also had the farrier out yesterday and he said to try vaseline. He also said that it can help when everything is well trimmed as it can help to cut down on accumulation. They were not out for very long yesterday (4 hours) as I kept them in waiting for the farrier and my hubby forgot to do anything for them this morning...so I am hoping that today will be better but time will tell. 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will let everyone know how I make out.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

You know, I dont know if there is a really good trick you can use. I know some people have use PAM(the cooking spray), and I've heard some people use vaseline. Never used either one. All I did with my horses was to put them in the wash rack and to use warm water. I've used specialty shoes with the caps to help prevent build up, but they were insanely expensive, and they didnt always work.

Hosing might be your best option if you have access to a wash rack.


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## KawaiiCharlie (Nov 17, 2010)

vaseline / patroleum jelly in the hooves before you turn them out works a treat, stops the ice from sticking & it should just fall out as they walk.


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## Kymbadina (Oct 29, 2010)

Carleen said:


> Is there any way you could bring a bucket of warm water to the barn and soak their feet in it to melt the ice? I personally wouldn't want to leave them like that all through the night. And as mbender said, spray Pam on their hooves once they are dry and before you turn them out again and it should prevent this issue.


I'm no expert, just wondering.. would there be no negative effects of this? Going from super cold to warm water? I'm ust thinking when my hands are freezing and I put them in anything but cold water it stings. I was just curious if this would do anything to their hooves since they stand on them all day like somthing similar to foundering? I don't know that's why I'm asking.
A boarder at my stables has a horse with..(forgive me if I'm wrong) eggbar wedge shoes? Its a solid circular shoe with a heel(we call them his stilettos) he has navicular problems and she has a whole hoove routine daily. His feet pack with Ice and she has to use a hammer on a hoofpick like a chisel.
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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

This whole thread is very interesting to me. I live in the south and we don't normally have much snow/ice, but..... this year has been different. When we had 10 days of snow/ice about a month ago my hubby's gelding came in from the pasture with rounded balls of ice in his front hoofs. It was so funny looking, it did look like he was in high heels!
I left him for an hour or two and went back they ice had melted enough to fall out. 
This is not something we are use to, so it was very funny to me.. I would not want to have to deal with that every day.

Rhonda


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## Arksly (Mar 13, 2010)

I had the same problem with Jesse last year. I ended up bending my nice new Oster hoofpick . But, from then on I'd use a rasp. I usually just file the ice down until it's thin then I take my hoofpick (99 cents from Princess Auto) and pick it out. As far as the ice balls go, I have the same problem this year. I will usually just use my fingers and hold them until they melt away (for small ones), cut them off, or use a blow dryer.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Arksly said:


> I had the same problem with Jesse last year. I ended up bending my nice new Oster hoofpick . But, from then on I'd use a rasp. I usually just file the ice down until it's thin then I take my hoofpick (99 cents from Princess Auto) and pick it out. As far as the ice balls go, I have the same problem this year. I will usually just use my fingers and hold them until they melt away (for small ones), cut them off, or use a blow dryer.


A few taps on the snow ball with a rubber mallet and it crumbles and falls right out. No bending of hoof picks, no confining the horses leg while you rasp the snow ball level (!?), no asking the poor horse to balance for very long on the other hoof with the build up in it.


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## Arksly (Mar 13, 2010)

mls said:


> A few taps on the snow ball with a rubber mallet and it crumbles and falls right out. No bending of hoof picks, no confining the horses leg while you rasp the snow ball level (!?), no asking the poor horse to balance for very long on the other hoof with the build up in it.


That hoof pick thing was only once. I'll have to try the mallet thing. Usually I could file it down pretty quickly but sometimes it would be longer.


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## candandy49 (Jan 16, 2011)

I have used Vaseline with a lot of success in the ice balls not building up in the hooves. To help elimiante the messiness I use disposable latex gloves that I buy by the box. It only takes one glove to slather the Vaseline onto the soles of the hoof.


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## aspin231 (Mar 20, 2010)

Arksly- I also bent a hoof pick backwards trying to remove ice balls! 

When I had that problem, I would just take a cheap, sturdy hoofpick (like from Princess Auto) and get it under the ice in the grooves of the hoof, if I could, and pop the ice out in one piece. If I couldn't get it off that way, I would just try to chip away at the edges until I could get the pick under, or get it off bit by bit. I've never been fortunate enough to board anywhere with a barn, never mind warm water!


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## Arksly (Mar 13, 2010)

aspin231 said:


> Arksly- I also bent a hoof pick backwards trying to remove ice balls!
> 
> When I had that problem, I would just take a cheap, sturdy hoofpick (like from Princess Auto) and get it under the ice in the grooves of the hoof, if I could, and pop the ice out in one piece. If I couldn't get it off that way, I would just try to chip away at the edges until I could get the pick under, or get it off bit by bit. I've never been fortunate enough to board anywhere with a barn, never mind warm water!


*Cheers for cheap hoofpicks!
They seem to be so much stronger and you don't have to worry about breaking it!


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## HorseCrazyforSure (Feb 20, 2011)

Yes, lots of people already brought up warm water but absolutely. The only issue there is if your horses feet are extremely sensitive. One of my Thouroughbreds is very sensitive and if his feet get even a little wet, hes lame. If you can bring your horses indoors, I would start there. Then if their feet aren't too sensitive, use the warm bucket of water. If the feet are sensitive, I would keep them inside in an area with little-no concrete, to avoid falls and let the ice loosen up before going at it again.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

I use a hammer. Blue gets huge chunks of ice in his hooves, even though he is barefoot. I take a hammer and lossen them up then take the part of the hammer that pulls out nails and get the ice out. I make sure to do that the first thing when I bring him in since he can be a wiggle-worm in the cross ties and I don't want him to fall.

The ice always makes him look an inch or two taller than he actually is, its crazy!


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## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

I saw that someone suggested warm water, which should work. You could maybe wrap there legs, that would prevent the balls of ice from getting on the fur by their legs. (You'd have to wrap there legs right, though. Make sure to look it up and not wrap 'em to tight.)


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I can understand snow sticking if the horses are shod, but barefoot? I can never remember having THAT much snow accumulating in their feet. My girls now definitely don't and when I was a kid, I don't remember that either. I would say that the trim was the biggest part of the issue. 

I have always lived with snow and the only horses that had problems were shod. It seems odd to me that so many people are familiar with this trouble. 

We used to put ski wax on the bottom of our ski boots to keep the snow from balling up on the bottom of those. If you are in a ski area and want to try it, get the silver wax -- really soft stuff rated for temps just at or above freezing.


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## AspendaleFarm (Feb 25, 2011)

Only one of my horses gets balled up. I knock the balls off with a hammer (don't hammer onto the hooves, hammer across the ice ball sideways), clean the rest out with a pick (not usually much left) and spray with baking spray (like Pam). I don't have to do this more than once or twice at most each winter, as the baking spray seems to last - and we live in northern Michigan, the land of snow! LOL! But that is just my experience. Good luck!


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