# Prevent snowballs in shod horses



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

I believe I heard that you can spray Pam (used for cooking.. its nonstick) on the bottom of the horse's hooves to help prevent snowballs from forming.
is that true?
What else can be used to stop or prevent snowballs for forming?


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## xkatex (Oct 7, 2007)

Yup Pam works. I use Vaseline it seems to work for a longer period of time.


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

^^Yep I was gonna say Vaseline! It's always worked for me..although when I did have mine shod(shawed?) I never kept shoes on in the winter. But it helps for non shawed(sp?) hooves too.


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

how much Vaseline do you put on? A thin coat just to coat the hoof, or a thick coat?


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## amandaandeggo (May 21, 2008)

or anti snowball pads (nailed on under shoe not a good idea for thrushy horses) . . . or pine tar


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

He's not really thrushy. He has had it in the past, but doesn't have it ATM.

I would rather just put something on his hooves (incase we dont have a bad winter) than get the pads. But thanks for suggesting that!


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## amandaandeggo (May 21, 2008)

yep no problem . . . ive only ever had them on my horse once and thats cause he came with killer driving shoes w/ pads and studs and the whole deal . . . my extrainer wouldnt turn him out w/ other horses till we reshod him . . . she said that he could kill w/ those shoes


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## hillbillyin (Jul 26, 2008)

What are snowballs?


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## travlingypsy (Apr 5, 2008)

hillbillyin said:


> What are snowballs?


Balls made of snow :razz: 

... Sorry had to say it!


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## hillbillyin (Jul 26, 2008)

:razz:Very funny! No, seriously, I've never heard of snowballs on a horses feet.


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## travlingypsy (Apr 5, 2008)

lol, ive never had them but I guess they would be just the packed snow that would get stuck in the horses hooves caused by him having shoes. Correct me if im wrong just my guess.


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## travlingypsy (Apr 5, 2008)

amandaandeggo said:


> . . . she said that he could kill w/ those shoes


Is that true :shock: wow what in the world did those things look like?


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

travlingypsy said:


> lol, ive never had them but I guess they would be just the packed snow that would get stuck in the horses hooves caused by him having shoes. Correct me if im wrong just my guess.


Yes, the snow goes into a snowball shape because of the shoes. I'm not sure if can happen in barefoot horses, but when I would take lessons, we would have to be careful because the lesson horses (almost all of them wore shoes) would get snowballs in their hooves.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

I always pull the shoes, otherwise the metal on snow can get pretty slippery for them.


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

well as of right now, my gelding has shoes on for correctiveness, so taking them off really isn't an option, but I will ask my vet/farrier for their opinion on taking off his shoes for the winter.


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## travlingypsy (Apr 5, 2008)

Ive never ridden in the snow before. Is it very safe? What do you have to look out for besides ice? Can you still w/t/c probablly huh cause what about all the people in the old days... What about going up hills?


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

At my old barn, we would only ride up until a week before christmas, so there wasn't really a lot of snow then. But we would mostly do a lot of walking and trotting and only cantering if my instructor thought it was ok.

I'm sure you'd have to be very careful with going up hills.
Just use a lot of caution and common sense. If it's too dangerous for you to be walking or running in the snow, it's too dangerous for a horse


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## travlingypsy (Apr 5, 2008)

Luckily in WA we dont have a lot of snow, its mostly turned into ice. I think we only get like 2 inches and everyone is freaking out. But thats in the western part. In eastern WA were I use to live we got a couple feet where we jumped out of the truck and it would reach past our knees, I miss it sooooo much! Honestly if someone gave me the chance I would move back up there in a heart beat.


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

appylover31803 said:


> how much Vaseline do you put on? A thin coat just to coat the hoof, or a thick coat?




I put it on pretty thick. That's the only way I could get a very good layer on. And I figured I'd be on the safe side and put it on thick because then there is a lot extra for when some wears off. I didn't put like 2 inches on or anything but just put a good amount in the frog and such and smeared it around the rest of the bottom of the hoof in a 1/4 or 1/2 inch or so layer.


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## Sissimut-icehestar (Jan 20, 2008)

ooh, love this topic 
when I rode last we hada huge poblem because of the snow balling in their feet + they didn't have their studded shoes yet..
I will defenetly buy a jar of vaseline for the winter


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

Thanks Rustic! 

The pasture my gelding is in right now (the same he'll be in for the winter) is pretty flat with only a slight hill in the rear pasture, but I think he'll be ok.


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

No problem. My horses have a pretty big steep hill in theirs. I'm not positive if I have a pic, I'll look and if I do I'll attach it. 
But anyway, we used to block it off but last year I think was the first year we didn't. Either that or the year before. (Sad how I can't remember lol) But anyway, they made their own judgment of when they could and couldn't go up. When we got too much snow they quit going up. The first few inches they were still going and were fine, then after we got more they quit as there was nothing up there for them anyway. Chances are your horse will be okay with the hill but I'd still do the Vaseline anyway. I did. 

So, I did find a couple of pictures. They aren't very good though. It's tough to get a good pic of the hill. Haha if I find a better one later I'll post it. But anyway, you can see the basics. 
The middle one is Hunter on top of the hill. You can see the peak of the barn in it. And for reference of how big the barn is I posted a pic of it. (It's very old  But I like it!)


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## booner (Aug 17, 2008)

Love the old barn and whos the cutiepatooty on the trac-ho??lol

Gypsy where bouts do you live in WA(if you dont mind me askin')


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## travlingypsy (Apr 5, 2008)

Im in Raymond, so its south of seattle but a couple hours from porland OR. 
WOW I just looked your in WA TOO! I thought I was the only one. ^_^


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## xkatex (Oct 7, 2007)

appylover31803 said:


> how much Vaseline do you put on? A thin coat just to coat the hoof, or a thick coat?


Put a decently thick layer but not enough that its going to "flub/blub" off. Enough to "thoroughly" coat the hoof.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

I know of quite a few people who use spam. I usually remove shoes off my horses during the winter for that reason. Hate it when you bring them inside the barn and he is slipping around on heals. Very dangerous and I can't imagine it being confortable.

Which one sticks longer, vaseline or spam?


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

I will be talking to my farrier about possibly removing Gem's shoes, but considering he has them on for a reason (he's the one that was lame and everything) I dont want to take them off only for him to be lame throughout the winter. I rather deal with putting vaseline on him and picking his hooves before he comes into the barn.

That's a great question, Kelly. I would like to know too.


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## Danvers (Nov 3, 2008)

While the cooking spray and the petroleum jelly both work, neither will give you much time before they fail. You're lucky to get an hour before the snow starts balling up, and it's more often about 30 minutes.

I know you said that you wanted to avoid pads, but if your horse needs to remain shod, it may end up being your best option. If so, you might talk to your farrier about using a snow rim pad rather than the old style full snow pad (the ones with the big bubble).


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

i always used pam spray in the winter even if my mare had pads, there were days where the snow would stick to any thing


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

Well, I don't think anything will prevent it completely but I never had a problem when I used the vaseline. He would still get a little bit of snow build-up (he didn't have shoes) but it would come put SO much easier when I picked it out. I'd do it just about every day and put it back on.


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## QtrHorse (Oct 13, 2008)

I keep my horses barefoot year round, however, I do have boarding horses that are shod. I have to keep a hammer and chisel in the stables to get not only the snow balls out but we get these huge ice balls too. There's no other way to get them out than to chip away at them. It is really hard work!
Very dangerous to the horses when they get packed up with snow or ice.

I will try the vaseline and Pam ideas.


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

I have a suggestion for all of you Pam users...Invest in a fill-able aerosol can. The kind you pump full of air that sprays oil (can usually be found in a specialty kitchen store but Wal-Mart carried them at one time) Then fill it with a cheap oil instead of buying Pam all the time. In the long run it will cut down on the cost per ounce of the spray.


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## Arrow (Jul 21, 2008)

My horse is barefoot from early December through late March, and shod all around the rest of the year. I do ride all winter, but they are shorter rides and often involve snow and mud! I hate them getting those snow balls in the pasture, too, so it's barefoot for Arrow.


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

i'd always heard of using crisco on the bottom of their feet - thicker and lasts longer than Pam


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## equineangel91 (Oct 8, 2008)

My horse goes barefoot all year round...so hopefully this wont be a problem 

I've never ridden him in snow though..i hope he handles it well. He tends to slip easy in the mud =/


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## AKPaintLover (May 26, 2007)

The horse the I just got came shod with borium studs. He is better traction on the snow than my barefoot horses, and he has rubber under the shoes that keep out the snow. 

Depending on the humidity outside and consistency of snow, my barefoot horses even get really bad snowballs sometimes. I just use a snowball hammer/pick that my farrier made for me, and tap them out...though they often form right away again. The Pam or vaseline sound like a good idea. 

If you are going to have shoes on in the winter, you might consider having rubber pads put in to lower your day to day maintenance. TJ (the new guy) is really easy because of the rubber pads.


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## Gimme A Dream (Aug 21, 2008)

I never put shoes on any of my horses anymore, because in a herd the shoes can kill. Last year I introduced my Canadian mare with worn summer shoes and she kicked my Hanoverian gelding in the chest, cutting an artery. The big guy almost bled out and would have had I not been there to staunch the blood till the vet got there to stitch him.

I also have to watch for snowballing even though my four have no shoes on. The snow seems to ice up around the frog and hold the snow in place, layering until a ball forms. This can happen over night or even over an afternoon of fresh fallen snow. I keep my beasties outside as much as is possible because as a herd they are more agreeable.


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

well Gem only has shoes in the front and his defenses are biting or kicking with his hind feet. (he's low man out there so he's the one getting kicked/bit)

But I talked to my farrier and in 2-3 weeks he's going to come out and put snowball pads on him.

We are also most likely going to get pam or vaseline or crisco and put it on all of my guys hooves.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions!


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## missy06 (Apr 5, 2008)

I had my first snowball experience tonight. We were simple walking in the outdoor arena, which had a thing layer of snow over mud, and I hopped off about 10 minutes in to check his feet and the mud and snow was packed in there pretty well.

I would have stopped on the way home for something but figured I'd check the forum tonight.  He's barefoot on all 4 feet, so I can't decide between Crisco or Vaseline for our winter time rides.


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

hmm, maybe see if you can get a small container of both and put it on his hooves. (like vaseline on his right side, crisco on his left) and see which side holds up better.

If we had snow, I'd do that, but we don't. only mud at the moment.


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