# Should you pick chestnuts?



## equiniphile

Are you supposed to pick horses' chestnuts? Then how do they get picked in the wild? Why and how do you pick them?


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## AQHA13

I do, after I bathe her usually. B/c then they are really soft and just peel off. If you let them grow out they will peel on their own. I do it just because it keeps them short and looking nice


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## LolHorse

It doesn't hurt the horse when you take of part of it (a flake not the skin itself!). I pick it because my horses just look more "better" with them off in the show ring, spiffy and cleaner looking (I suppose). You can leave a horse's chestnuts alone though too, it doesn't do a bit of harm. In the wild I suppose they just get dry and fall off..Or when the horse is running and it's leg brushes up against the chestnut comes off...?


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## danastark

If there was money to be made in chestnuts, I'd be making it with my draft cross, Cody! His grow about an inch a month!! The fastest way to shorten them, I've found is to use my hoof rasp, makes them nice and smooth and seems to bother him less than picking at the big, scaley things. Dogs love them!


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## Thatgirlsacowboy

^^

Oh my gosh, I know! Dogs also go crazy for hoof clippings. My friends barn dog, Jack, will eat and eat and eat and then in the middle of the night spew hoof clipping everywhere. It's discusting.


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## lacyloo

its kinds fun in a disgusting way haha


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## XivoShowjumper

saves picking it up yourself


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## equiniphile

Thanks. Yea my dogs love hoof excesses that the farrier files off. One of my dogs has a weak intestine because he ate a plastic glove (the one I use to clean the horses' sheaths with), had to have a $900 surgery to remove it, and if he swallows things like hoof pieces again he'll die....so I have to keep them away from him lol


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## sillybunny11486

I dont pick them off. They usually come off on their own.


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## mom2pride

Normally a horse's chestnuts will slough off or peel off as needed; however there are those (namely older horses) who will grow really long ones, and they may need 'trimming'...you can either peel them off, or snip them off using a hoof nipper. Some farriers will do that for you if needed. Or you can rasp them, as well, just be sure not to hit the horse's legs with the rasp, or file too far! 

I don't generally pick at the chestnuts unless they are really long, and seem to be causing the horse an issue.


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## rocky pony

I always pick them, especially the ones in the hind because if those ones get long and rough my horses' tails can get caught..and I prefer to protect them when I can xD
I've never heard any reason not to do it. (you know, other than just not feeling like it or not caring)
I think it keeps them looking just a little bit tidier, and I love a clean, tidy horse 
I always pick them and then file them with a somewhat small, gentle wood file type deal that I picked up specifically for that purpose


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## SouthCreekPaints

Its a matter of preferance. If you dont mind them,dont worry about them. In the wild they just fall off. If you show your horse,then yes,remove them. There is no feeling there so you can "pick" them off,or if they are thick you can cut them off. No biggy


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## dashygirl

I don't touch my girl's anymore but when I showed we had to keep up with them. A lady once told me that she put Vaseline on them to help soften them before she tried to pull them off. I never did this, but it's a suggestion.


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## Jessabel

I pick my horses' chestnuts just to keep them looking nice and it prevents them from getting caught on something and possibly tearing.


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## equiniphile

Okay thanks. I have backyard horses but I'm thinking of showing my Paso Fino at fair this summer....Do you suggest I pick them then?


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## AlmagroN

Thatgirlsacowboy said:


> ^^
> 
> Oh my gosh, I know! Dogs also go crazy for hoof clippings. My friends barn dog, Jack, will eat and eat and eat and then in the middle of the night spew hoof clipping everywhere. It's discusting.


tell her to be careful with that then, hes not able to digest those and thats why hes throwing them back up. if he doesnt happen to throw them back up it could cause a blockage and he will need surgery, or he will die.... 

as far as chestnuts, i leave them alone, they fall off on their own... but i also dont show so i dont know if that would count against you or something


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## PaintsPwn

> Okay thanks. I have backyard horses but I'm thinking of showing my Paso Fino at fair this summer....Do you suggest I pick them then?


Yep, especially if you're doing any halter or showmanship, etc. Grooming can ultimately decide who gets pinned first or second.


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## Curly

I have one horse that doesn't like them pealed, on him I use a sharp razor blade to cut them off. Just don't go too close, you don't want to get into the vascular part and cause pain.


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## IslandWave

I never knew that you could rasp them off. That was very helpful! My mare's chestnuts are hard and thick. We don't have warm water at the barn so they can take a while to soften enough for me to peel.


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## wild_spot

My boys grow really long - I use a bot knife to pare them away.


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## riccil0ve

Once you do pick them, keep up on it. I feel the chestnuts on my girls whenever I groom them, and if something is pick-able, I pick it off. That way you only have to do a tiny bit at a time, and it won't be so odd feeling for the horse.


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## Honeysuga

I used to keep my Qh's softened with this beeswax moisturizing product that also had lavender and other aromatherapy oils in it....(you can just use vasaline) It kept them looking great and made them a cinch to peel off. With my little gelding, I just leave them alone, they dont grow fast enough to cause a problem.


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## my2geldings

I usually leave them alone, occasionally they might need getting slightly clipped but its not usually necessary.


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## Evxlyn.Bxba

sillybunny11486 said:


> I dont pick them off. They usually come off on their own.


 You can usually tell when they're ready to peel. If its still gripped firmly to the skin, it is not ready to come off. If it's halfway-to-a quarter of the way peeled, or crumbled, its ready. Different types of horses have it peel off in different ways. Some crumble, some peel.


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## waresbear

My farrier was working on a horse who had huge chestnuts. They were poking into him, so he peeled them off. The owners freaked and said they were told if you remove those, the horse could die. He explained no, nothing like would happen, and asked what else they were told that he could confirm or deny, lol.


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## horselovinguy

MODERATORS NOTE:

Old and dusty thread will be closed...
If you have a question about....please open your own, new thread and ask so information is current and addressed to your needs.
THREAD IS NOW *CLOSED*


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