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Sidepass |
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Even though you have turned your horse loose for the winter, you still need to think about caring for his feet. If you had him shod during the fall, you need to decide whether to re-shoe him or just trim him and leave him barefoot.
What you decide will depend on several factors. Will you be riding your horse much this winter? What sort of hooves does he have? What sort of ground will he be turned out on? If you are riding your horse lots in the winter, you need to look at the footing where you will be riding him. If, like most northern areas, you end up with lots of snow on the trails where you ride, he may not need shoes. If you are riding in an indoor arena with soft footing, he may not need shoes either. However, if your pathways are full of ice and ridges, or rocks and gravel, you should consider shoes. If your horse's hooves are the type that break up when unshod, you may need to keep shoes on him. If he bruises easily, you may also need to keep him shod, at least until we get a good snow cover. If your turn out area has lots of rocks, or sharp edges where the mud froze, shoes might be a good idea to protect his feet from bruising and chipping. You will also need to seriously consider leaving shoes on your horse if you are working on repairing a hoof fault, such as a bad crack. Removing the shoe for the winter may cause more harm than good, by allowing the hoof to flex, thus spreading the crack worse. So if you have decided that your horse must have shoes on for the winter for one or more reasons, how can you make it more comfortable for him? One of the biggest problems we face in the north is lack of traction. A bare hoof flexes as the horse puts weight on it, and the hoof wall and frog help grip the ground. A metal shoe doesn't flex much, if at all, and therefore will tend to slide across frozen ground. Another major problem is snowballs. The snow sticks to the inner rim of the metal shoe, building up until the horse is walking on huge lumps of ice - very hard on the tendons and ligaments among other things. You can get special shoes made for traction. Many farriers will use borium to add a small traction area to 3 or 4 areas of each shoe. The term 'sharp shod' is used with reason - these shoes will cause damage to an opposing leg should they come into contact. Your horse may not be a good candidate for being sharp shod if he is known to interfere - discuss it thoroughly with your farrier. Shoeing with pads (or crazy carpet material cut into pads) can help prevent snowballing, as can heavily greasing the frogs, soles, and shoes of each hoof. Pam cooking spray is also supposed to work well. Take the time to discuss your horse's needs with your farrier - you might be surprised at the options available, even though it is winter! |
Here is a great opportunity for local horse owners!!!
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The final obstacle I plan on covering in this Trail Horse series is the sidepass. When correctly done the sidepass looks quite simple, but it is not nearly so easy to perform it! Most trail classes feature a sidepass in at least one direction, over a rail. When you start teaching your horse to sidepass, however, it is best not to use a rail at all. Once your horse is responsive to cues to move his hindquarters (turn on the forehand) and his front end (turn on the haunch), you can graduate to the sidepass. Start by asking for one step with the hind legs, then ask for one step with the front legs. Each time the horse gives the correct response, release the cue. Continue this seesawing movement for a few feet in one direction. If the horse tries to walk ahead, simply check the forward motion with the reins (I prefer to school trail movements with two hands until the horse is well broke and comfortable in them), then release and continue asking for the sideways motion. As time goes by, the horse will be able to move both front and back ends at the same time, giving you a true sidepass. When introducing a log, first start by sidepassing behind it. Set up another log and practice keeping all four legs between the horse's legs - keep them far enough apart for his length to fit without bumping the rails at every step. As in all obstacles with rails on the ground, your horse can become quite upset if he steps on one and it rolls under his hoof. When you first sidepass over a log, ride onto the rail a foot or two from the end and sidepass off of the rail. Keep the rail underneath your back cinch - the horse is far more likely to take an unasked step backwards than forwards, and you can check a forward step more easily. Continue this for a while until the horse becomes comfortable with the procedure. In time, you will be able to position your horse at one end and traverse the entire length. Pause, then return over the same log. To get fancier, incorporate your turns on fore and hind by adding extra rails, such as this standard pattern: T Sidepass right, turn on the haunches, sidepass right, halt. Sidepass left, turn on the forehand, sidepass left. It can be done! |
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If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com
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