Anyone using pads this season?

[JSwan]

My horse isn’t liking this hard ground this season - so much so that I’ve only gone out once so far (am home sick today with a bad cold) Vet looked at the horse and does not think there is anything wrong with him - or his shoeing.

I’m thinking of using pads on him. Full pads - not rim.

My other horse has bads due to his godawful feet - but he doesn’t hunt. He’s got the flat black pads filled with Equithane.

I see all this Air Shod fancy stuff - but am thinking I can just go with the same thing the other horse has - or am I missing something? I’m not trying to correct any deformity, treat any illness or injury - just trying to give him some protection from this ground - it’s like rock.

[Tantivy1]

JS:

There is an excellent thread just now on FOL about…not pads but hunting barefoot! Most interesting stuff.

I am sure the hard ground is stinging their hoovsies when galloping or landing after a jump and after reading some of the FOL posts, iron shoes only multiply the negative effects of the concussion/impact when galloping and jumping.

Do not know if pads lessen the effects of hard ground or do they just protect soles? Hopefully both. Never used them.

Right now, just trying to move faster when there is some decent grass cover and only walking when the ground is hard.

Dust and dry creek beds at the beginning of hunt season is so depressing.

[JSwan]

Oh - I had deleted those because I figured it was about how shoes are the product of devil worshippers and the barefoot trim is the only true path to enlightenment.

This horse has never had any trouble in all the years I’ve owned him. I’m kind of a “less is better” type of horseperson - but when fellow hunters found out why I’ve been absent - they said they’d already put pads on their horses because of the ground.

This hunt is pretty fast - even during cubbing. So there is no hanging back and walking on grass while the others ride ahead. Even hilltopping is just as fast as the field - we just take detours and then gallop to catch up.

(not complaining about it - just want to make sure my horse is comfortable and I don’t turn a mild ouchiness into anything worse - like road founder)

[Snow_Princess]

[IMG]http://thumb5.webshots.net/t/53/653/2/71/59/2912271590057148385gJznec_th.jpg)

Does my plastic shoe look appealing?
Less concussion than steel, more flexible, almost impossible to pull them off… provide great traction on pavement … lot’s of coverage of the foot. I love them and have just had them put back on for hunt season…they served me well for spring hunting.

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2130375060057148385sAqHqh (another view)

[Tantivy1]

[QUOTE=J Swan;2693880]
Oh - I had deleted those because I figured it was about how shoes are the product of devil worshippers and the barefoot trim is the only true path to enlightenment. )[/QUOTE]

Not that I think I can get away with no shoes here in VA, however much I might like to do so, those same people who might be claiming the “barefoot trim as the path to enlightenment” are advocating a practice that nets them a lot less money, $30 for a trim v. $100 for four shoes. I have a certain respect for anyone that takes money out of his own pocket and leaves it in mine.

Try the pads then and let us know please if you notice any change/improvement.

Oh, when I mentioned staying on the grass and going slower, I meant while exercising, not hunting.

As to hunting, if I go, will stay in the slowest flight and if they start speeding around too, I will have to pull out and back to the trailers. No fun, worrying about how hard I am pounding my pony, and at some point…I might just stay home until we get some rain, whatever that is.

Loudoun is short 12 inches of rainfall and counting.

[JSwan]

I’m all for no shoes - if they need 'em, they get 'em - otherwise - they go barefoot. Much less bother - better for the horse in the long term if they have good feet.

Sigh… we’re down about the same amount of rainfall. Sorry I misunderstood your post - at home I too am keeping to grassy areas - most of the conditioning work I was able to do was done by walking the horse. Hardly did anything else.

I’ll check into those plastic thingies Snow Princess mentioned - and call my farrier and see what we can come up with.

It’s so odd - usually the problem around here is mud - not hard ground. However, hunting hasn’t been too bad - viewed one, another went to ground on Tuesday - and a whip reported a coyote following the same line as a fox (I didn’t see it - darn) - and today a friend told me another one was run to ground - scent is variable and gone by 9am (here).

Gack. Snarfle. Time for more decongestant.

[Snow_Princess]

http://www.equiflex24.com/
Here is the link with info

[Acertainsmile]

JSwan, I’ve got a horse right now that is barefoot… he had shoes on forever at the track… thin walls, yada yada, so farrier wants his feet to grow out… He was sooo sore, I bought some Durosole… painted it on a few days, and voila… he can walk again!

Turpentine will sometimes do the same thing but usually takes a little longer!

Hope you feel better soon!

[Beverley]

I have never been comfortable with the idea of hunting horses barefoot (possible exceptions, eastern shore of Maryland and that lovely sandy footing in Aiken)- because I go hard and fast and I wouldn’t want to punish a good horse by hogging up his feet, nor would I want, after going to all the trouble to get cleaned up and to the meet, to pull out of a run because the terrain turned bad. I do see plenty of horses that go barefoot, and many of those are fine for ring work and/or trail riding. But, I also see too many horses that are barefoot, and shouldn’t be- yes sometimes a case of owner ‘getting religion’ on the subject, other times just a case of owner wanting to save the bucks on the shoes. I just hope that people who ride barefoot horses know enough, or make it a point to find out, so they can scrutinize how their horse is going. A horse that is sore on more than one foot won’t appear lame but if you study it, you can see that they just aren’t striding out comfortably- those are horses who should be shod.

In Virginia, I had one horse that I hunted with ‘orthopedic’ pads a season or two because he had a need. I did hunt ‘everything’ in snowpads and borium (on rear shoes only) in winter. However, the last farrier I used there used a wider-webbed shoe which did a better job of protecting the sole and so even the horse that had previously needed pads on occasion no longer needed them.

[JSwan]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

I am painting his hooves - that plus rest (I erred on the side of caution and gave him time off and did not go cubbing until a few days ago) and he is much better. I only noticed a bit of ouch when we went onto a hard packed clay road with pointy gravel imbedded in it.

But I can’t give him a lot of time off or we’re going to be in deep doo doo when we start back again - our hunt is just too darn fast. I’d hate for him to tie up or strain something.

When I came back Tuesday (it was a slow day), I decided to pack his hooves with uptite - just to make me feel better. He seems fine.

I’ve never had to worry about this before - if the ground was hard it was sure to be nice and soft again come hunting season. But not this year. It’s so hard the clay has cracked in places. Hoping for rain…

Thanks again!

[Bogie]

I put pads on for the season. It’s been so dry here that when it does rain it seems to be washing away the soil and leaving the rocks :no:.

[LookinSouth]

[QUOTE=Bogie;2694904]
I put pads on for the season. It’s been so dry here that when it does rain it seems to be washing away the soil and leaving the rocks :no:.[/QUOTE]

I have to agree. My horse came up slightly foot sore a few weeks ago and I had my farrier out to put full leather pads on his fronts. We’ve been riding XC and trails ever since and he feels MUCH better and is happy as a clam. The leather allows the foot to breathe and tends to be the most frog and sole friendly of full pads for that reason.

[gothedistance]

I hunt with pads/aluminum shoes in front; no pads/aluminum shoes behind. The pads are Durashock - the softest, most flexible pads I’ve found anywhere. I’ve been using them for about 10 years (mostly for endurance riding on very nasty rocky mountain terrain), and never found anything that comes close to being as wonderful. They hold up like iron, yet give tremendous cushioning spring to absorb the impact of rocks and hard ground. Love 'em!

You can get them at Mid-Atlantic Farrier Supply in Aldie (VA). They ain’t cheap, but you can use them again and again and again and again.

[Painted_Wings]

I used to use pads for hunting

I put pads on after one of my horses cut his sole crossing a creek. We have a lot of flint here in Missouri. Used pads during hunt season for years. Then quit hunting for a few years and only hunting a couple of times a year, not worth putting pads on.

I found it was much harder to keep shoes on with pads. Especially on horses turned out 24/7.

I’ve now been hunting fairly seriously for three seasons, going into the fourth. I have not used pads and have had no problems. The horse I have hunted so far this season is barefoot behind. I’ll leave him that way unless it causes him a problem.

The ground here is hard and incredibly dry. I hunted Wednesday and Saturday. Both days were totally blank due to the dryness and the heat. It was in the uppper '80s both days.

Today I did a 10 mile hunter pace. My husband took the hunt/event horse, he won’t start hunting until after the Area championships he’s qualified for. I took the three year old. Didn’t think it was fair to take the one that hunted yesterday. It was increadibly hard and dry. The three year old who is barefoot all the way around I think was getting a little footsore from the from the hard ground. I couldn’t believe the dust we were kicking up.

[florida_foxhunter]

I’m scheduled to come hunting in VA and MD Oct 9 - 18th…and have had people recommend to put pads and stud holes on before I head north…which I willl do.
It’s tough coming from Florida to the rocks in the best of circumstances, but I hear it’s really hard and rocky up there right now!!

This is a worthwhile thread!! Thanks…