Cleaning and lubricating studs - what do you use?

[Dr_Doolittle]

Had fun with a Google search on this :lol: (made it a point to type in STUDS FOR HORSE SHOES!)

I have used Stud Suds in the past; actually bought some recently but during a recent HT (in the pouring rain) the jar tipped over and the lid was loose, so the grass got nicely lubricated…

I bought this stud kit used from a friend (gave away my old stud kit years ago, thinking that my homebred would “never need shoes”, oh well!), and some of the studs are older and a bit rusty.

Most of them got wet since the stud kit got waterlogged at the aforementioned HT - so I dried them and sprayed them with WD40 (which I normally do anyway), but I would like to do a further deep clean and lube. I’ve used mineral oil in the past, but thought I would see what else people like and use.

TIA!

[RAyers]

I have some studs going back 15 years (even used them back in October). I’ve never done a thing with them other than use them. It’s sad when I have turf studs older than some of the kids in the barn.

It’s steel and there is little chance corrosion will be more than on the surface. So, unless you are bothered by rust colored studs, I wouldn’t worry. I don’t even use WD40 or such.

I never understood why folks do that given I’ve worn out the studs long before they rusted away.

I store my studs in a plastic craft container in my tack trunk.

[beowulf]

I bet that google search was quite illuminating. :winkgrin:

I was going to comment WD40 but see you already do that. Sounds like you’re doing a fine job caring for them, they don’t need much. The ones that are rusty, just use them for a spell and it will help get the rust off of the surface, then just spray them down with WD40 and you should be good to go.

I don’t do anything special either. After use, if it was muddy I rinse them off and then I wrap them in a cloth rag to dry for an hour or so (the same one I use for wiping my boots and/or slobber on the bit). After they’re dry I spray them all with WD40 and put them away.

I store mine in a small tackle box. Most of mine were given to me by the first BNT I worked for; they’re at least 30 years old at this point and other than some of them being way bigger than I’ll ever need, I’ve had zero issues and even used one of the sets last summer for a show.

[ACMEeventing]

I’m with Beowulf and RAyers (per usual). I got mine over 10 years ago and they’re just fine still.

I bought a jar of stud suds to clean them meticulously after each use. It’s probably still in the bottom of my tack trunk somewhere . . .

[TXnGA]

I’ve had most of mine studs ( that haven’t been replaced due to overworn) for over 20 years. All I have ever done is clean with wd40 and a toothbrush or wire brush toothbrush. I had a jar of stud suds for years and never used it. It spilled in my tack trunk- oh joy. So never got around to using it.

[Huntin_Pony]

Once in a while I will run mine into and out of a die from my die and tap set. Cleans the threads perfectly.

[Dr_Doolittle]

Thanks, folks!

I “inherited” most of these studs so they have been rusty for awhile (there are some that are newish and still in pretty good shape, but I’d like to keep them that way!); I want to get them as clean as possible since it’s hard enough for me to clean the stud holes to make screwing them in as easy as possible (I have arthritis in my hands and both thumbs, all 4 thumb joints are “bone on bone” - I get injections squeezed into the joint space, lots of fun!), so anything that makes that job easier is a priority.

My DH suggested putting them in a bag with some Dawn and water, shaking them all around for awhile to dislodge the dirt, rinsing and drying and then lubing them. (The whole scrubbing the threads thing is what I usually do with my wire brush, but it’s an ouchy task because of my hands :() Good to know that the rust can be lived with - when I was using my own stud kit I tended to keep them pretty clean, so it wasn’t an issue. Ironic, since I am very messy by nature and don’t care about dirt (except for my horse stuff!)

LOL @RAyers! Yeah, I too have a bunch of horse equipment that’s older than many of the people I compete against…sigh

[Dr_Doolittle]

@Huntin' Pony

Once in a while I will run mine into and out of a die from my die and tap set. Cleans the threads perfectly.

Yeah, that sounds ideal :encouragement:

[16_Hands]

Question about studs in general. I have a small kit I bought online, there’s 24 studs, eight of each type. Do you stud all four feet or just the hinds? I don’t have a lot of experience with studs (never needed them) so was wondering. Thanks

[RAyers]

@16 Hands

Question about studs in general. I have a small kit I bought online, there’s 24 studs, eight of each type. Do you stud all four feet or just the hinds? I don’t have a lot of experience with studs (never needed them) so was wondering. Thanks

You are going to hate this answer. It all depends. Sometimes you stud all 4 feet, sometimes it is just the back, sometimes you might use one type of stud on the outside and another on the inside, you might use different studs up front versus back,…

For instance, I don’t use studs up to prelim. Then I might use a small turf only on the hinds (it doesn’t give a huge amount of traction). And then, I might use a turf on the outside with a small hexagon of equal height on the inside if the turf is soft. Up front I might only use small roads even on turf just to give tha horse a bit of purchase, but I still want them to have some slip too.

There are some good books out there on the art of using studs. I can’t remember them off the top of my head. My general philosophy is to always under stud than over. It’s better to have more slip than to lock the leg into the ground inviting soft tissue injuries. I like round studs over hexagons and squares. Squares are great in completely sloppy footing but that is about it in my world.

[Janet]

On the advice of my late father (who was a machinist as well as a research physicist, but not a horseman), I smear the threads with vaseline after removing them. I also run them through a die if the threads get burred.

My studs are circa 1985.

[16_Hands]

Thanks RAyers, they seem to be all turf studs; all a little pointed at the tip from small and low to tall. For now, I’ll not stud since we’re at a low level and the ground condition is soft. Plus his shoes aren’t tapped for studs.

[merrygoround]

@RAyers

You are going to hate this answer. It all depends. Sometimes you stud all 4 feet, sometimes it is just the back, sometimes you might use one type of stud on the outside and another on the inside, you might use different studs up front versus back,…

For instance, I don’t use studs up to prelim. Then I might use a small turf only on the hinds (it doesn’t give a huge amount of traction). And then, I might use a turf on the outside with a small hexagon of equal height on the inside if the turf is soft. Up front I might only use small roads even on turf just to give tha horse a bit of purchase, but I still want them to have some slip too.

There are some good books out there on the art of using studs. I can’t remember them off the top of my head. My general philosophy is to always under stud than over. It’s better to have more slip than to lock the leg into the ground inviting soft tissue injuries. I like round studs over hexagons and squares. Squares are great in completely sloppy footing but that is about it in my world.

Sometimes though it depends on the footing your going to go on. I remember only once using something bigger than road studs.

As for care, WD 40, and replacing the blanks before they wore down, There’s nothing funner than sweating over removing a worn down blank. :eek:

[beowulf]

Like RAyers said, it totally depends. On the weather, the footing, the course, and the climate/season.

I am much more likely to use them if the ground is hard and the grass brittle/dry, which makes the ground slippery. For my own horses that is when I have noticed I need them most. For boggy footing, it really depends. I never put studs on my last horse, but we also never went above Prelim… but we ran over some really muddy turf, including Stoneleigh and Huntington – so we went through plenty of wet + hill stuff.

I rarely use studs, but one year it was so dry and hard that summer, that I put studs on to run a BN course. It seemed like total overkill but I was glad I did it. I had schooled at the venue the week before with a group and everyone was commenting how slippery the grass was from being dry. I was glad I decided to put studs on (SUPER last minute too!!). After my XC run (I was one of the first riders out) I watched the water crossing, which had a semi-shallow loop back to a relatively straightforward coop – just about every single horse on that course slipped behind in the turn around except for the ones with studs. I had used small road studs all around.

I prefer not to do only one on each hoof; I prefer to do two.

A few things about studs; I wouldn’t run them without at least front strike boots. I’ve seen some accidental catching and it’s scary what a stud can do. Always best to do smaller, and don’t ever use studs with a girth that has a D-ring/drawrein attachment on it. I’ve seen horses catch that too. Also try to avoid concrete or unmatted barn aisles, it’s slippery for them to walk on with studs… and one other thing – always take the studs off first, before you remove the boots. This means after an XC run you either hose off with the boots on, or pull studs before hosing off.

[FrittSkritt]

I usually just wiped the mud/dirt off mine with a sponge (the one I use for washing down my horse works well :D”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹), rub with a towel, then set them on my entry packet envelope and spray the s*** out of them with WD-40. Then let them sit out and dry a little before putting back in the kit.
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹
The WD-40 seems to help keep the rust at bay; although we’ll see how mine have fared in storage after a few years!

[Jenerationx]

I thought this was going to be a sheath cleaning thread, but for stallions.

[OverandOnward]

@Jenerationx

I thought this was going to be a sheath cleaning thread, but for stallions.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

You win the COTH internet.

[mdp9]

I just wipe them off with a rag after each use!

[Dr_Doolittle]

So we tried DH’s suggestion: put 'em in a baggie with some dish detergent and water, swished them around for awhile, rinsed, then put them on a paper towel (over a piece of cardboard), sprayed them down with WD40.

(Previously I have used Stud Suds and/or just wiped them off and sprayed them with WD40, but as mentioned, there was some rust on these older ones.)

Left them alone for a day then wiped the residual dirt off the threads with an old hand towel. I put the ones I was planning to use in the Stud Suds for a few days (small roads since less is always better, and the ground was going to be on the hard side because rain is avoiding Northern Virginia for some reason :sigh:), and when I took them out, there was some leftover dirt and grit in the Suds. Hmm. There must be some other "cleaning agent’ in the liquid, but of course there is no ingredients list (proprietary and all that), drat! Anyway, I was eyeing the NEW studs in the box at VTO Saddlery (did Loch Moy this past weekend and they were a vendor there), and they looked so nice, shiny, “virginal” - I was sorely tempted.

(Plus I really like the guy who is the proprietor; I’m sure someone on the Eventing Forum knows him personally!, he is always SO nice. I like to throw him a little business when I see him at an HT - and there is ALWAYS something I need…I have a body protector, Bevel bit, stock tie and show shirt that I bought from him over the past year or two; he often has some great deals on vests and breeches and shirts. Totally OT, LOL!)