Tips? Tricks? Anything different you do living in such a dry climate after living in a humid one?
I’m an East Coast transplant to Tucson, AZ. It’s so much better for their feet. Summers are hell, though.
Virginia to California. The big thing for me was hooves. Mine had prefect hooves in VA and kept special shoes with packing on no problem. In CA I have to put stuff on them to keep them from chipping and the packing had to change due to the dry climate. The other big thing for me was the types of boarding barns compared to those on the east coast. But in general I like it since I rarely get rained out of riding
What do you put on your horses hooves? I have definitely noticed the same chipping in my youngsters hooves. And yes, the boarding scene is so different from Virginia. I was in central VA, just north of Charlottesville. Huge difference between there and Tucson.
I personally like Effol Huf-Sable. It’s a little more solid than some oils and things so less likely to be wiped off with all the dirt, I have no where to cross toe and let it dry. My horse seems better with it and the farrier does notice a difference in my pony when I use it. If I forget he can barely trim her with his sharpest tools, but when I use it for the three days before he comes he can trim them nicely.
I was in the chesterfield area and the boarding is a huge change. We ended up deciding on a house with a little land further from the city so we could have my horse on property. She’s a picky horse and we’re picky people and it was better this way. Everyone is always shocked that I put them in stalls for half the day, but they’re both princesses and don’t like being out 24/7.
Become a morning person. Even if you hate mornings, find a way to give it a go. Dawn is beautiful to see, and most importantly cool. Well, cooler.
Good old, cheap Corona or bag balm. The issue is they get too dry and the sand or dry clay pulls moisture out of them, rub the stuff into the top inch or so around the coronet. Upside? Not much thrush. And they do fine in a pipe coral with a shelter, even show horses. Shedrow style is also far more practical, often with a small run on the backside, fewer fully enclosed center aisle barns.
Most turnout is dry lot…that is a huge adjustment. I actually went the other way from the southwest to the northeast then Midwest. It’s kind of shock no matter which way you go. Thing I missed most was the bright, airy shed row style barns with open front stalls and a convenient overhang for shade around a central courtyard with anything from hot walker or wash racks to a garden with a fountain, but it just doesn’t work with winter.
ETA, had friends with an Arab barn near Scottsdale, years ago maybe 20 horses between owned and boarded. They fed at at 4am May thru September, mucked, nite shift turn out in, day shift out. Broke for a quick breakfast then started schooling at 530. Lessons were 6 to 10 am. All horses including day shift turn out inside and fed at noon and 8pm with night mucking and turn out shifts right after that. Rinse and repeat. Typically went into the high 90s by 10am, over 100 by noon rarely dropping before sunset.
That schedule was flexible with climate variations and monsoon season storms and flipped to afternoon and early evening lessons in winter, IIRC they started the feed cycle at 6 am once it cooled. You have to get creative when it’s up to 110f for months and learn to like sunrise.
Also boarded at an ASB barn in South Texas, they did the same thing, including morning lessons, in summer and were done at 11am. I was ready and waiting to do mine as soon as they wrapped. You can work around it.
I’m in CO from the midwest, so while it’s not hot like Arizona, the extreme dryness has been an adjustment.
My mare struggled with thin soles and sore feet in the midwest and was in pads. Here, her feet are dry and hard and she’s out of pads, which is great. She does grow less foot than she did in the midwest and usually goes 7-8 weeks, if not more, between shoeings rather than 5-6.
Her coat is much drier, so I use a hydrating coat spray. I also brush her tail less since it’s so much drier it breaks easier, and make sure to condition it regularly.
Tack doesn’t mold, but it gets so dry so quickly. I clean/condition much more frequently than I did in the midwest to keep everything hyrdated.
My own personal skin care routine changed dramatically as well!
We don’t have the high temps of Arizona, so I can’t weigh in there!
