[drivingpairs] Re: Last Drive of the Season?
- From: Pat Lamprey <plamprey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 14:13:55 -0700
The downside of leaving them shod in winter: it costs more than leaving
them barefoot; you'll have to work around shoes when you pick their feet;
shoes can trap snow, ice and mud more easily than barefeet so you'll need to
check them regularly. The upside: you can work them and they won't tear up
their feet on rough ground (working ir not).
I've left my two mares shod at all times -- I've heard the "relaxation"
line, but I've always used my two all year (not as hard in winter, but they
still work), plus they both tend to paw at dinner time (which is why the
younger one got shoes in the first place), which wears out feet if unshod.
I talked it over with my vet, and his opinion was that if they were working
or were turned out or stalled on something other than (mostly) grass or
rubber, it was better that they be shod as long as they were shod well. We
even left the older mare shod when she foaled. Heresy! But we'd had a very
wet spring and her feet were in poor shape. She was in a large pen and we
figured the risk of harm to baby was less than the certainty of foot
problems if she went barefoot.
My advice would be to shoe - or not - according to how you'll use your
beasties over the winter. If it will be once in a blue moon, use easy boots
or something or stay on soft surfaces. If you'll use them fairly regularly
(even once a week), leave them shod. As you said, you don't go without
shoes for part of the year -- and if you did, might be the worse for it!
Pat Lamprey
Denver CO
-----Original Message-----
From: dirahna@xxxxxxx [mailto:dirahna@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2003 5:39 PM
To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [drivingpairs] Last Drive of the Season?
With temperatures in the upper 50's for the second day in a row, we threw
all
responsibilities to the winds and hitched up. Oh Happy Happy December 28!
There's seldom enough snow here in the Cincinnati area to hitch a sleigh and
the non-driving weather seems to hang on forever, so today was a really
special
treat.
Flash and Tony hadn't been hitched since the Cleveland Candlelight Parade
two
weeks ago. They were more than happy to head down the road. Fields are way
too wet to slog through, and musket season began today, so noise and
visibility were the order of the march. Each time I drive this pair, I
wonder why I
waited until nearly 60 years age to begin having so much fun. Happily, my
learning curve is fair, so I have been able to keep up with what they have
to teach
me pretty well. Always driving with a friend (who has been driving
multiples
since before my birth) is my primary safety feature. Wanda has seen most
problems before, and knows what to do, but she's so in tune with the animals
that
she can alert me to potential difficulties. ("Watch Tony's ears. He doesn't
like the railroad tracks today. Be ready!")
We saw a lot of bicyclists and motorcyclists and teens with their Christmas
car stereos at full volume; not a few deer spooked over the roads by the
hunters;
buzzards leering from the barn roofs, and one red-tail hawk sailing over his
kingdom. Got to try my new bamboo whip and I recommend them to everyone.
Even these arthritic old hands can carry this light aide.
Yes indeed............it felt like a day in the early spring. The ponies
were springy, too, but ignored all of the distractions and soldiered on like
the
troopers they are.
I'm sorry now that the farrier will be here on Wednesday to remove their
shoes for the winter. In fact, I'm having the shoes taken off because
someone,
somewhere told me that it's best for the hooves to have a month or two to
"relax". But MY toenails don't seem to need "relaxation time." Can anyone
tell me
the down side of leaving shoes on year-round? We just might have more
winter
driving time.
Thanks for any advice.....
Pat McVay
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