In temperate climates, each season poses its own unique set of hoof care challenges. From spring’s muddy paddocks to summer’s fly-plagued hooves, there is rarely a shortage of conditions for farriers to consider.

Often the off-season for equestrians in cold, snowy climates, winter requires thoughtful planning and routine farrier visits — even in horses that are turned out with little to no riding. While many horses do well when shoes are pulled and travel barefoot until spring returns, others need the support that only a comprehensive winter shoeing package can provide.

Early Preparation

Beth Lynn Lewis, who owns and operates Equibalance Farrier Services in Ossipee, N.H., says early hoof preparation is key whether a horse goes barefoot through the winter or remains shod.

“I have a conversation with my clients well ahead of time and ask them how much riding they’ll be doing during the winter,” Lewis says. “If I’m going to be pulling shoes, I like to start that process early.”

For Lewis, this begins in September — well before the frozen, deeply rutted mud of late fall wears on sensitive hooves.

“I like to give the feet ample time to toughen up and get used to being barefoot before the ground freezes,” she explains. “The last thing I want to do is pull shoes and then turn right around and expose feet to that kind of ground.”

“Winter shoeing packages are more expensive, so I like to give clients a couple of cycles to prepare for that extra cost early,” Lewis says. “My area is challenging because we can get snow early in the season. We can see snow as early as October, although we don’t always. I try to have all the horses that will be staying shod through the winter in snow pads by early November, so my clients aren’t stalling horses for extended periods waiting for me to get there.”

Seth Holestine, CJF, owner and operator of Hot Iron Hoofcare in Tabernash, Colo., also believes in preparing both horses and clients early for the shift to winter hoof care.

“The biggest thing in my practice for horses that will be going barefoot is ensuring we leave enough hoof wall for the horse to be comfortable without a shoe,” he says. “Once the shoe is gone, the hoof wall and frog are the only structures between the ground and P3.”

Although sometimes overlooked, Holstein says making sure horses are in good body condition going into winter — especially in areas where remnants of a harsh winter may hang around for nearly 6 months — helps ensure overall well-being and hoof health.

Winter Shoeing Package

While many horses are good candidates for wintering barefoot, Holestine says there are several reasons leaving shoes on may be a better option.

“Horses that remain in work throughout the winter, those that enjoy winter trail riding, and those with therapeutic shoeing considerations are good candidates for a winter shoeing package,” he says. “Roughly 50% of the horses I shoe stay in shoes year-round. Of that 50%, almost all of them use snow pads during the winter months.”

Adding toe studs increases traction and may be necessary for horses that spend large periods turned out during the winter — as well as those that road or trail ride during the winter months. Photo by: Beth Lynn Lewis

Like Holestine, Lewis has a sizeable number of clients who opt to leave shoes on through the winter months.

“A lot of the performance horses on my book are in shoes year-round,” Lewis says. “The dressage horses, hunters, jumpers, and eventing horses primarily ride inside during the winter, but they’re still in hard work and benefit from the support of a shoe. And if we’re leaving shoes on in the winter, the odds are high I’m going to require my clients keep snow pads on, too.”

Selecting Snow Pads

For Lewis and Holestine, snow pads are an essential piece of the winter shoeing package because they prevent snow from collecting in the hoof and creating snow or ice balls.

“That’s the stand-alone job of the snow pads — keeping snow and ice from balling up in the hoof,” Lewis says. “A lot of people think the pads are there to offer protection, and the popper pads do, to some degree, but that’s not the primary goal with snow pads. We just want to keep the horse safe and comfortable by preventing ice and snow from accumulating in the hoof.”

The cold season looks different for Holestine, whose Colorado winters see between 200-500 feet of snow annually.

“The snow at our [8,500 foot] elevation is not packing snow,” he says. “It’s dry and often hard to make into a snowball, but I still recommend snow pads because if it’s even a little bit wet, it can start getting packed in the hooves easily. It’s not uncommon to see 3 or 4 inches of snow underneath the hoof without the protection of a snow pad — there’s no stability for that horse, and it puts a lot of strain on the soft tissue and skeletal structures.”

There are two primary types of snow pads — rim pads and popper pads. Whenever possible, Lewis opts for rim pads.

“Rim pads leave the sole open for good cleaning and husbandry,” she says. “The overall health of the feet usually remains better in a rim pad because owners can keep them clean, whereas popper pads can collect debris through the cycle — I often find thrush under popper pads when I pull them.”

In instances when an owner prefers them, Lewis says she uses full popper pads with copper sulfate applied underneath.

Heel studs help horses navigate slick surfaces, such as the route to and from pastures. Photo by: Beth Lynn Lewis

“That’s something that’s worked well for me through the years,” she says. “It helps control the bacteria level so when we pull the snow pads off in the spring, we have a healthier foot underneath.”

Like Lewis, Holestine also prefers rim pads.

“They have less of an effect on how the hoof interacts with the footing, and on the function of the hoof in general,” he says. “I can also apply them faster, there is less cleanup to do when resetting a rim pad package, and I don’t have the added expense of the pad, packing and thrush prevention that I have when using a full popper pad.”

Still, there are circumstances when Holestine admits a popper pad has an advantage over its rim pad counterpart.

“A popper pad is a good choice on horses that were already in a padded package and need to maintain that while also shedding snow for the winter,” he says. “Occasionally, I have a facility that is wetter than our typical mountain environment, and we still get some snowballing with rim pads. For those situations, I’ll go with popper pads over the rim pads.”

Fine-Tuning with Traction

While snow pads work around the clock to shed snow and prevent snow and ice from balling in the hooves, they don’t offer the additional traction needed for a horse to travel safely in winter weather conditions. Holestine says horseshoes can quickly act as a set of skis in snowy or icy conditions, leaving both horse and rider at risk for slip-and-fall injuries.

“Snow pads are just the first step in ensuring we have the horse set up properly for winter,” he says. “Traction also plays a vital role, but not always for the reasons you’d think. A lot of times, it’s not the riding we need the traction for — it’s the other 23 hours of the day I’m worried about. Does the horse have to cross an icy patch to come inside from the pasture? That tiny window of the horse’s day carries big risks if we don’t make sure the shoes have adequate traction.”

In horses that work indoors during the winter months and only need traction for turnout, Holestine starts with road pins in the heels of the shoes.

“If it’s just a matter of walking the horse in from their snowpack turnout across an icy patch in the parking lot, road pins in the heels will usually provide enough traction,” he says. “If the horse needs traction for road riding, or if it’s navigating hills in the pasture, I’ll add traction in the toes of the shoes, too.”

Popper pads are a good choice when a horse is in a padded package and shedding snow is necessary. Photo by: Seth Holestine

While it’s important to make sure the horse has enough traction to safely navigate slick outdoor terrain, Holestine cautions against going overboard with traction.

“The right amount of traction is a balancing act,” he says. “Especially in the newer synthetic arena footing, you can cause added wear and tear on joints with too much traction. And certain maneuvers just aren’t conducive to being performed with traction on the shoes — as a farrier, you need to make sure clients understand the limitations of a winter shoeing package.”

For Lewis, whose region routinely sees ice before the wet snow arrives for the season, traction for horses remaining shod through the winter is a necessity.

“In my area, I have to apply some sort of traction to the shoes,” she says. “Earlier in the season, I may start with heel studs and then add toe studs later in the season as winter hits in full force. Some horses are also switched from a wide, web-style shoe to a creased rim shoe for added traction — especially if they are not ridden in an indoor arena.”

Lewis stresses the importance of adequate traction for horses that spend a lot of time in winter turnout.

“We have a lot of hills in our area, so I’m always concerned with giving them a good amount of traction and grip to navigate when the ground is less than ideal,” she says. “Some of these horses don’t ever come into a stall — they live outside 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a run-in shed. If they don’t have good traction, it’s going to be hard for them to get around the pasture safely and comfortably. At the end of the day, whether they’re in full-time work or full-time turnout, it’s my job to help the horses in my practice make it through winter with the best hooves possible.”