Each season brings its own set of challenges when it comes to hoof care, which can look much different in winter than it does in the summer.

Among the many reasons hoof care differs drastically in the winter is that many horse owners pull shoes off to reduce traction concerns and improve hoof quality.

Whether the horse is year-round barefoot or just for the winter, there are several things that can be done to help manage barefoot horses in the winter and ensure their hoof quality remains healthy throughout the colder months.

Common Issues

Going barefoot in the winter is a great option for horses normally shod because it significantly improves the strength and integrity of the hoof and heels.

It’s also a great way to allow nail holes to grow out, improve traction and make it easier for horses to hold shoes again when spring rolls back around and they return to work and competition.

“Letting the hoof go bare is ideal, as that is what nature intended,” says Kendra Skorstad, an Eagle, Wis., farrier. “Going bare gives hoof walls a chance to heal, gives frogs and the digital cushion a more ideal function and helps with the overall health of the hoof and distal limb.”

Each farrier might have a different set of problems, depending on the location, climate, the horse owner, etc. Since winter ground conditions are icy and slippery in many locations, pulling shoes could also benefit horses navigating winter terrain — especially for those in cold climates with heavy snowfall.

“The biggest benefit I see for the horses having their shoes pulled for the winter would be a reduced chance of slipping if there’s no traction added to the shoes,” says David Hallock of Danville, Mich., who is the farrier instructor at Michigan State University.

Adds Skorstad, “There is much better traction through snow and ice with a barefoot horse rather than shod — assuming no studs or snow pads are used.”

For horses that are normally shod and having shoes pulled for the winter, it’s also important to consider the timing of when they should come off.

“Pulling shoes should be done before the ground freezes,” Skorstad explains. “This gives horses time to adjust to being barefoot before footing conditions become more difficult. Oftentimes, that’s a bit earlier than people would like here in Wisconsin, putting us around October to be the more favorable time to pull them off.”

Hallock agrees that keeping the weather pattern in mind is vital to the timing of pulling the horse’s shoes.

“I try to do it when the ground is still soft so that the horses have a chance to adjust to being barefoot before the ground freezes,” he says. “If the ground is already getting hard, then you need to leave some vertical depth on the horse to help with the transition.”

Many feet are dull and brittle, rather than waxy and shiny as winter arrives due to the constant change in the wet/dry cycles on feet, causing weather cracks.

“When feet do not have a good waxy outer layer, they are prone to these moisture and weather changes,” explains Scott Morrison, a veterinarian at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. “Bathing in the summer and fall and the use of detergents break down the oils in the hoof and compounds the problem.”

Winter Management

Even if the horse is normally barefoot year-round, this doesn’t mean they are exempt from the weather conditions affecting their feet.

“Ground that isn’t snow covered, but frozen, can be challenging to traverse, and abscessing is possible, especially with frozen, lumpy mud,” Skorstad explains. “Ground management, as best as possible, can help reduce bruising and abscessing. If you can provide some protection, such as with boots or casting, this can be helpful, as well. Since chronic wet conditions can make it easy for things like thrush to take hold, continued hoof hygiene can help prevent this.”

How much these barefoot horses are being trimmed back can help keep them more comfortable through the hard-ground winter months.

“They exfoliate a lot of sole on hard ground and snow,” Hallock says. “So leave a little extra foot to keep them comfortable over the winter. Leave some vertical depth, because depth is your friend — don’t confuse depth with length.”

Frozen terrain can cause pain, bruising, abscesses and more. Hoof boots can be an effective preventative tool. Frank Hafemann

Even though being barefoot can be better for traction in the ice and snow, there are other concerns to be mindful of — such as snowballing.

Snowballing can present several problems, such as added imbalance and an increased risk of the horse slipping or falling from the snow accumulation in the hoof. It can render even traction devices on the foot useless if the shoes don’t touch the ground.

“We typically see reduced growth of hooves in the winter on pasture-kept horses,” Hallock explains. “Horses that are still stabled and working, however, tend to continue to grow an adequate amount of hoof, and regular hoof maintenance is still necessary. Keeping a regular trim cycle is important for balance and making positive changes to hoof morphology. Even barefoot, ice and snowballing is a problem, and frequently picking out the feet can help reduce snowballing-related injuries.”

There are other ways to set up a horse for healthy hoof success that’s normally shod after shoes are pulled for the winter.

“I like to set up the feet to be as healthy as possible, especially the back half of the hoof, so that the transition to barefoot can be as pain-free as possible for the horse,” Hallock says. “Pulling shoes doesn’t, and shouldn’t, have to be a painful experience. I make sure my clients are prepared with options to manage comfort, such as using Magic Cushion, hoof boots, using the best footing available and reducing workload, etc.”

Making sure you are setting your horses’ hoof health up for success in the late summer and fall is a great way to get ahead of the additional wet-dry cycle changes before winter.

Another common recommendation from veterinarians and farriers to help with cracks in the hoof wall is pine tar-based hoof dressings or even just pine tar thoroughly rubbed into the hoof wall and heel bulbs.

“Once a horse’s feet get too soft, too brittle or too ‘shelly,’ they don’t hold a nail well and often lose shoes, leading to more nail holes and more damage,” Morrison adds. “Pine tar provides an all-natural barrier and helps limit the wet-dry cycles in the winter that create these weather cracks in the hoof wall.”