shoes

[jiterbug]

If I put shoes on my mini will he get as good traction going up steep hills as he does now? He loves climbing the mountain behind my house!

jiterbug

 

[kaykay]

They really are not needed on miniatures especially ones just playing at home. Miniatures by nature are very agile. You would be hard pressed to find a farrier that would put shoes on a mini.

 

[Alex]

I strongly suggest not putting shoes on your mini! He really doesnt need them.

 

[JourneysEnd]

Shoes take traction away unless you borium the bottoms.

Bare feet are the best traction. You can wrap some vet wrap around them, don't know how long it will last on a road. Does really well for schools and nursing homes.

Marty's always talking about Old Macs. I haven't seen a pair small enough for minis, but then I haven't been looking for a pair.

 

[jiterbug]

Thanks everyone, I didn't know mini's didn't need shoes!

jiterbug

Shoes take traction away unless you borium the bottoms.

Bare feet are the best traction. You can wrap some vet wrap around them, don't know how long it will last on a road. Does really well for schools and nursing homes.

Marty's always talking about Old Macs. I haven't seen a pair small enough for minis, but then I haven't been looking for a pair.

 

[Sue_C.]

I would LOVE to be able to put a regular shoe on my minis. That, I find, is the ONLY downfall to driving them.

I would certainly do more driving if I didn't have to worry constantly about "gravelling" or bruising those little feet.

If you are packing the miles on any horse or pony, on gravel, you eventually do need shoes of some kind; either nail-on, glue-on, or pull-on.

 

[JourneysEnd]

I would LOVE to be able to put a regular shoe on my minis. That, I find, is the ONLY downfall to driving them.

I would certainly do more driving if I didn't have to worry constantly about "gravelling" or bruising those little feet.

If you are packing the miles on any horse or pony, on gravel, you eventually do need shoes of some kind; either nail-on, glue-on, or pull-on.

You can cut down a pair of race training plates, they're very soft metal and easy to work with.

Then use "adhere" by equithane to qlue them on. You'll have to buy the equithane gun (about $50) and the adhere is $30 a tube, tips are 12 for $10. This will keep them on without nails for several days.

You can also use equithane "super fast" and glue a little rim around the bottom of the hoof and make an acrylic shoe.

Possibly even better, equithane make a pad material that goes on without shoes. That would protect the little feet from gravel and be real "user friendly" for a novice to apply. It's called sole guard.

Check out their site if you're interested.

http://www.vettec.com/65/index.htm

 

[Sue_C.]

JourneysEnd, thanks for that info!

I have been kicking the idea of trying the Vettec products for several years now, but had never actually been able to talk to someone who'd used any of them.

Now is the time to try it, I guess...what with the higher Canadian dollar and all. Before, it cost another 30-40 cents on a dollar...which sure makes a difference. Used to be too, that the guns alone cost $90. USD!!

 

[JourneysEnd]

Vettec has a program here where if you buy 6 tubes of product, any combination, they'll give you a gun.

Now 6 tubes is a lot of equithane for one person, but if you could find some friends who might want to share the gun it could be worth looking in to.

You also might put out the word you'd like to buy an old gun. Couldn't hurt to try.

They do make some 1 use tubes that don't require the gun. Run about $15 here, but it's only available in SuperFast and Adhere. It would be a good way for you to try the product out.

Get online with the company, you never know. You may be able to get some trial size of the barefoot packing.

I can tell you as someone who has used their products for 10 + years, I can't imagine having to work without them. Last year for Congress I put hind shoes on a Modern yearling with tiny feet. I had to cut down a pony 0 shoe, really no hoof wall to nail to. I used adhere and 1 nail on each side of the shoes and they stayed on.

Good luck

Just checked Jeffers and they have the gun for $45

 

[Sue_C.]

I just went to thier site and contacted them about finding a seller closest to my area.

I might just buy a few of the small tubes, as they come with two applicator tips, so if I didn't use it all, I could perhaps get a second application out of it. I mean really...mini feet are so small, I just might be able to, and I only need it for the horses that I am actively driving. If not...$15. every few weeks is certainly worth it, compared to the shoes I used to have put on my riding horses.

Thanks again!

 

[Marty]

I'm always talking about Venice Turpentine too. Its great protection for the soles

 

[Champ]

I use "hoofwing" boots when I know I'm going to drive my guy on rocky terrain and they work well

www.hoofwings.com

 

[Fred]

One thing about vettech is that it is temperature sensitive. If its hot out you have very little time so you had better know what you want to do before you do it. It will set almost immediately. Most of those one use tubes do mean one use. Once the applicator tip is plugged nothing will open it.

 

[Sue_C.]

Hey Marty, I too use that venice turpentine...and I love how it hardens the sole but it doesn't stop the gravelling at the toes. That seems to be the biggest problem. Those insidious little specks, that leave holes when cleaned-out, that allow bigger pieces of gravel each time you drive. Before you know it, the horse will go lame as the bits you don't get out...work their way up inside the toes. I have prevented any lamnesses so far, but I have to curtail my driving/training, to do it.

Thanks Fred, that it sets so fast is good to know.

Those little tubes will probably only do one four hoof setting at a time anyways, but they do come with one extra tip...so you should be able to do two. I will find out, as I think I will be ordering a couple to give them a try.

Hey Champ...I have thought of the hoofwings too, but they are pretty darned expensive, and each set will only fit one sized hoof, and I have several driving horses, of different hoof-sizes. But...I might end-up having to look into it if this product doesn't work. The thing that "scares" me about them, is that I really don't trust velcro not to come undone in some instances. Do you do any cross country work, through rough terrain, and how well do they stay on?

As you can see jiterbug, there are many answers to your question.

 

[JourneysEnd]

The little tubes work with a plunger that dispense both sides at the same rate.

Surely you come up with something that would do the same thing with the big tube so you could use the sole guard.

Everybody with an equithane tube - this is your new challenge.

Find a way to dispense without the expensive gun.

I bet you could do something with pvc.

I'm out to the tool room.

 

[Champ]

The hoofwings don't actually velcro they have a rope that you hook over around a round bolt....I can't really describe it very well. I use them on my gravely dirt road and I have used them in an outdoor sand ring and the one issue I had was if the sand was wet it would stick to them and they became very heavy.....it was like having weighted shoes on him

As far a size goes they make what they call a sock that if the shoe is a little bit big you put the "sock" in it which I have for his front shoes and his back shoes don't need it so the boots could fit a few of your horses, some might need the sock and some won't

Good luck