snow/ice boots for horses

[treacletart]

With horses confined to stables/fields and fallen horses due to ice/snow on the ground has got me thinking 'there must be a way to make our lives and the horses lives easier and safer.

Whats out there on the market in footwear for horses which would help get them from the stable to the field etc safely?

What can we mackle together to keep the costs down which is safe and servicable?

And easy to use in this bad weather with our gloves on? Or is this question just asking too much? ;D

Off the top of my head i can only think of hession squares under and around the hoof, attached with tape. The horse could then get from the stable to the field without the slipping, and then burn off excess energy in the field.
Just an idea, and wondered what ideas we could come up with. I know however we need to take into consideration the type and character of the horse, and that one thing may work for one person/horse and not for others etc. Just thought it may be a productiove topic of discussion to maybe make our snowy lives easier.

[Deleted]

It depends how far it is between stable and field. I've just bought a load of grass mats asn they don't get slippy when frozen, they stay soft.

If it's not too far you could cut the mats in half to make a walkway. Put it down each time the weather is due to get cold and could remove and keep stored the rest of the time?

I got mine from www.grass-mat.co.uk/HollowMats.html

[basilhorse]

Have a tonne of rock salt delivered to the yard in november?

[june]

When horses play polo on a frozen lake in St Moritz every year they wear studs in their shoes and have rubber inserts which compress with each foot fall and spring out again as the hoof leaves the ground. Not very practical for normal horses but it does work well.

Our lot are barefoot and the snow and ice doesn't appear to give them much of a problem. The snow compacts in the foot on each stride and pings out as they lift that foot. They've been out every day in the snow and now its icy they are still coping fine. We put salt down wherever we've got concrete walkways with ice on them to make a track but other than that we haven't had an issue.

[melissa1787]

Go barefoot! then no slippy shoes?
Or what about hoof boots, the ones that are worn when barefoot.

[treacletart]

Thanks peeps, you have reminded me there are sensible people out there. Its just have read and heard about a lot of horses confined to boxes for days on end due to snow and ice.
(Mine lives out, shod in front by the way, no probs).
A tonne of rock salt delivered in november sounds good, i wonder why some livery yards havent done this.
Hey ho, never mind (was just curious)

[june]

We even ride in the snow! This was polo pony exercise a couple of Sundays ago.