Finding Live Sole

[rkoonz99]

My horses run barefoot all winter (lots of snow and wet conditions) and I trim them at 4 week intervals. My question is how can I find live sole when there is no crusty or flaky sole to pare off. I have difficulty telling the difference of waxy live sole and the existing sole prior to trimming feet?
thanks,
Rich

[hoofnhound]

If you can't find exfoliating sole (the chalky stuff) then it most likely isn't there and you are already at live sole.
I rarely see exfoliating sole in the winter here in snow and ice country.

[Jeanie Connors]

Ditto; it's probably not there ;) .

[calshoer]

In wet conditions, when they have been out and especially barefoot, there may not be any dead sole to remove. Any dead stuff is softer and flakes off all by itself as the horse moves around the pasture. In parts of Washington state, and in the UK for example some farriers just use a wire brush to clean the sole and that is all. Here in Colorado it is a different story.
Patty

[Redd Mcintyre]

In the winter in Colorado or anywhere there is hard frozen ground, has anyone find that the horses frogs are cut up more than normal?

Redd Mcintyre

[hoofnhound]

Not here in Michigan,if anything,the snow (we've had 70"+ this winter) gives a welcome reprieve from thrush and frogs look pretty good.
Always the few exceptions of course,who seem to have c***py frogs no matter what.:eek:
Alison

[calshoer]

Oh yeah. They live in snow for several days or more, in overnight temps down in the teens, then it all melts one or teo of those freak 65 degree Feburary afternoons, so the ground gets wet, the frozen frogs get soft, then it feezes hard overnight turning onto 'ice knives' and cuts them up. Haven't had any that were deep enough to get lame but they sure LOOK rough. Its tough on them. Patty