Loved these two in from Kathy, on ‘how smart are horses?’ Naturally, I’m very biased on the second one…
“I would like to give you the following – which is true.
I worked 14 polo ponies on a rural Property, Australia, of which the owner was a top Polo Player (he is now the Manager of the Young English Polo Team – Rodney Cudmore – and you can ask him yourself if this is true!-
How smart are horses
Our practice was fit up the horses by riding them walk, trot and canter a 12km track, sometimes broken up with dressage or stock work, or stick and ball. The 14 main horses were in small paddocks of about 1 eighth acre overnight, 2 to a paddock..
The practice was I would get 3 or three, groom, work, hose off, check for injuries etc., then let go in a 5 acre paddock. Then the next two or three an so on. This I did for weeks (rode every day 48kms before lunch by the time finished!) Then deal with any young ones etc.
I got the shits with having to catch the 14 polo ponies to put them in their respective pair paddocks for the night. Not because they were hard to catch, just a waste of time!
How smart are horses
So I would put their feed out (A Grade international Polo Ponies – Lucerne Hay and Oats! TAKE NOTE! – don’t need fancy stuff to feed your horse) and let the 2 pairs in through the gate – 2 at a time.
In 3 days, they would line up in their pairs!
In 3 weeks, I could open the gate and all would go to their own paddock in an orderly manner!~
Anyone says that animals are stupid or dumb – THEY ARE STUPID AND DUMB! All I had to do was shut the gates!”
Kathy.”
How smart are horses
“My Irish Riding teacher never had her horses shod, and she had a homemade hoof oil. I don’t shoe my horses either now 30 yrs later.
Yes you are re feeding, but I am lucky that my horses are in large paddocks, and that natural grazing combined with this hoof oil,(and sensible riding!) I have NEVER had a horse go lame, wether showing, or mustering cattle on a rocky property.
Basic recipe is: 3 equal parts of Stockholm Tar, Animal fat and vegetable oil.
With change of seasons, always keep to 1 third Stockholm Tar. In hotter months have more percentage of animal fat, and less vege oil, as it will keep the hooves supple. In winter, less fat, more vege oil as it will help waterproof the hooves.
This is a cost effective and proved recipe. Let me know how you go.
PS I know there are 2 schools of thought on this, but I also oil the underside of the hoof, as well as the walls – again, never a lame horse in 30 yrs.
Kathy”
A big thanks to Kathy for sharing. I’m sure you all have a story to tell on ‘how smart are horses?’ and I’ve love to hear them! Please do leave a comment below if you’d love to.
That’s all for today.
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Best
In Wisconsin, I use equal parts of pine tar and fish oil. My mares have the best feet in the herd.
❓ Would you mind giving me that exact recipe, please? 1/2 Pine Tar & 1/2 Fish oil? What sort of Fish oil are you suggesting, please? I WILL have a horse, and am just learning about “bare” back saddlery and Barefoot Hoof care. I don’t see why horses MUST have nails through their hooves and iron on their feet. This is NOT how they are made, and it seems to me, they function far better with sensible and attentive natural hoof care.
But I digress;) soory. Do you have specifics as o application of this remedy/salve? Times of year or daily or weekly?? I am SO interested!!! (and so NEW) Sincerely, Sharon
Hi Sharon. I am sorry for the late reply. I use Shur Hoof. In WI I purchase at Fleet Farm. But it can also be ordered from Valley Vet on-line. I use as needed summer and fall especially during times if drought on coronet band, hoof and sole. In just my experience, I have had great success with curing drynesss, minor cracks, ending chips and healing bruised dried out soles. AGAIN, my experience only. I have always had barefoot horses for the last 35 years. When a severe crack occured, I used straight tar for a short time.
I do use bitless bridles on well trained horses. But, every horse & rider is unique! I have 2 horses right now. One mare improved 100% under saddle when bitless. One mare I will probably never trust bitless. I buy from an Amish maker in Ohio who partners with middle man to sell on eBay.
ALSO, have you heard of the bit less bridle, and the bare-back saddle types? I am SERIOUSLY looking into both before I get my dream baby.
Where do u buy stckholm tar? Never heard of?
Would always be helpful to note how to buy…another
Tremmel or something like that was recommended in earlier posts..
Never heard of that one either and would like to know where/how to purchase.
Hi Sandra,
Are you thinking of Traumeel? It is for sore/arthritic joints? I live in Ontario, Canada, and yesterday I happened to see it on the shelf in the Shopper’s Drug Mart Pharmacy. If we can now get it at pharmacies in Canada, I think you should be able to get it at any pharmacy in the States as well. If you are in Britain or elsewhere, I’m not sure though. It was $23.00 Canadian for a tube about the size of a large tube of toothpaste. Hope this helps! Patti
Sandra,
One can generally purchase Stockholm tar in any feed store. I usually purchase a quart can, as it mixes well with not so much, and lasts quite a long time.
If your feed store does not carry it, it can also be found in hardware stores or where roofing materials are found! Frequently cheaper there and in larger containers. I once purchased a 5-gallon pail from home depot. The problem with that was it lasted SO long I finally gave half of it away! Five gallons works well if you have many horses or many friends to share it with.
None of my horses are shod, and my farrier claims they are the best hooves he has to work on.
I too have a question about Stockholm Tar. Is that just a name brand or is it a special formulation? Can I substitute any form of Hoof tar? I have never shod my horses, but I have never put any kind of hoof treatment on them either. Do you do this year round? My farrier has always said that my horses feet are in excellent shape, but I notice they have been starting to develop cracks faster than they used to. Perhaps that has something to do with age as well because they are 20 and 21. I live in Ontario, so icy, cold, snowy winters are on the way and I am wondering if this would be a good thing to start using on the girl’s feet. Thanks for any input you folks can offer me! I like to hear everyone’s thoughts, opinions and experiences- good or bad- as they help me become a better “mommy”! Patti
Stockholm tar is very hard to find now days, even in Australia. It was used years ago to stop bleeding when a sheep was cut, and they had a Tar boy with the tar to dab on the sheep.
But Sump oil is very similar to Stockholm tar – that is what we used in the mix, when we couldn’t get the Stockholm tar. I have no scientific reason why it works, the mixture, but it does.
Dear Patti,
Any hoof tar will work, but I suggest where you are, using the standard on the wall, Will mean warming up beforehand to liquefy) and the more oil ratio underneath as the snow and ice will not ball up so much., and yes, I would recommend doing every day for your old mates, like us, they lose the natural things to keep us healthy as we get older. Cheers, Kathy.
I, too, care for a team of polo ponies. They are ridiculously smart. I never use a halter or lead because I can just point and they know what to do.They are also like jealous children and I mus be careful to give each equal attention or I can expect some acting out from the slighted pony the next day. I have caught the team playing “polo” by themselves, kicking a ball around and chasing it from one end of the filed to the other! No riders in sight!
LOL! SAME HERE! even now retired, gotta spend same amount of attention to each of my Gee Gees!!
Re Polo ponies. Being smart.
Another polo job re working – riding one and lead two.
There were 2 that would just play up when lead – pull back or rush forward! Trixie was one I got on well with, and in a week, I would knot her reins so I could let go to work these two luggas, , lean forward for faster and lean back slower. Trixie was the best for problem led horses, as I could ride her with no hands!
Good info. Will try this for sure! Love your site!
I was riding in the ménage the one day and I noticed one of the metal dressage markers looked as if it was going to tip over which would have tripped my horse up if he had not noticed it. I tried to lean down to bat it with the end of my schooling whip so it would fall off the outside track of the ménage, but my ship wasn’t heavy enough to make any difference.
My horse stood there very patiently watching me struggle leant down with his nose and pushed it away from the track. I was totally amazed and realised that he had understood what I was trying to do.
He also understands the command ‘wait’ and when my string on my haynet broke recently and fell down from where I had tied it up high and he got his foot stuck in it he stood still when I told him to wait and was very patient whilst I cut him free.
My Welsh X Mountain pony got in a very tight situation, involving wire and a tight space and she stayed still while I got her out – not a mark on her! If an animal trusts you….
I worked with a trainer many years ago and his secret hoof treatment was pine tar and lindseed oil…I have used it over the years with great success!
animal fat ? what name does is this under ? Or do you make it ? Sorry, I sound dumb asking this … but wish to try it … live in AZ so need to protect from drying out & this sounds great. Then I can make a lot and do all the horses at the stables, not just mine. 🙂 Over counter stuff is too expensive to do all the others plus mine. Thanks for the info. – love your info and stories .
Ok – if you cook a Roast, or BBq etc, that is the animal fat. Or you can buy it as Lard at the butchers.
Tamara, I collect the fat from cooking, and due to our very dry conditions, our horses need more of it – shod or not. even if you cannot get Stockholm tar, get sump oil, old vege oil and mix to 1/4 each tar and oil, the rest animal fat – and do the soul of the hoof as well as the wall.
You can reserve the fat from any meat you cook, or buy fat from a butcher.
My horses (14 and 26 years old) have both been barefoot for all but a few weeks of their lives. When I was a professional farrier (mostly doing barefoot trims and fitting horses with Swiss horse boots), I came across a comment about adding soy bean meal to horse feed for horses with hooves that were flaky, or cracked easily. I checked it out and found that dehulled soy bean meal has a lot of the amino acids that are required for the horse to produce the protein that “glues the hoof together.” These particular amino acids are insufficient in many horse diets. It also has the zinc required for protein synthesis and other trace elements (I did a lot of research on zinc, copper, etc. during my Ph.D. program years ago.) So I tried it on my own horses and then began recommending it to my clients with fantastic success. About 1/2 to 1 pound of soy mixed with their oats works very well – it makes the hoof much more supple and less brittle. The soy has a high percentage of both protein and carbohydrate, but I have never had any problem with either (nor did my clients) except that you may have to cut back a little on the other grains to keep them from gaining weight.
It sounds like a combination of supplementing the horse’s diet with soy and using your hoof dressing might be a wonderful combination.
Soy bean is full of GMO, genetic modified organism. Be careful what you give your horses. Not good for human or eguine & any other animals. 😯
That sounds great! But I only hack my horses, therefore no need for mixed feeds, but you should get your message to competing horse owners!
I received this mixture from a who ropes and runs race horses.
1 gallon Mineral Oil.
1 Gallon Fish Oil.
1 Gallon Pine Tar.
1 Gallon USED Motor Oil.
1 Quart 7% Iodine.
Mix together in a 5 gal. bucket. Paint hoof, inside and out with mixture. Shoes stay on better and my ferrier loves to shoe my horses. Hoaves are never brittle.
I have a gelding that cannot go barefoot. He is so low on the bulb he has to have elevated shoes on. If not he is lame. Barefoot is great depending the conformation of the horses hoof. We live in Canada & I add corks for a full winter riding season. So not all our gifts from God can go barefoot. I wish he could..would cut down on farrier bills…..but he is worth every penny. This was recommened by my Vet as well. Rather have a sound horse than a lame one.
I bet that if you found a barefoot trimmer who has been doing it for years and realises that the hoof needs to be as natural of possible. You could have a sound horse when he’s without shoes.
Val, Take his shoes off through winter – do not ride him and find a different vet, and a bare hoof farrier. Give your horse a break so he can grow his hooves naturally. He will be better for it – what is more important? Your rides, or your horse well being?
I recently paid a a lot of to a vet because my horse of 17 had a hoof injury. The vet said it could have been from the shoes that I had put on his front feet. He did fine until I listened to an expert tell me to get front shoes. Right after he was very sore for a few days, a month later he is lame. He could have stepped on a rock in his pen or a piece of metal. I clean his pen regularly. I think a nail from the shoes hit a vein and a wound began. No way to prove it but I am going shoeless from now on. Thanks for the hoof treatment recipes.
Dear Shellie,
Your farrier may have nailed in too far when shoeing, called nail blind, into the sensitive part of the hoof.
In Australia, with horse shows, more and more often, barefoot horses are allowed to compete from Dressage, Show Jumping, Stockhorse competitions, and even Showing! Perhaps the rest of the world should catch up??