Re: Winter hoof woes & blankets

HorseWorks@aol.com
Sun, 12 Jan 1997 19:58:49 -0500 (EST)

In a message dated 1/12/97 12:05:13 AM, you wrote:

<<I can't be the only one with horses who have been standing in mud and muck
for weeks (or months as in my case). Does anybody have any suggestions on
what I can do? I am considering bringing in a load of sand or decomposed
granite - does anybody have a suggestion on which would be better for the
horses, and why? I am cleaning their feet daily and applying a bleach/water
mix to the bottoms, is there anything else I can do?
>>

Being in the excavating business and having horses, SAND is the best, at
least in our area of western Kentucky. Sand drains better than anything else
we've tried. We can put sand in a muck area -- for instance the doorway
(water runs off the roof and saturates the ground making a mud hole) where
the horses go in and out of the barn. I won't have to replace or add sand
until the next fall. It makes a major difference -- believe me!

Caution!! You can get "contaminated" sand much cheaper. However, make sure
the materials supplier knows what it is contaminated with. Sometimes it is
fertilizer and this can have rough and even deadly repercussions. If the
sand is "contaminated" with, say, dense grade or chat - natural materials -
this will save you bucks!