I'm wondering if anyone's come up with any clever ideas about dealing with dirty hooves if for instance you invited your equine friend into the ground level of your home. Some sort of boots or covers?
Oh my....you don´t seem to have any knowledge of horses, do you? Have you ever heard about such funny little instruments as hoofpicks and hoofbrushes?
According to the English proverb "No hoof, no horse", ANY good rider and/or sufficiently responsible person will put an extra emphasis on cleaning the hooves, even if the horse has just been brought in from a completely muddy pasture.....and that´s even true if the owner doesn´t think of bringing the equine inside his house. Besides that, it´s not a particularly bright idea to bring horses into the environment of a human´s house...slippery floors (especially when the horse wears horseshoes), too many edges the horse can injure itself on in an instant, etc. pp.
The only situation where I don´t see your idea as totally inadaequate and irresponsible because horses are horses, not pets like dogs and cats is my situation:
When I bought my farm, I tore down some of the old boxes/stalls that were located inside, practically indoors and only a wall away from my living room . I then replaced the floor with rubber tiles, similar to those you can find on public urban playgrounds...those tiles provide perfect grip for hooves, even with horseshoes. I also installed a "bathroom" setup, with a warm water hose/showerhead included and now have the pleasure of being able to take a shower with my mares. Especially comfy when it´s hot in the summer...my Tinker mare and me have done "it" a couple of times while showering last summer. I hardly shower in my "real" bathroom , tbh. But besides that, I strictly keep house area and horse area separated.Horses simply don´t belong in houses...unless you have insurance fraud in mind and want to inflict maximum damage to your house interior. Not to mention the fun you´ll gonna have if a horse takes a dump on the carpet...
Thanks 30-30. True, my equine experience is way smaller than my ruminant experience. I do understand some basics of unshod hoof care... for the mini donkey that came home. My issue is one of packed snow/ice, which no amount of picking dries... I live in the great white north. The target location is one of carpeting.
Wish I had the jing for a heated barn, which would allow for your senario.
I also don't think "in the house" is a good environment for a horse, though I've brought sick lambs and foals in at times but to a specially prepared area, basically a heated, rough-wood floored garage really. Mind you, I'm not an equine zoo, just an equine knowledgeable zoophile, so having lovemaking sessions aren't a priority for me. However, I am also from a northern, heavy snow and cold area. Packed ice and snow are probably the most dangerous for a horses hoof, and persistence is the only way to clear it. It can be done. I have a special pick for it, ground to a sharper edge (not knife sharp though) to chip away at it. You must stop using it before reaching the hoof floor and frog though, and switch to a blunter pick to finish so as not to wound the horse. Drying is another story, but I've used blue shop towels for show purposes to dry hooves. They absorb just about everything. 30-30 is right, with-out the hoof you have no horse.
sw
"Horses in the house" in common in many cultures. In cold climates it is very practical because of the large amount of heat that horses naturally generate. It does require some adaptation of both the house and the horse but is practiced in places as diverse as Bedouin tents to Texas barndominiums. And don't forget service animals.
In this case I am assuming that you have a special room set aside for equine use? The rubber pads are a great idea and are available at your local Tractor Supply. House training is not that hard but if you need to keep the horse in for extended periods, you will be booting on a twenty four hour schedule.
Expect some visitors to freak about the smell. What some of us consider heavenly will be the opposite for others.
Thanks everyone for the reality check. Looks like I may need to rethink my plan!
Regarding the ice/snow problem, I´d buy some hoof salve/ointment and treat the hooves with that regularly. Don´t overdo it though!
Hooves are no "dead" matter and the usual comparison to human finger- and toenails only partially fits. What you will need to prevent is water/humiditiy from entering the the hoof. For this purpose, there´s lots of appliances on the market: tar based, oil/petroleum based etc...my old instructor used Ballistol for that purpose, for example. All of these are good for hooves, but also have a few flaws that come with them if you just smear it on and don´t care anymore. What you want to avoid is to "suffocate" the hoof with these, so apply a THIN layer of grease, let it soak in for a while (couple of hours) and then wipe off the excess the hoof hasn´t absorbed yet. Don´t spare the sole of the hoof unless your equine has problems there (soft parts of the sole, for example). But I cannot emphasize enough you should NOT overdo it, applying once or twice a week absolutely suffices. Most of the "hoof greases" have the tendency to harden the outer structure of hooves when used excessively and your farrier will surely find some more or less "nice" words if he´s forced to get his blade through hooves that suddenly are twice as hard as usual.
You even can find hoof ointments with added disinfective ingredients for extra protection of your horse´s precious feet...and my usual advice for wannabe horse owners also holds here...don´t underestimate the knowledge that´s needed to keep an equine. Learn proper handling, caretaking, feeding and all the other skills BEFORE you buy...
I've used pine tar oil for that purpose for decades with good results. It's easy to acquire and cheap here in the states, and works great. (if it didn't work, I wouldn't use it) As 30-30 said, don't over apply and wipe the excess after a few hours. It has the added bonus of already being a disinfectant.
As far as it helping prevent the packed snow and ice we get in our 5 foot or more snow winters, I don't know. It might bee it makes it a bit easier to remove. I still think persistence in getting the snow and ice out is most important. It should be done every time you bring the horse in, or every day if you leave them turned out for days (which I would NOT do in our weather areas.).
sw
Wet hooves won't be your only problem. Mare-in-estrus urine will do a number on your carpet that no amount of Stanley Steemer is going to fix. And squirt she will, if you plan any activity with her.
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