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Studding up before cross country, showjumping or even dressage if on grass, is one of everyone's least favourite jobs. Here are some of my tips for making this necessary job a little bit easier and safer for you and the horse.
1. Check and clean the stud holes the night before. If you are super organised, pack the stud holes when the farrier puts on new shoes. You can use bits of normal cotton wool and pack it in quite firmly using a small screw driver tip. This will help prevent any stones getting jammed in or ruining the threads. If the packing has fallen out, or you just forgot, make sure you clean the holes the night before you need to stud up. Use a small screw driver tip to remove any dirt and stones rather than a nail (they can bend easily). For really stubborn stones, gently tapping the head of the screw driver with a hammer will break up the stone and make it easier to remove. This may require the help of another person!
2. Once the holes are clean, re-tap the threads using a self cleaning stud tapper- but be sure to be very careful and patient when finding the thread or you can easily damage it. Then restuff with cotton wool, perhaps soaked in a little oil or hoof grease to keep the threads clean and the stuffing will be easily removed the next day.
3. Don't choose your studs until you (or your rider if grooming) has walked the course. You will need thinner, pointier studs for hard ground, and larger, squarer studs for soft or very wet and boggy going. There are arguments to use two studs in each shoe for balance, or one stud only in the outside to prevent the horse injuring himself with the inside stud. Both ways are acceptable- you need to decide what you prefer, but always use smaller studs in front for safety for the horse.
4. Lay your studs out with all your tools in a magnetic tray to prevent you loosing them in the grass!
5. At the end of the season, a good way to keep you studs in good nick until the following year is to soak them overnight in Coke to clean them, then rinse off, dry and soak for a few hours in vegetable oil and then store them neatly in your clean stud box.
© Anita Marchesani, March 2009.
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