What Can I Do If Snow Balls Up in the Goodsmith Base Plate?

In winter, snow can collect and “ball up” in the base plate. This is uncomfortable for the horse and can impair grip. It can't always be fully prevented, but it can be significantly reduced with the right base plate and a few adjustments.

The following tips apply equally to the Goodsmith glue-on horseshoe and the Goodsmith hoof boot.

Recommendation for winter

For winter, we recommend using our closed base plate with grid and snow grip.
This combination was specifically developed to reduce snow sticking and balling up and to clear snow away more effectively.

Open base plates & additional snow grip

Open base plates make snow more likely to stick and ball up, since there are more open surfaces and edges. With open models, you can additionally fit and screw on a standard snow grip (known from horseshoes). This can help snow release more easily.

Adjustment options for grid & snow grip

With our base plates with grid & snow grip, you have the following option:

• You can cut out the grid with a utility knife if you would rather use the plate open despite the snow grip.
• Simply leave the lateral snow grip in place, so the anti-balling effect is retained.

If snow still sticks heavily, you can further improve the effect:

• It can help to cut the lateral snow grip lips further.
  This makes them more flexible and allows the snow to be cleared away even better while the horse is moving.

Important note on weather conditions

Please note that snow balling up cannot be prevented 100% of the time, depending on weather conditions. Especially with fresh, wet, or sticky snow, balling up often cannot be completely avoided. However, such weather conditions usually only last briefly.

Video demonstration

A short video presenting our base plate with grid & snow grip and showing how to use it can be found 👉 here!