LETTERS

I really liked “Winter Hoof Hazards” (EQUUS 484), especially the section on ice balls. I do have to say, though, that a horse does not have to wear shoes to have this problem. I have two 21-yearold mares who are barefoot, and I have always had problems with ice balls. We recently had only one inch of snow, and ice balls appeared. But the mares do have access to a stream, so it could be that the snow is freezing on their feet after their hooves get wet. Helen Sanders Cumberland, Maryland