I have often wondered why stuff disappears from the stables. Over the years I guessed that in every stable there were several portals that interrupt the time-space continuum and suck hoof picks (and mane combs, brushes, shedding blades and the occasional bandage) into another dimension.
However I read about a group of epidemiologists from Australia who published an article in the British Medical Journal documenting the disappearance of teaspoons from their lunchrooms. They purchased both high and low quality teaspoons and distributed them throughout the lunchrooms of their research centre. They examined teaspoon disappearance in common lunchrooms and private lunchrooms.
They found that in private lunchrooms half of the teaspoons had permanently disappeared in 11 weeks. However from communal lunchrooms, it took only 6 weeks for half of the teaspoons to disappear. The researchers concluded that in order to keep their employees satisfied with the amount of teaspoons available, the research centre should purchase over 250 teaspoons per year!
I believe that if the same study was done using hoof picks in an equestrian centre instead of teaspoons in a research centre, the results would be similar: hoof picks (and mane combs, brushes and shedding blades) would disappear.
The study on teaspoons leads us to conclude that hoof picks disappear faster if left in a common area and the more people that have access to them, the faster they disappear. By organizing your stable and simplifying stable procedures, you can minimize the loss of hoof picks. Here are some different ways to do this.
Have one person responsible for cleaning hooves every day.
PROS: An experienced person will ensure hooves are cleaned properly and be able to evaluate hoof health. One person is responsible for the hoof picks and they are not accessible by the general barn population.
CONS: It is very labour intensive for this one person. It may not be possible for the hooves to be cleaned before and after the horse is ridden.
Have the instructor clean the hooves of each horse in the lesson before and after each lesson.
PROS: Experienced person will ensure hooves are cleaned properly and be able to evaluate hoof health. There is limited access to hoof picks by the general barn population.
CONS: It is very labour intensive for this one person. If the horse is not ridden its hooves may not get cleaned.
Assign each horse its own hoof pick with name tag.
PROS: Hoof pick is easy to find and anyone grooming the horse can pick out hooves.
CONS: Hoof picks stored in a communal location disappear regardless of how they are labelled. The horse owner (not rider) is responsible for replacing hoof picks. Hoof health may not be properly evaluated by novice equestrians.
Each rider has his/her own hoof pick.
PROS: Each rider learns proper hoof care. Rider should take care of own equipment to ensure riding privileges.
CONS: Hooves may not be cleaned because the rider does not own a hoof pick. Hoof health may not be properly evaluated by novice equestrians.
Microchipping and satellite tracking of hoof picks.
PROS: Hoof picks will be able to be located anywhere on the planet.
CONS: Extremely expensive to the point of insanity and who wants to root through the manure pile for a 99¢ hoof pick anyway?
While all the systems listed above may work for you (with the possible exception of the last one), nothing beats a system where the hoof picks have a designated area and clients and staff are taught to put them back. The teaspoon study has indicated that expensive hoof pics disappear just as quickly as inexpensive ones so save your money and buy ones that good enough to do the job.
Do you have items in your home, office or stable that keep disappearing? What steps have you taken to ensure these items get put back in their places?
