Hoof Care Basics: Picking Out, Trimming and Shoeing
No hoof, no horse. The daily job, the farrier cycle and the problems to watch for.
Hoof problems are the most common cause of lost riding time. Almost all of them are easier to prevent than to treat.
Pick out daily
Work from heel to toe with a hoof pick, clearing the grooves either side of the frog and the central cleft. Do it before and after riding, and every day for stabled horses. It takes two minutes and is how you find a stone, a loose shoe or the first smell of thrush.
The farrier cycle
- Every six to eight weeks for most horses, shod or barefoot.
- Growth is faster in summer, so cycles often shorten in warm months.
- Leaving it longer changes hoof angles and puts strain on tendons.
Shod or barefoot
Neither is universally right. It depends on workload, surfaces, conformation and hoof quality. Discuss it with your farrier and vet rather than following fashion.
What to watch for
Black, foul-smelling discharge from the frog is thrush — usually wet, dirty footing. Heat in the hoof with a bounding digital pulse and reluctance to move can signal laminitis, which is an emergency. Cracks that run vertically and widen need the farrier's opinion.
Footing and diet
Dry standing, regular movement and a forage-based diet do more for hooves than any supplement.
