Horse owners should pay attention to hoof care in between farrier visits

“No foot, no horse” is an old saying that still rings true today. 

Sound feet are crucial to the health and function of the horse, and regular hoof care is one of the most important aspects of keeping a horse and making sure they are able to do their job.  

Like human fingernails, horse hooves continually grow to compensate for normal wear and tear.  

Free-roaming horses’ feet wear at about the same rate in which they grow, but the confined domestic horses’ feet grow too long if not ridden much. They may also split, chip or break.  

At the other extreme, hooves may wear too fast if a horse is ridden a lot. So, proper trimming and shoeing can keep feet healthy and at proper length.

Anatomy of a horse’s hoof

The outer hoof horn protects sensitive living tissues inside of the foot and continually grows down from the coronary band. 

The hoof wall is made up of tiny hollow tubes running from the coronary band to the ground surface. They hold moisture to keep the hoof pliable and elastic so it can compress and expand without splitting.  

On the inner surface of the hoof wall, these tiny columns of tissue interface with the sensitive portion of the foot containing blood and nerves.  

The sole protects the ground surface of the foot and the V-shaped frog which bisects the sole acts as a spongy cushion to help absorb concussion. The hoof wall carries most of the weight, but the sole and frog also provide support.  

The digital cushion, a blood-filled pad of tissue just above the frog, helps protect the coffin and navicular bones above it and dissipates concussion when the foot hits the ground.

The frog and digital cushion of a healthy foot spread a little as the foot takes weight, squeezing and forcing blood back up the leg, enhancing blood circulation. When the foot is lifted, these elastic tissues all spring back to their original shape, so regular exercise helps keep feet and legs healthy, aiding proper circulation.

Hoof growth

A normal hoof wall grows about one-quarter to three-eighths of an inch per month. The entire hoof wall is usually replaced by new hoof horn every eight to 12 months.  

If a horse isn’t wearing its feet down as fast as they grow, they must be periodically trimmed to keep them from getting too long. 

If a horse is shod, its shoes need to be reset or replaced – after trimming the feet – every six to 10 weeks on average, depending on the rate of hoof growth for the particular horse. 

This is why regular farrier visits are important.  

Some horses have feet which grow very fast and the toes become too long – putting the feet out of balance – in just four to five weeks after being trimmed or shod. 

This creates more risk for stumbling, cracking and/or chipping if the horse is barefoot and not wearing its feet down enough. These horses need more frequent attention.   

Other horses have slow-growing feet and can go two months or longer – especially if the feet are well balanced by a farrier’s trim – before needing to be trimmed or shod again, unless the shoes wear out faster.  

Individuals who ride in rocky terrain or along a gravel road a lot may notice their horses’ shoes wear out before the feet have grown long enough to need trimming. In this situation, a farrier can add hard-surfacing to the shoes so they last longer.

A good farrier will keep feet balanced and functioning properly so hooves will be elastic and resilient, keeping proper foot and pastern angles for optimum movement, agility and hoof health.  

Farriers will usually assess the frog and sole to trim away loose tags or excess material, then trim the hoof wall to proper length for the particular foot and the horse’s needs. 

If the horse will be left barefoot, enough hoof wall is left at the ground surface to take most of the weight so the horse won’t be walking on his soles and bruising them.  The edge of the wall is smoothed so it won’t chip or split.

If the horse will be shod, the farrier trims the hoof wall a little more to make a smooth, level seat for the shoe. The type of shoe chosen often depends on the work the horse will be doing and the type of traction it needs for its job or the footing and terrain the horse will be ridden over or performing on.  

Even though farriers may come to trim and shoe horses every five to eight weeks or so, horses depend on their owners and caregivers to monitor and care for their feet in between visits.

Individuals who ride, train or handle their horses on a daily basis have a perfect opportunity to monitor hoof health.

Hooves should be picked up and examined. When cleaning hooves, individuals should assess the health of the frog and the sole.

A hoof continually packed with mud and/or manure is more likely to develop thrush, caused by microbes which thrive in moist, dark and airless environments.  

If a person detects the beginnings of thrush – black grime along the edges of the frog, with an unmistakable bad odor – they can treat it with a product recommended by a farrier and halt it early.

Picking up and cleaning the feet regularly also gives individuals a chance to feel for any heat and/or swelling in or around the hoof.

If the horse has a serious problem, it will likely be lame. Sometimes, however, a problem starts mildly and won’t be detected early unless someone is paying close attention.

Just as one would never saddle a horse without brushing the hair off of its back first, the same is true about checking feet. A person should always remove rocks and debris from the bottom of a horse’s feet before riding.  

Monitoring horses’ feet also allows one to notice if they are becoming dry, brittle and vulnerable to crack or, on the other hand, too soft.

Hooves in a dry climate may get brittle and crack, but this can also happen if a horse is bathed too often. Being continually wet and dry can deplete the natural oils in the hoof wall and lead to dryness and cracking.

If the horse is standing in mud or walking around in a wet pasture, its feet may become too soft and weak. If the integrity of a horse’s feet is compromised by environmental conditions, ask a farrier about hoof products to use between farrier visits to try to protect the feet from these extremes.

If the horse is shod, check each foot before riding to make sure the shoe is tight and no nails are working loose. At the end of every ride, check the feet and shoes again.  

Don’t ignore the horses that aren’t being ridden, are out to pasture or have a few days off. It pays to do periodic checking to make sure a horse is healthy and sound – including the feet.  

There is no substitute for “the eye of the master” when it comes to taking care of horses. If a person notices a problem early, they can take care of it immediately.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.