barefoot,how often to trim?

jackessex

jackessex

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as in title really my boy has been barefoot for about 2 months now,not done much as hes had other probs,but he was trimmed about 2 wks ago and looks like he needs doing again!!his nail holes are at the edge of hoof now so they are chipping alot at the mo,farrier gave me a rasp to try and keep on top of the worst,but they are growing so quick!!!i need to get my hoof boots sorted as he is a bit footy but they are growing so fast im worried the size i buy after trimming wont fit for long??any suggestions???or is this normal???
 
I have had my TBs shoes taken off yesterday, my farrier told me that they will chip up to the nail holes and take a while to harden up, she may become foot sore and if they chip very bad to call him back out. She seemed a bit stumbly tonight when i brought her in, she may need fronts.
Will be watching this post carefully :)

Am trimming every 5 weeks for her. My cobs go every 10 weeks and more in the winter.
 
My lad has his done every 4-5weeks. and he needs them doing this often. He had his done 2 weeks ago and already looks like they could do with a tidy up!!

cob&onion - she's bound to be footy if she only had them taken off yesterday. give her chance to get used to no shoes and for her feet to harden up a bit. it wont happen over night :)
 
There is no one size fits all answer. Some horses do enough work on a consistent basis to maintain themselves. Others not so much. Transitioning horses may need more frequent trimming, some less.

A very rough average is 1cm growth every four weeks. I know a lot of horses who put down more than that and equally a lot of horses that do less.

A good trimmer/farrier will put you on a schedule and adapt accordingly.
 
jackessex said:
as in title really my boy has been barefoot for about 2 months now,not done much as hes had other probs,but he was trimmed about 2 wks ago and looks like he needs doing again!!his nail holes are at the edge of hoof now so they are chipping alot at the mo,farrier gave me a rasp to try and keep on top of the worst,but they are growing so quick!!!i need to get my hoof boots sorted as he is a bit footy but they are growing so fast im worried the size i buy after trimming wont fit for long??any suggestions???or is this normal???
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It's normal and boots can end up either a size too big or a size too small, depending on whether your horse has spread feet or contracted feet. I'd try to hold off buying any if you can.

In addition to it taking time, do remember folks that some horses remain footie unless they are on a really good low sugar/high fibre diet. And lots of us find supplementation of magnesium oxide at 25g a day helpful too, especially in spring. And if you have big mineral imbalances in your grazing/hay, you may need a tailored supplement to cope. For example, I have high iron and manganese and because of it I have to supplement copper.

OP it's funny how some people just will not believe that barefoot feet usually grow faster than the same horse with shod feet, isn't it?
 
Mine get trimmed every 9ish weeks - basically when they need to be done. My gelding went from October to February without being trimmed but he was doing a lot of road work.
 
just echo the 'no one size fits all', mine needs doing every 4 weeks to keep them tidy and balanced, he is a bit of a wonky donkey :P
 
Mines done every 12 weeks. Farrier is happy with them and when he trimmed them today he said it's fine to go another 12 as there was not a lot to take off as he works hard. They just get a bit of a tidy up and a general check up to make sure they are ok. But he has never had shoes so dosent have the nail hole issue and he is absolutely fine on all surfaces.
Sorry if that's not much help.
 
i am going to have to buy the boots as he is footy in the field and its not fair to him to leave him like this,also he likes being riden,and has been off work for long enough now!!!
I measured his feet yesterday and they have grown 1 cm in 2 wks!!!which is good as clearly his hooves are starting to work as they should,do the boots allow for foot growth?i was thinking of buying the cavellos does anyone have these?and do you know how much growth they allow for??also should i only use them for riding and turn him out without them?to allow the foot to carry on hardening???sorry for all the questions :)
 
Re boots - there are different brands which suit different foot shapes and purposes.

Many UK hooves are wider than they are long, but a lot of the boots (largely US) are styled to suit longer than wide.

For clients that need boots for transitioning purposes I use a lot of Cavallo's; largely because they are so easy for newbie barefooters to use, they are more forgiving of slightly odd shaped feet than say the Gloves (which are also popular) and they sell second hand really fast, so after a couple of months when the client doesn't need them any more they can usually get quite a bit of money back.

The downside is Cavallo's are not suitable for really long distance work and they are sold in pairs. If you need odd sizes then try the EasyCare trail.

I have had clients turn their horses out in Cavallo's 24/7 although this is not recommended - it worked for them. (they were using the boots to protect a poultice)
 
Trimming will vary with each horse, time of year, and work done, obviously the nail holes weaken the hoof wall and need rasping/sandpapering as they grow out. If going barefoot you need to gather as much information as you can.
I suggest you get a "riders rasp" to rasp off edges between trims., it is easy to use and I would imagine it is idiot proof, though I may be wrong.
My farrier wants to leave his feet until they are long then they will be balanced just like when he was shoeing them, in my opinion, the advantage of barefoot is that the foot can be kept at optimum length by rasping every week or as necessary, i am getting him done by the farrier on Monday, and I will bring him in every week to smooth off round the front of the hoof with a coarse sanding block[DIY supplies], and see how that works out. I don't think I will be confident enough to alter the balance of the sole of the foot.
You need to read Feet First and other information accessible on the net, like anything to do with horses you need to absorb, digest and make your own plan of action.
 
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