Honest answers - how often do you pick your horses feet out?

[First Frost]

Minimum once a day for the unshod field kept boys. At least twice a day for the shod in work horses. Also once a week the shod/working horses who are part stabled have their feet scrubbed out and treated with sole saviour, as a precaution.

 

[bouncing_ball]

Mine pick up stones / grit / gravel whenever we go hacking / go in the school. I now pick out when get back. Else I pick out in field. I like to keep close eye for thrush / poo wedged in / grit in white line or frog etc.

 

[meleeka]

Mine are all retired, unshod and live out. In the winter at least daily, in summer if it’s dry, when I think of it so probably every couple of days. I have one that gets very soft soles in winter so it has to be done at least once a day or she’s uncomfortable.

 

[Hollylee1989]

Both mine are barefoot, and stabled overnight. I pick out morning and evening

 

[saddlesore]

Daily

 

[rara007]

Daily when come in, plus before work if shod and in work. Approx weekly for the retired ponies with no issues. They’re usually empty still in summer. Twice a day if dealing with an issue.

 

[fidleyspromise]

All barefoot and live out all year.
At least twice a week for a check. Before and after ridden or then for a walk.

 

[wiglet]

Every day without fail. I put Kevin Bacon on her hooves at least 4 times a week in summer - a little less in winter.
I think it good practice to pick each hoof up everyday - it becomes routine for the horses then and makes life easier for you. You can tell the horses that don't have their hooves picked out regularly - they don't offer their hooves, they stay firmly planted on the ground which is really irritating.

 

[maya2008]

Depends on if they’re living out or not and if they are shod.

Shod/coming in to a stable, 1-2 times a day.

Living out unshod, every now and then. If ridden, they get checked because of that, if not, when someone has time, if it looks like there might be an issue, when the hooves are trimmed. I have acquired feral ponies aged 5+ who have never seen a farrier nor have had their hooves picked out in their lives. When we eventually get enough trust to pick hooves, they’re absolutely fine and heathy. It’s bedding and shoes that create thrush and other issues, riding that leads to them picking up stones.

Probably not so true for horses as they are more delicate, but fine for a herd of natives (most of whom were feral before they came to us!).

 

[rabatsa]

Hardly ever.

If I give them a tlc day and a good brush over then I will do their feet at the same time. The one that is prone to hoof abcesses gets whichever of his looks a bit iffy done a couple of times a day until he is definately right again, otherwise it is only on farrier day.

Commuter pony gets hers done before the commute each way, so 3x week at the moment.

 

[Jenko109]

Never really. Just farrier day.

Field kept horse without shoes who is not ridden.

He is out on well draining pasture. Feral ponies in national parks all over the country will go months or even years without anybody touching their feet.

Also, when I hacked with Trans Wales Trails, they also did not pick out feet, even on their shod horses. They were happy that anything inside the hoof would come out once you got going anyway. Again, field kept horses.

Nasty, pissy stables are what cause hoof problems.

 

[Burnttoast]

Every day without fail. I put Kevin Bacon on her hooves at least 4 times a week in summer - a little less in winter.
I think it good practice to pick each hoof up everyday - it becomes routine for the horses then and makes life easier for you. You can tell the horses that don't have their hooves picked out regularly - they don't offer their hooves, they stay firmly planted on the ground which is really irritating.

Horses have excellent memories and those that have been well-handled in the past don't forget. I might ask to see my boy's feet once every month to 6 weeks at the moment but he still offers them when I ask, same as he backs up when asked. He might not do it for a stranger immediately because people don't all go about a job in exactly the same way, but he will (for example) pick them up for my unhorsey brother once he realises what's wanted.

 

[canteron]

Depends on if they’re living out or not and if they are shod.

Shod/coming in to a stable, 1-2 times a day.

Living out unshod, every now and then. If ridden, they get checked because of that, if not, when someone has time, if it looks like there might be an issue, when the hooves are trimmed. I have acquired feral ponies aged 5+ who have never seen a farrier nor have had their hooves picked out in their lives. When we eventually get enough trust to pick hooves, they’re absolutely fine and heathy. It’s bedding and shoes that create thrush and other issues, riding that leads to them picking up stones.

Probably not so true for horses as they are more delicate, but fine for a herd of natives (most of whom were feral before they came to us!).

This makes sense - thank you x

 

[Birker2020]

Just looking at a charity video saying it must be done every day. But I don’t, somehow it doesn’t make it into my routine and don’t really see many people who do!
Do you?

Yes absolutely when he comes in, in the morning and when he is turned back out at night. I can't imagine why people don't but I know someone who never picks out her horses feet and they always seem to be cope fine.
I found a tack in his foot the other day! Missed any important structures, had come off the handle of one of my brushes after he'd pulled it out of the manger and shook it. (Manufacturers please note screws are much safer to use with horses around).

I had a nail in my Bailey's foot, had to call the emergency vet out. Only found it because I was picking out her feet prior to her being stabled for the night, one very expensive Sunday evening I can tell you! It was a clench that a farrier had left behind on the floor. I can only thank God I not swept it into her hay bucket!
.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Teaching 3yo to pick up his feet so I don't always get them up but I work on it every day.
Once established I would do it in the morning and in the evening depending on routine

 

[Birker2020]

Once every 7 weeks, 30 minutes before the farrier arrives.

 

[southerncomfort]

Unshod Fell pony with no feet issues - every time I ride. So 4 or 5 times a week. To be honest with the ground as dry as it is, their is rarely anything in his feet to remove.

 

[PurBee]

Yes absolutely when he comes in, in the morning and when he is turned back out at night. I can't imagine why people don't but I know someone who never picks out her horses feet and they always seem to be cope fine.
I found a tack in his foot the other day! Missed any important structures, had come off the handle of one of my brushes after he'd pulled it out of the manger and shook it. (Manufacturers please note screws are much safer to use with horses around).

I had a nail in my Bailey's foot, had to call the emergency vet out. Only found it because I was picking out her feet prior to her being stabled for the night, one very expensive Sunday evening I can tell you! It was a clench that a farrier had left behind on the floor. I can only thank God I not swept it into her hay bucket!
.

As a tangent to thread subject, you mentioning finding a tack due to your brushes. It always amazes me how equestrian gear can come made or packaged with very dangerous to horses parts.
For instance, the polyrope electric fence comes on a large spool. The paper label is often pinned to the spool with literally inch long metal pins! Also the rope end is fixed to the spool with a large metal staple…..items easily lost when out in the field unpacking the gear, and easy for a hoof to stand on! I loathe unpackaging the spools now, and purposefully take them way out of horse areas, carefully unwrap in case a pin or staples falls out and i dont notice. I bundle the pins and staples in the paper label and bury it deep in my pocket to sort later.

Some blinking sellotape would easily do the job of those lethal pins and staples. Manufacturers amaze me sometimes.

(Rant over! )

 

[Birker2020]

As a tangent to thread subject, you mentioning finding a tack due to your brushes. It always amazes me how equestrian gear can come made or packaged with very dangerous to horses parts.
For instance, the polyrope electric fence comes on a large spool. The paper label is often pinned to the spool with literally inch long metal pins! Also the rope end is fixed to the spool with a large metal staple…..items easily lost when out in the field unpacking the gear, and easy for a hoof to stand on! I loathe unpackaging the spools now, and purposefully take them way out of horse areas, carefully unwrap in case a pin or staples falls out and i dont notice. I bundle the pins and staples in the paper label and bury it deep in my pocket to sort later.

Some blinking sellotape would easily do the job of those lethal pins and staples. Manufacturers amaze me sometimes.

(Rant over! )

I agree. With kids toys they have to have an age suitable range and dangerous things like beads and threads are not used for under three's.

Surely manufacturers should sit up and take note!

 

[chaps89]

2 unshod ponies, 1 retired, 1 in very light work.
Feet always picked out daily when they come in from the field. If they’ve made a mess of their bed then I’ll pick feet out before turning out in the evening. And always check for bits of grit after they’ve been for a walk/hack.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Several times a day ! When turning out , when bringing in , before riding and after riding.
It's an essential health and welfare check and only takes less than a minute.
Why wouldn't you? Small stones and even arena surface get stuck by the bars all the time.

 

[SEL]

Most days, but not every day.

This morning we had rain (yay) and they'd all had a gallop and a skid about. I needed to go to work and didn't want mud all over me so they had breakfast thrown at them and turfed back out. Fields are flat and were bone dry so they shouldn't pick anything up. Famous last words obviously.

Bit more on it in winter when they get sprayed regularly for thrush.

ETA - I'm not sure whether mine have better feet than most, but they really don't get small stones stuck in them. If I've been hand walking the Appy and its muddy then she will often pick up gravel where one of the local residents tipped a load at the end of the bridleway. If there's a sharp bit she'll waggle a hoof at me until her slave has removed it but otherwise she just walks out with hooves full of mud and gravel without issue. 1000s of years of evolution did enable them to deal with mud and stones!!

 

[splashgirl45]

I always did twice a day

 

[humblepie]

Whenever he comes out of the stable and whenever he returns, so before turning out and when getting in, before hacking and when coming back from hacking. I think I am the only person in our barn who picks feet out given the trail of straw left as horses are turned out. To be fair they do all sweep up but the sweeping up takes longer than picking out the hooves.

 

[paddy555]

all are barefoot. For any ridden barefoot which includes the roads then on return from riding I check for gravel in the WL.
On anything booted before booting, for the rest who are unridden then I pick the feet out when I trim which is probably once every 6 - 8 weeks.

For a ridden horse who is unridden (ie resting for a few days) then I don't pick them out until we do the booting or barefoot checking for gravel routine.

I trim them but if I didn't I would pick them out before the farrier turned up.

 

[dorsetladette]

Mine are out 24/7/365.

The babies have feet picked up everyday as its a learning/training thing. I expect all my ponies to let me do whats needed without a headcollar in the field, but this obviously takes time for them to learn and understand. Reggie currently thinks I'm playing and tries to lie down when i pick a front one up.

Older one is done a couple of times a week. As a companion pony he doesn't come out of the field often.

In winter I pick feet out pretty much daily, but if the weather is terrible a day may get missed here and there.

When we had the livery yard everything had its feet picked out before coming out of the stable to keep the yard clean.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Barefoot every day in winter. One barefoot in summer every day as he has remedial boots on during the day. One shod with composite so nothing gets in them.

Can I add a question please.

How often do people treat with Kevin Bacon or similar, use sole cleanse or field paste type products in this dry weather? If using something like Kevin Bacon do you paint the sole as well as the hoof?

 

[paddy555]

. I can't imagine why people don't but I know someone who never picks out her horses feet and they always seem to be cope fine.

exactly, they cope fine and in fact I have found that they cope far better than daily picking out, washing, scrubbing and applying various products.

why is because it allows mud to build up and compact tightly in the colateral grooves and sulchus which provides support at the back of the foot. That is mud not dung.

It they are in at night they are on fieldguard mats with no bedding (well only a tiny sprinkling of shavings) their beds are always dry and doors open and most are very co operative and go into their yards to poo. They don't get dung in because the mud is left compacted.

If I trim one that is going to be stabled then I turn it out into the field afterwards to allow it to get the mud in the grooves. (that is usually winter so the mud is softer)

How often do people treat with Kevin Bacon or similar, use sole cleanse or field paste type products in this dry weather? If using something like Kevin Bacon do you paint the sole as well as the hoof?

I don't own any of those products and wouldn't use any either summer or winter.. If I did anything in this dry weather to put back moisture it would be to hose them or stand them in water, a stream etc. Other than that I do nothing unless there is a case of thrush which I would obviously treat.

 

[SEL]

Barefoot every day in winter. One barefoot in summer every day as he has remedial boots on during the day. One shod with composite so nothing gets in them.

Can I add a question please.

How often do people treat with Kevin Bacon or similar, use sole cleanse or field paste type products in this dry weather? If using something like Kevin Bacon do you paint the sole as well as the hoof?

my farrier asked me to use kevin bacon once or twice a week in dry weather to keep them moisturised and give him a fighting chance of actually being able to trim.

I don't spray unless the frog looks like its about to peel off and then I'll do it daily because I've found that's higher thrush risk

 

[webble]

Everyday in winter .

Summer if she's having a day off and doesn't involve leaving the field ill pick all four up and check them usually dont need picking out if grounds hard.
If it's a day where she's worked we have to walk across a hardcore yard so pick all four out as tend to get little stones lodged in them.

This, occasionally twice if I have ridden, I run a file around any rough edges a couple of times a week and paint kevin bacon stuff on too