How often do you pick out your retired/ non ridden horses feet?

[Oldernewbie]

Just trying to guage what woukd be considered necessary/ reasonable.
My horse is currently living out 24/7 on a rehab yard. I don’t go up every day-maybe 3-4 times a week just to say hello/ check on her.
I pick out her feet when I’m up but not sure if staff need to pick out on the other days??

 

[Oldernewbie]

Just to clarify- she is barefoot

 

[Muddy unicorn]

I pick my horse’s feet out when I go up so that’s 3-4 times a week. Like yours he’s barefoot and out 24/7. He’s being checked at least twice a day and if he needed rug changes etc the yard owner would do that (he’s unclipped and needs to lose some weight so no rugging required), but I think picking out his feet would be over and above the norm. However, it would depend on how much you’re paying - his livery is very good value so I don’t mind, but if he were somewhere which charged double or even triple I might feel differently

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Daily..barefoot too…you never know what they might stand on.

 

[I'm Dun]

Mine arent retired but I pick out their feet if I want to trim them or check them. I rarely bother the rest of the time. They arent shod and theres rarely anything to actually pick out.

 

[Gloi]

Whenever I see them. There could always be something nasty in there. I wouldn't panic if it was every other day though so long as an eye was kept on them

 

[Ratface]

Semi-retired horse, seen/ridden 2-3 times a week. I pick his feet out every time I visit: before and after every ride. Very rarely anything other than mud, but very occasionally a small stone.
Always had good strong feet. Farrier every 6-8 weeks always happy with their growth/condition.

 

[meleeka]

it varies. One of mine daily, one who’s a nightmare about once a week, the others somewhere in between.
I think 3 or 4 times a week is fine.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Since becoming incapacitated (roughly 18 months now) I don't pick out my retired mare or my donkey's feet at all as I can't physically do it. If, occasionally, I do feel something needs checking I get one of my sons to pick them out and look for me. Luckily my riding horse is away being very well cared for, for me until I am fit enough to have him home again.

My farrier tells me my mare and both the donkey's feet look the best they have ever been so not to stress myself about it. I ? my farrier! ?

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

Once a week- pick, scrub, frog aid. But I check for heat and pulses every single day.

 

[Arzada]

Once every 6 or 7 weeks as a courtesy to the farrier, about 30 minutes before he arrives

 

[Jenko109]

Never.

 

[ycbm]

Unridden 3 year old, once or twice a week. If I had a horse away on retirement livery it wouldn't worry me if they were only done once a quarter with a foot trim.
.

 

[[153312]]

Not often enough probably lol .... But whenever I do there's nothing there.

 

[Mule]

Never ?

 

[TheMule]

As above- just before the farrier arrives.
If they were stabled it would be every day, but living out they dont need it IMO

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Both out of work but stabled at night and they get picked out every time they come in because mud in field plus small stones to get to the yard isn’t a good combination. Both unshod and B gets Hoof Stuff rammed into the crevices three times a week to stop thrush after being liberally doused with Sole Cleanse.

The polo ponies have their shoes taken off when they arrive, get turned out for the winter and their feet aren’t looked at again until they get brought back in unless they are hoping lame during daily checks or have an abscess.

It’s whatever works for the owner and the horse.

 

[Abby-Lou]

Every day

 

[ponynutz]

When I'm home every day or at least 5/7 days of the week.
Fairly sure when I'm at uni Dad doesn't ever unless he thinks she's stood on something (or might have) and when the farrier comes he does it.
Like yours she's barefoot and out all day (in at night) but on sand in winter.
Makes me feel better doing it more often but she survives and her feet are more than healthy (she's not on wet ground though, or not for long if she needs mucking out)

 

[teddypops]

Rarely in the summer, maybe 3 times a week in the winter when it’s wet/ muddy.

 

[Cazza525]

Before the farrier comes….

 

[SEL]

Mine seems to get mud packed into just one front hoof so daily while the mud is at sticky stage.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Just trying to guage what woukd be considered necessary/ reasonable.
My horse is currently living out 24/7 on a rehab yard. I don’t go up every day-maybe 3-4 times a week just to say hello/ check on her.
I pick out her feet when I’m up but not sure if staff need to pick out on the other days??

rarely,
Farrier does it when he trims what is in their feet each time, same with my shod mare. Unless an issue farrier says mud best left to protect the feet from urine and poo. Their feet are hard, solid and don't smell but we are mud not clay.

2 bare foot 1 shod all round, one shod fronts only.

No smell
no abscesses
no rot nothing.

IMO all this feet picking leaves empty feet prone to getting wedged with poo and urine to rot the feet.

After all wild horses survive barefoot no picking out. My horses are fine left alone.

Their feet are packed with mud, but that is natures protection so I leave it alone. it does come out on the road when hacking though.

 

[JoannaC]

Another only when the farrier comes both unshod.

 

[honetpot]

Never. Unless they walk towards me and look they have picked up a stone and it's wedged, which in twenty years I think has happened twice. That what your keys are for.

 

[irishdraft]

I only pick my retired horses feet when farrier comes 6 weekly .

 

[smolmaus]

I do feet every day when she comes in but thats more because she was snippy about picking them up when I first got her and I want to keep her in the habit. They're on a very wet gravel paddock for winter and I dont like the thought of gravel being packed in there, if they were on grass I wouldn't worry so much.

 

[paddy555]

IMO all this feet picking leaves empty feet prone to getting wedged with poo and urine to rot the feet.

After all wild horses survive barefoot no picking out. My horses are fine left alone.

Their feet are packed with mud, but that is natures protection so I leave it alone. it does come out on the road when hacking though.

this on barefoot non riddens. I leave mud, gravel etc all packed in, provides support at the back of the foot and keeps poo out.
Clean it out when I trim so I can see the feet

 

[CMcC]

Thank you to everyone who has said “infrequently“, “before the farrier comes” etc. I no longer feel like the worst horse owner in the world.

 

[Lots of Gift Bags]

Mine does get done daily but I my because his feet can get thrushy if left. I didn't even consider it when my old boy was away on retirement livery, he was out in a field so unlike to get anything in it, and I wouldn't expect them to look at his feet unless he was looking off/lame.