Picking feet out (shod and barefoot) - how often?

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JEZA

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I have recently taken shoes off 2 of mine. Please could people tell me how often they pick feet out. Do you leave mud in to protect them a bit when leading in and out? Im particularly interested in what to do about tiny round chippings. Is it best to pick these out daily?
Feet are in good shape, I just wondered what others do.
Many thanks
 
not sure if i do too often but i pick out twice a day - in the morning when comes in to work and then in the field in the afternoon when feeding,
mine is unshod.
 
Sorry, I should have said, I stopped picking everything out of the foot years ago. I check for stones before I ride but I still dont take all the mud out if Im sure its not got stones. About once every 2-3 weeks I pick out and brush out and put stockholm tar in and pack with shavings. It is years since I had any thrush at all.
Ive got 1 barefoot and one with only front shoes on.
 
Mine has hers picked out when she is ridden and or when I groom her (not every day). Her feet are very good as a rule and she is on relatively dry standing. If they are prone to thrush or on bad ground I would pick out daily!
 
OP I'd say you're spot on :) for your unshod horses picking out every 2 - 3 weeks is about right to help avoid thrush. I use the hard brush on the hoof pick to "sweep" any little sharp stones that might have become lodged in the white line area out.
 
Mines shod in the front, and I clean out the hooves once a day, I find the backs don't seem to get anything in them where as the fronts will be filled up with mud :S
 
My farrier who is also a barefoot specialist is often asked the following question;
'Is there anything I can apply to my horses feet to make them stronger/healthier?'
His reply is:
'A hoofpick!'
I try to do mine everyday. I tend to do it after riding. The worst stones are the tiny ones which lodge in the white line area. These often need to be prised out with a screwdriver. Having said that, I find these are no longer a problem because the white line is now tighter(thanks to diet,exercise and trimming)
I also use the hoof brush because I am sad and love to admire my horse's feet!:o
 
I do mine before riding out; and again when they come in for the night, to check for small stones etc.

I heard an awful story recently about someone who didn't check their horse's feet for just two days; in the meantime a little sharp stone got into the sole area and somehow punctured the foot ..... and to cut a long story short she had to PTS as the foot got infected.

Also, as I've had a laminitic in the past, I'm paranoid about feet, and always would check at least once a day just to check if there's any heat or anything nasty going on plus check the digital pulse which you can easily do if you're doing feet.

"No foot no 'oss". A good old saying which can't be bettered.
 
Both of mine are unshod and I pick put there feet twice a day - in the morning before they go out and then in the evening when they come in. One of mine has had seedy toe, so I do it twice a day to ensure there is no more infection and keep the hole clean.
 
I check for stones every evening when they come in. My Tank has a draft's indentation in his sole callous' and they can break down if not monitored.

The theory is to leave the compacted debris in the hoof to support the hoof and allow ground pressure..I'm not sure if it was Dr Bowker's theory?

My opinion is that the risk of infection is too great to leave it too long and stones can infiltrate a stretched and weak, WL.
And our climate lends itself to such soft conditions (as well as bedding) that the 'support' will be replaced moments after the hoofs are cleaned anyway.

Shod horses obviously need more care as they can't expel stones as easily - at least that was my experience when my horse was shod.
 
Two rock crunching barefoot horses - picked out several times a day! On leaving stable (so as not to drag bedding onto the yard), after hack/schooling/comp to check no stones, and when coming in from turnout. Could never be sure that what is in their feet is only mud and wouldn't risk a stone in there so regular pick outs.
 
You need to make sure little tinystones don't get embedded in the line in the wall as such. This can lead to abcesses and in really extreme cases as someone said can infect the bone and lead to PTS.
 
With shoes, generally every day. The ones who are barefoot I dont do as often, they live out 24/7 anyway (although do have stables they can go into) so its a bit pointless to pick out every day when they just walk out into the mud again straight away. I do try to do it every few days at least though to try and avoid thrush.
 
Once or twice a week I make sure they are clean and firm, plus hooves get a full inspection once a week, and walls rasped if required.
I listen to the horse walking as he comes out of stable, and on tarmac, and would check if he sounded or felt out of the ordinary, I [sometimes] take a hoof pick with me on a long hack.
Bedding is kept extra clean and dry, so may look in fronts to see if there is any wet stuff in there, so far so good.
 
Oberon said:
The theory is to leave the compacted debris in the hoof to support the hoof and allow ground pressure..I'm not sure if it was Dr Bowker's theory?

And our climate lends itself to such soft conditions (as well as bedding) that the 'support' will be replaced moments after the hoofs are cleaned anyway.
Click to expand...
Bowker et al advises cleaning out unshod hooves every 5 to 6 weeks if memory serves me right however my theory is that the "plug" will be expelled far more often than this and then will build up again over a few days. Fundamentally I think so long as the unshod sole and frog are not "scraped" daily then gentle picking should not harm the bottom of the hoof or allow an access point for bacteria/fungus. Alternatively providing the standing environment of the horse is not urine/poo-ridden or very wet and muddy then his advice should be sound.
 
Mine is shod all round and picked out about 4 times a day, before leaving the stable in the morning, when he is brought in from the field and before and after exercise.

All the ponies that live out 24/7 are done once a week or before/after exercise if they're in work.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
I do mine before riding out; and again when they come in for the night, to check for small stones etc.

I heard an awful story recently about someone who didn't check their horse's feet for just two days; in the meantime a little sharp stone got into the sole area and somehow punctured the foot ..... and to cut a long story short she had to PTS as the foot got infected.


"No foot no 'oss". A good old saying which can't be bettered.
Click to expand...

^^^^

This.

Mine are all barefoot....quite often their feet don't need picking out because the ''hoof biscuit / foot frisbee'' has come out whilst they're pratting aroiund in the paddock- but I still check them.:D
 
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tinselmoo said:
''hoof biscuit / foot frisbee''
Click to expand...

Fab.
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As a spokes person for The Barefoot Taliban, I hereby claim this phrase as our own....
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