picking feet out

[welshcobabe]

On my last couple of rides out the big guy has twice manged to get stones like boulders stuck in his back feet. I was just remarking about it to a friend and she said well you should not pick his feet out every day. She just checks hers and leaves dirt impacted in the hoof so stones etc dont get stuck. I on the otherhand have always picked their feet out daily. She said she has seen this article in a horse magazine that said not picking feet out was a better practice as it prevented foreign bodies etc getting in the feet, has horse management changed what do you do ?

 

[AmyMay]

Got to admit to very rarely picking feet out.

 

[riotgirl]

I'm with amymay on this one, don't do it that often I'm afraid. I do pick up her feet everyday though just to check for anything obvious. Anyway, a couple of minutes trotting on the roads usually means they are clean anyway!

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
I do pick up her feet everyday though just to check for anything obvious.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, sorry - should have said that I do the same. AmyMay is turned away - so just don't do it. And loan horse needs as much moisture as possible in her feet - so any mud most definately stays in.

Amy has very good feet - but farrier always recommended leaving mud in because of the drying effect of modern shavings beds. Likewise it does mean that things like stones etc. have less chance of getting stuck where they're not wanted.

 

[rrose]

i dont do it very often i must amit

 

[not_with_it]

I always pick Gins feet out on a daily basis before she goes to bed and sometimes before she gets ridden. Its something I have always done as I hate her going to bed with dirty feet. She has to be clean before going to bed!

 

[BenjaminBunny]

I pick out my horses feet twice daily - admittedly i sometimes neglect it in the morning if i'm running late for work

However he is and has been on box rest for the last 3 nearly 4 months with walking out and turn out in a bark paddock for two hours a day (to stop him from getting depressed)

I do this because leaving mud/poo can cause thrush infections plus often stones can remain buried in the mud that you can't see - i have also occassionally found a piece of bark which wedges itself into the shoe or sides of the frog

however if he was out and in full work i would pick them out before and after any ridden work (especially if hacking) - but if i wasn't doing anything and he was just out in the field i would just do it once daily - to check for problems plus yes the mud does offer some protection but as soon as you pick it out it's back in anyway

yes in the wild they don't have someone to pick out their feet - but neither do they wear shoes - which keeps the dirt in rather than it naturally dropping out when walking about

 

[Cobnut1]

Pick feet out everyday, if not you run the risk of Thrush, missed puncture wounds, and possible abcesses.

Also by picking the feet up every day, the horse doesn't get into the habit of not picking his tootsies up for you, the farrier or the vet....

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
Pick feet out everyday, if not you run the risk of Thrush, missed puncture wounds, and possible abcesses.

Also by picking the feet up every day, the horse doesn't get into the habit of not picking his tootsies up for you, the farrier or the vet....

[/ QUOTE ]
My horse has never had any lameness issues with her feet - so whilst I do agree that it may be 'good' practice - I also think you need to remember that no one picks their feet out in the wild - and a bit of mud never hurt anyone.

As for not picking their feet up for vets and farriers etc. A good mannered horse is just that - good mannered. As long as the basics are instilled, it won't ever be a problem.

 

[MillionDollar]

I only pick my horses feet out before they are ridden.

Also agree with amymay- horses don't have their feet picked out in the wild and all my horses from natives to a warmblood have never had thrush, lameness or bad manners with the farrier. However, i think feet should be picked out if they are stabled (my horses are out 24/7) as wet straw/shavings can cause infections.

 

[_jetset_]

I pick my horse's feet out twice a day... once when she comes out of her stable and then when she comes in from the field at night. She is prone to getting thrush in her feet so try to keep them as clean as possible.

 

[vicm2509]

I pick Barons feet out daily, I think its just habbit. Saying that if I dont bring him in (on his day off for instance) then I just tend to leave them.

 

[pottamus]

I pick my horses feet out when I ride him, just in case anything is already stuck in there. But I always carry a hoof pick when I ride so if a stone did get in I can remove it. I don't pick them out when he goes in his stable at night because I think he is better having mud in them than wet shavings and poo!
But when I don't ride they don't get done because I don't see the benefit.

 

[sally2008]

I check mines feet everyday but only pick out the stones and/or poo. Any mud is left in to help with support as instructed by my farrier. Dec has deep clefts in two of his frogs so these are cleaned out (twice a week in the summer, more often in winter) with a wooden spatula wrapped with cotton wool and painted with venetian turpentine to prevent thrush.

 

[10past6]

I tend to find that when i bring my boy in from the field it all falls out on the way up, which it handy so just give them a check over.
I always pick them out befor taking him in the school so we dont leave mud tracks, hehe
So i suppose you could say they get done every day.

 

[Rambo]

This is all really interesting

I'm from the old school and we were always taught to pick out a horses feet everyday, without fail !

So much of what is being said in favour of leaving mud in though, makes sense !

Only slight concern I have is that one of mine is prone to thrush. Would leaving it compacted with moist mud not make the problem worse

 

[Tia]

Yes it does depend on the type of mud you have. Over here we live in a dry climate and the advice given to treat thrush is to leave the dirt in the feet. This seems to work.

I almost never pick out my horses feet as the vast majority of them are barefoot - we've never had a case of thrush, abscesses or bruised soles so far. *touches wood*

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
Only slight concern I have is that one of mine is prone to thrush. Would leaving it compacted with moist mud not make the problem worse

[/ QUOTE ]
I think probably yes - If I had a horse prone to thrush then I would pick the feet out daily.

 

[flyingfeet]

I pick out before riding, and check that none of them are hobbling from stones in the field.

The 'they don't get their feet picked out in the wild' argument falls flat on its face if they are shod. The unshod foot rarely picks up big stones anyway.

If your horse has or is prone to thrush you need to pick out more regularly to allow the foot chance to dry.

The original porblem with a horse picking up stones, is probably more due to hoof shape and depth more than picking out routinue - mud will fall out on a hack and you will still get stones stuck.

Even a lubricant such as vaseline won't really help when a 500kg+ horse stands on a stone which can get wedged. If becoming a real problem you could have a chat with your farrier and see if he can do anything to help/.

 

[Bex7]

my boy is done every day before and after riding as he suffers from thrush and I was told by the farrier that becaus of his deep frog clefts (sp) this was the best course of action. he also has anti bac put on every couple of days.

x

 

[happyhack]

I ALWAYS pick out feet before and after riding as well as when coming in from the field!! that way i can check if there are any problems, but i would never leave his feet full of mud, there could be all sorts of bacteria and disease in there!! I wouldnt wear the same pair of socks everyday,its unhygienic so why should my horse have to put up with his feet packed full of mud-not to mention that there could be a tiny little stone poking into his foot underneath it all!!
sorry if i sound old fashioned-i'm just in shock that people just leave their horses feet packed with mud!!

 

[sally2008]

TBH I came through the BHS system too, were you lived with a footpick in your hand so being instructed NOT to pick out mud didn't sit easily with me to start with. I think I equated not picking out feet with being neglectful but I have to say the reasons given to me made sense and I'm happy with it now as leaving in the mud doesn't actually mean that I pay less attention to my horses feet - if anything I do more preventative care now.

As for the thrush, the current regime I use is certainly working with my lad - the venetian turpentine contains a natural anti-bacterial agent and sticks like glue so I guess the effects are pretty long lasting, even under mud! I apply it after working the horse and so he goes straight out to the field to fill his feet with any available mud straight after.

 

[Tempi]

Bloss is done in the morning and when she comes in from the field/afternoon and then after ive ridden her/hacked her out.

She gets really bad thrush if they are not done this often - never had problems with stones in her feet.

 

[icklechlo]

i check feet, and its its particularly wet and muddy i pick out, or if they have been walking over gravel/stoney paths etc!

 

[Parkranger]

I'm shocked at how many people don't pick out feet every day - how can you know that they haven't been standing in their own poo etc and developing nasties in their feet?

I sometimes give Ty's feet a quick spray with purple spray when they smell especially ripe!

Perhaps I'm just too old school?

x

 

[burtie]

If your horse is shod you should check and pick feet everyday and before every ride, very easy chance of problems developing otherwise. If your horse in unshod it really does not matter if you do or don't as there not much chance of anything being in there.

I do clean my 3 year old feet everyday with a brush now he's stabled at night, he's unshod so no need to pick but it's good practice for him to get used to it. When he was out for the summer, they'd go for days without being picked out.