Picking out feet

How often do you pick out feet?

  • 4 or more times a day

    Votes: 3 2.0%
  • 3 times a day

    Votes: 7 4.6%
  • Twice a day

    Votes: 36 23.5%
  • Once a day

    Votes: 69 45.1%
  • 3 or more times a week

    Votes: 12 7.8%
  • Once or twice a week

    Votes: 13 8.5%
  • Less than 3 times a month

    Votes: 4 2.6%
  • I rarely ever pick out feet

    Votes: 9 5.9%
  • I don't, the farrier does it.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    153

HufflyPuffly

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So when shod, at least once a day but now they’re both bare again I am a total slob about it. They just don’t have anything in there...

Routinely check them for hoof health but that’s about it...
 

OrangeAndLemon

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He's on full livery 5 days a week so I only do it the two days a week I take care of him.

Thing is, he has huge feet, his fields are not very muddy with sand tracks, and he's unshod so it's generally more of a brush than a pick out. The last time I actually picked something out was when he stood on a small stone just as I was heading to the mounting block. I picked it out by knocking it out with the end of my whip. Does that count as an extra?

Whichever way you count it, it's either twice a week or daily depending on how you interpret the question.
 

sherry90

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If not ridden once a day when coming in from the field. If he’s ridden it can be up to three times (we pick out before going into the arena and then also before we leave - new surface/beautiful indoor and YO understandably wants to keep it that way!)
 

holeymoley

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I picked twice a day. It depends if I’m up morning and night or just night. Although regardless if I’m riding I always pick out before riding and after.

I know people that don’t even own a hoof pick.
 

ycbm

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Only when I ride. 4 ish times a week per horse. They are barefoot, it just falls out anyway.
.
 

Sussexbythesea

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I usually pick out after riding as we have a lot of flinty paths. Yesterday I had to get off mid ride to take out a large stone wedged in the hoof. If not ridden at least several times a week as fields are not stony and rarely pick up anything except mud.
 

Keith_Beef

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I pick out once before riding and once after, but this is in a riding school so if a horse has been ridden three times in a single day, its feet will have been picked out six times.

We were taught that picking out is to
  • get the muck out of the hoof before going onto the sand of the arena, so as to reduce by about a zillionth the amount of muck that gets mixed into the sand,
  • get the wet sand out of the hoof before going back into the box, so as to reduce the sand getting mixed in with the straw (or shavings),
  • make sure that there are no stones caught in the hoof or shoe, if we've been out in the forest,
  • most importantly, make sure that the shoe is still firmly attached, and to at the same time inspect the condition of the hoof, frog and sole.
At the same time as picking out we brush and if necessary dry the fetlocks and behind the pasterns; we're told that this is to reduce the risk of mud fever.
 

Chappie

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Interesting poll!
I go to the yard once a day, and do the feet of my cob and his companion every evening as part of their night routine.
Cob has deep feet, shod all round and has never been great about having feet handled! Though much better over the 5 plus years I've loaned him. I pick them out even if they are all wet mud, I wear thin waterproof gloves and an old jacket and trot him up the short bit of tarmac from the turnout field with the aim of loosening the packed in soil. His feet are often hard packed on the days he is in the big grass turnout field and there are a lot of stones about, so not the easiest to clean out, but I am quite obsessive! As I like to give his feet a good check at the time.
Before and after riding I lift his feet and have a quick look for stones but don't thoroughly clean them then due to the physical set up of the stable and yard, stable is pretty small for doing stuff in and dark and nowhere to tie up outside at certain times, it's a riding school as well and can get really busy.
Over the initial 7 week lockdown his feet never got done as I wasn't allowed to go to the yard. Luckily he'd had the farrier a few days before it was announced and I was relieved to get an appointment on the eighth week. But his feet were horribly solidly hard packed, only having the shoes off and feet trimmed could have resolved that :confused:
The companion is only shod in front and has shallow feet. She's perfect for having her feet handled, even picks them up for me, bless her! (Cobbus learnt that too, he just does it when he wants! :p) She was obviously well trained as a youngster.
I have Kevin Bacon hoof dressing and like cleaning their feet properly and putting that on, but hardly ever as their feet are often muddy. If they look a bit dry on checking would do so. I think I'll go order some more as a result of this thread, I'm running low!
I'm the only person on the yard who ever picks out their horses feet! :oops:
 

Auslander

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I pick their feet out when they come in, and give them a squirt with frog medic. The only slightly odd thing I do is not picking Alf's feet out til after we've hacked, because he is much happier over the stoniest bits of the local byways with his feet full of mud.
 

tristar

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when i ride and every evening, so the feet dry out well in the night, and they are not standing on anything nasty or sharp stones grit etc they are barefoot
 

Merrymoles

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I put three times a week, although sometimes it is more and sometimes less. Horse is unshod so rarely picks anything up but does have very deep sulcuses/sulci? so I like to keep an eye on them. Always checked before riding but is still out 24/7 at the moment so might only be checked when brought in to the yard.
 

dorsetladette

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Mines out 24/7. I do his while he is eating his dinner in the evening. When stabling my ponies they were done every time they entered or exited the stable. But that was more to keep the yard clean and avoid sweeping more than once a day rather than husbandry.
 
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