Picking out feet

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RachelB

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Someone said something to me today that made me think. I pick out my horses' feet every day (stabled one whenever he comes out the box, and field-kept one every day). How often do you pick out your horse's feet? Is it acceptable for horse's hooves not to be done every day? And for those of you on full livery, does your livery specifically include hoof-picking?
 
On dry ground if the horse is just in the field I won't do it every day. But it is done every time they come into the stable, are ridden or groomed, so at least every couple of days
 
I do my horses every day more than once, I pick them out before he comes out of stable, gets them done before riding and after riding. Also when come in from field and I think thats it.
 
I do Murphys feet when he comes in from the field, which is generally once a day. If he is on a day off, I check his feet in the field, but dont pick them unless there's an obvious stone or whatnot.
 
I hardly ever used to pick out feet when neddies were unshod and lived out and never had any trouble with them. I'm more dilligent now that PF is both shod and stabled. Actually... the grooms are more dilligent
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Would be nice if they were more dilligent about mucking out... grumble grumble...
 
Mine all live out 24/7 all year round. Those that are not ridden generally only get their feet picked out when the farrier comes. Those that are ridden get them picked out when they are ridden how ever often that may be...
 
i used to hardly ever do it unless they were been ridden. but last year my horse got thrush - bear in mind it was autumn and he was living out still 24/7 altho field was slightly muddy by gate. so now i do it every day at least once - more if they are in or its muddy outside
 
H is done when he comes in for breaky, then back out, if i ride he does again before riding and as we hack all the time once more before going out.

I personally think feet should be done at least once a day, prevents thrush and is a way of checking if there are any stones etc stuck in the feet, which H has a lot of !!

ETS - he lives out
 
Do mine before they come out in the morning (only because it makes a mess of yard!!)

And then again when they come in from the feild.

If they stay in for whatever reason i still do them twice
 
A few times a day - when they come in from the field/out of the stable, before I ride and after if we've been somewhere stony. When they were living out in the winter and only getting ridden at weekends I only hoof picked every few days, and when shad had pads in her shoes obviously I didn't have to.
 
usually once a day when i bring him in to ride or groom

However if im not riding and ive just gone up to check him and hes happily muching in the field i just give a quick body and feet check but dont pick them out
 
I only ever pick their feet out when I ride them. So some are only picked out every few months (as they are not in work) and some are picked out everyday (as long as they are ridden everyday).

Touch wood, in 11 years and owning 8 horses I've never had one with a foot absess or thrush.
 
I do it generally when he comes in to be ridden but in the winter it'll be every time he leaves his box and when he comes in from turnout.
When I ran my yard I did all my liveries when they went out for turnout and when they came in - so generally twice a day.
 
I do it before i ride and after if i've been on a hack. I pick them out when he comes in from the field. Don't bother on days off when he's living out.
 
Rocks is prone to thrush AND white line disease and lives out atm - so his feet are picked out both times he comes in and dried off and treated with "healthy frog" spray, and are sprayed with stockholm tar before he goes out both times to protect them.
 
when I ride, so every few days at least. Although he is prone to thrush when the fields are wet, so if he's a bit 'thrushy' Ill do them every night and spray with the greeny blue stuff from the vet.
 
I do pick his feet out whenever he is ridden or whenever he comes in, thats quite often as he is on working livery. When he is stabled in winter and turned out in the day, they are done more just so the yard doesnt end up covered in shavings!
 
My horses have their feet picked out by the farrier when he comes every 5-6 weeks. I never pick their feet out. Mine are all barefoot and I was told many many moons ago by my farrier then....and every single other farrier since then.....never to pick out feet on unshod horses.

Picking constantly irritates the sole and frog and he, and all the others, said that by picking you are likely to cause issues like thrush, abscesses etc. Never ever have any of my horses had foot troubles. I have 25 horses living here - the ONLY one who gets thrush every so often, is the one whose owner picks and sprays some junk on his horse's feet every single day. Farrier finally told him to stop doing it last week, so hopefully that will be the last he sees of thrush.
 
When stabled they are done daily.

In the summer, if the field is dry they get done when I ride, but I do check Cairo most days just in case he is getting smelly feet.

Sometimes in summer I will leave the feet for a day or two after rain to allow the feet to have a "mud pack". Feet look far better having been stuffed with wet clay.
 
Min would get by with having his feet picked out once a day while he was unshod but I pick them out twice a day regardless now he's shod, as he ALWAYS packs them full of mud regardless- this wet summer hasn't helped!
 
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