When to get hooves trimmed?

S

surreygirl17

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 January 2013
Messages
147
Visit site
Hi all,
I have my first barefoot horse, and I want to get his hooves trimmed when needed, rather than just getting the farrier for a new set of shoes every 7 weeks regardless.
So how do I know when they need trimming? What do I look for? I know he tends to trip when they are bad, but I'd rather not get that far!
 
Mine are trimmed every four weeks. Full stop. End story. Hoof form and function are critical to successful BFing and domestic horses just don't get the movement on the variety of ground needed to keep them trimmed. Even training for a 160 km endurance ride, horse was still trimmed every 4 weeks and we trimmed him 3 days after the ride.
 
My boy is barefoot had been since July last year and we are on 8weekly tidy ups by the farrier who does a fantastic job :)

We were on four weekly but changed to eight weekly as there was nothing gr the farrier to do once the feet had settled :)
 
Mine are 4 weekly in summer as they grow too quickly and end up with cracks - this goes out to 5 weekly in winter as grow slows down esp when he is turned out. He does plenty of work on tar seal and still grows then fast.
 
NZJenny said:
Mine are trimmed every four weeks. Full stop. End story. Hoof form and function are critical to successful BFing and domestic horses just don't get the movement on the variety of ground needed to keep them trimmed. Even training for a 160 km endurance ride, horse was still trimmed every 4 weeks and we trimmed him 3 days after the ride.
Click to expand...

Your user name suggests you are in New Zealand?

If so, I have noticed from other posts and forums that there seems to be a fairly big difference in opinion as regards trimming between NZ and the UK, possibly because you seem to have a very high proportion of Strasser trained trimmers.

You trimming routine, to me, sounds bizarre and unnecessary. My horses are rarely trimmed at all, their growth rate matches their wear rate.
 
Ruth17 said:
I know the time scale but just wondering what to physically look for that tells you they need doing?
Click to expand...

1. The frog should normally be in contact with the floor when stood on a flat hard surface.

2. The toe callous should run smoothly into the toe horn, there should be no wall height at all at the toe.

3. The wall height at the side should be no more than two or three millimetres.

4. If the edges crack, the feet may be too long.

These are guidelines only, all horses are different. Hope that helps :)
 
cptrayes said:
3. The wall height at the side should be no more than two or three millimetres.


These are guidelines only, all horses are different. Hope that helps :)
Click to expand...
Wall height should generally be as above all the way round the hoof and not allowed to over grow especially at the quarters. Of course there are some horses who need longer walls but keeping the wall length in check (by trimming or work) and leaving the sole and frog alone often leads to everything taking care of itself in decent, none metabolic hooves.
If there is more wear (down to sole for eg.) at the toe or anywhere do not trim the rest lower to match.
If the horse is sore after a trim go longer or reassess the trim. The important thing is how the horse is responding, that is the guide. Keep thrush at bay!

ps. Letting walls get too long and then trimming too short (to last longer!) is not the best approach imho.
 
Last edited:
Tnavas said:
Definitely agree with others - my unshod mare is trimmed every four weeks like clockwork - the only way to keep the feet tidy and free from chips and cracks.
Click to expand...

And also a very effective way to stop her from showing you what shape she would really like her feet to be???

It does seem to me that NZ is very trim orientated. Did you trim for visual perfection before you went out there tnavas?
 
amandap said:
Wall height should generally be as above all the way round the hoof and not allowed to over grow especially at the quarters. Of course there are some horses who need longer walls but keeping the wall length in check (by trimming or work) and leaving the sole and frog alone often leads to everything taking care of itself in decent, none metabolic hooves.
If there is more wear (down to sole for eg.) at the toe or anywhere do not trim the rest lower to match.
If the horse is sore after a trim go longer or reassess the trim. The important thing is how the horse is responding, that is the guide. Keep thrush at bay!

ps. Letting walls get too long and then trimming too short (to last longer!) is not the best approach imho.
Click to expand...


Amanda, I've never seen a self trimming horse with any height in the hoof wall above the sole at the toe. Do you think there should be?? If so, could you explain why?
 
Mine don't get trimmed except what they do themselves (occasionally I tidy the odd chip). Farrier comes regularly if I did need him, but they self trim with the work they get.
 
cptrayes said:
Amanda, I've never seen a self trimming horse with any height in the hoof wall above the sole at the toe. Do you think there should be?? If so, could you explain why?
Click to expand...
I can't say say of mine are totally self trimming but they all have wall at the toe. I was looking at Milly's today after her walk (mini Shetland) and there is wall at the toe on all her short hooves. She was last trimmed about 6 months ago. I expect it may be work level and road work wearing the wall at break over in harder working, self trimming hooves. I don't think its right to trim to the sole if not wearing that way through work, is that what you are saying?
 
cptrayes said:
Amanda, I've never seen a self trimming horse with any height in the hoof wall above the sole at the toe. Do you think there should be?? If so, could you explain why?
Click to expand...
I can't say say of mine are totally self trimming but they all have wall at the toe. I was looking at Milly's today after her walk (mini Shetland) and there is wall at the toe on all her short hooves. She was last trimmed about 6 months ago. I expect it may be work level and road work wearing the wall at break over in harder working, self trimming hooves. I don't think its right to trim to the sole if not wearing that way through work, is that what you are saying?

I don't know what there should be, but if the horse is sound I'm not worried. lol
 
amandap said:
I can't say say of mine are totally self trimming but they all have wall at the toe. I was looking at Milly's today after her walk (mini Shetland) and there is wall at the toe on all her short hooves. She was last trimmed about 6 months ago. I expect it may be work level and road work wearing the wall at break over in harder working, self trimming hooves. I don't think its right to trim to the sole if not wearing that way through work, is that what you are saying?
Click to expand...

Yes, I would trim the toe down to the toe sole callous, otherwise you have a peripheral loading on the foot, though I would expect the heels to need to be dropped by a similar amount, and the sides of course.
 
cptrayes said:
Yes, I would trim the toe down to the toe sole callous, otherwise you have a peripheral loading on the foot, though I would expect the heels to need to be dropped by a similar amount, and the sides of course.
Click to expand...
So heel and toe to sole and quarters longer? Mine appear to have the same/very similar wall length all round except one or two who get longer quarters, so no I wouldn't go to the sole at the toe, except possibly my laminitic at times. The farrier did that with her in acute lami. None of mine can be described as hard working though. lol They do get a roll underneath when trimmed though.

ps. Any wall above sole on a hard, flat surface is peripheral loading surely? No matter where it is in the hoof.
 
Last edited:
amandap said:
ps. Any wall above sole on a hard, flat surface is peripheral loading surely? No matter where it is in the hoof.
Click to expand...


Yes, but at the heel the load is shared across the heel buttresses and the frog, and on the sides most horses I've had tend to be hardly ground bearing, and many not ground bearing at all. Knowing what self trimming horses do, I'd be really unhappy to leave height above the sole at the toe.
 
cptrayes said:
And also a very effective way to stop her from showing you what shape she would really like her feet to be???

It does seem to me that NZ is very trim orientated. Did you trim for visual perfection before you went out there tnavas?
Click to expand...

Not quite sure what you are on about! - her feet are trimmed by a qualified farrier, they are trimmed 4 weekly because a Clydesdales weight will spread the feet very rapidly and they will then become oval shaped - a state many heavy horses develop because they are not trimmed regularly.

I have had many people remark on the quality of her feet, both in a correct shape and for the fact that they have not spread and become misshapen. Including several master farriers - I have been asked to let her be used for shoing competitions because she has such lovely feet.

My horses have always been shod/trimmed by a qualified farrier and I've never had problems with unsoundness.

When I got Serenity at 6months of age she had never seen a farrier - since then she has been trimmed almost every four weeks - she's now 10 - works mostly unshod, she has only had one set of shoes on for two weeks to go to Horse of the Year as she had become a little footsore with the hard ground. In NZ most horses are worked on grass or in arenas so the feet don't wear down with work - hence the need to trim.


I do remember that my unshod ponies rarely ever needed any work on their feet - their work wore them down sufficiently.
 
Last edited:
This post is interesting to me so I'm going to hijack if no one minds (sorry OP!)...

Shoes came off mine 4 weeks ago. He only ever goes 5 weeks between sets of shoes because his feet grow v fast. When I bought him last year, I took off his backs and he was without them until about Sept/Oct time. They went back on because basically did too much roadwork out hunting and needed them. He has been shod since then, and as I say I took them off about 4 weeks ago. This time all four have been removed. The original plan was just to give him a winter break from shoes as I'm doing less with him but I'm hoping he will stay without them for good (he will DR and event). Farrier is fully supportive, says he has great feet and sees no reason why he should need to be shod.

So... he is sound. He was sound before the shoes came off and has been sound since. I actually think he's working and jumping better than ever in the arena, and is fine out hacking too. Building up the roadwork gradually. He is happy striding out down the stony track to our fields and also doing short bursts on stony tracks out hacking, but not quite 100% there yet. He isn't ouchy, just ever so slightly less confident on that surface. I found it interesting that he doesn't wear his front feet quite straight. He seems to roll the toes a little off centre. His feet have not cracked at all, even to the nail holes, there has been no chipping, he just wears them. But... he has much more wall and what looks like some flare around the quarters. Looking at how he is wearing his feet, I don't think he is going to wear that at the rate he is wearing the rest. Is it worth a quick check from the farrier and maybe ask him to rasp a tiny bit off in that area? Or, as it's only been 4 weeks, leave him for a few more to see how they progress and change?
 
cptrayes said:
Yes, but at the heel the load is shared across the heel buttresses and the frog, and on the sides most horses I've had tend to be hardly ground bearing, and many not ground bearing at all. Knowing what self trimming horses do, I'd be really unhappy to leave height above the sole at the toe.
Click to expand...
Yes the load is shared at the buttress but not really by the frog unless it's proud of the heels, on a hard flat surface. Mine are trimmed keeping the wall just above hard calloused sole round the hoof and I've not had reason to think this doesn't suit them. :confused:
They do spend a lot of time on a deepish gravel surface with no road work to speak of.

Just for anyone reading I am NOT a professional.
 
amandap said:
Yes the load is shared at the buttress but not really by the frog unless it's proud of the heels, on a hard flat surface. Mine are trimmed keeping the wall just above hard calloused sole round the hoof and I've not had reason to think this doesn't suit them. :confused:
They do spend a lot of time on a deepish gravel surface with no road work to speak of.

Just for anyone reading I am NOT a professional.
Click to expand...


Mine definitely bear weight on their frogs at all times, as do all hardworking barefoot feet I have ever seen, with the exception of one foot on one horse with uneven length legs.
 
cptrayes said:
Mine definitely bear weight on their frogs at all times, as do all hardworking barefoot feet I have ever seen, with the exception of one foot on one horse with uneven length legs.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you're right. I was under the impression smooth road work was good for strengthening the frog, DC, etc. in weak hooves because it reduces the pressure on these structures so more comfort while building up. Obviously I am wrong. lol
 
amandap said:
I'm sure you're right. I was under the impression smooth road work was good for strengthening the frog, DC, etc. in weak hooves because it reduces the pressure on these structures so more comfort while building up. Obviously I am wrong. lol
Click to expand...

The two aren't mutually exclusive Amanda. If the surface is hard the pressure on the frog will be lower than in the surface phrases up into the foot. :)
 
I must be a complete heathen then - Shy's feet seem to grow to match his work. I rasp them myself as needed (as approved by my lovely farrier who gave me a lesson (!) ) mainly, and when the farrier has been out , he's had nothing to do. Every four weeks would cripple my lad. *tin hat -runs*
 
amandap said:
Yes the load is shared at the buttress but not really by the frog unless it's proud of the heels, on a hard flat surface. Mine are trimmed keeping the wall just above hard calloused sole round the hoof and I've not had reason to think this doesn't suit them. :confused:
They do spend a lot of time on a deepish gravel surface with no road work to speak of.

Just for anyone reading I am NOT a professional.
Click to expand...

Surely every time the foot is placed on the ground the quarters expand and the frog then is in contact with the ground.
 
Tnavas said:
Surely every time the foot is placed on the ground the quarters expand and the frog then is in contact with the ground.
Click to expand...
Leaving expansion aside there is some pressure to the frog on hard level surfaces from below but I think much more on harder bumpy surfaces. The soft structures do get 'exercized' due to lots of forces when horse is in motion.

Yes CPT I understand how the frog and hoof responds to where the horse spends most of its time, I'm probably being too pedantic as usual! I've seen one horse with a frog lower/higher lol than the wall/heel and it was sore.
 
amandap said:
Leaving expansion aside there is some pressure to the frog on hard level surfaces from below but I think much more on harder bumpy surfaces. The soft structures do get 'exercized' due to lots of forces when horse is in motion.

Yes CPT I understand how the frog and hoof responds to where the horse spends most of its time, I'm probably being too pedantic as usual! I've seen one horse with a frog lower/higher lol than the wall/heel and it was sore.
Click to expand...


No one that I know of advocates the frog being proud of the heels.

But Bowker, who I completely agree with because of what I see in every hardworking barefoot horse, advocates not being able to slide a steel ruler under the frog when the horse is stood on smooth flat concrete.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top