Why is Hoof Care for Horses Important?  

There is nothing more relaxing than you and your horse leisurely traveling down your favorite nature path, enjoying the beauty of the streams, trees, birds, and animals. As a horse owner, you know keeping your horse healthy and in shape is important to the time you have together. Which translates into ensuring your horse stays sound. The hoof is a resilient part of a horse’s anatomy because it is subject to immense, repetitive impact while maintaining its integrity. Daily grooming, routine trimming, and proper nutrition is essential to maintaining healthy hooves. Without hoof maintenance, horses can develop various problems which can lead to lameness. Proper preventive care allows more time on the trail together.   

Why do Horses Need Their Hooves Trimmed? 

Domesticated horses need their feet trimmed because they are not worn down naturally. If left untrimmed, overgrowth, splitting, and other hoof disorders develop. Regular trimming by a trained farrier will help keep them in shape and properly balanced. Balanced hooves are properly shaped for less stress on bones, tendons, and ligaments. Well-balanced hooves should create a straight line from the pastern down the front of the hoof wall, correctly aligning the bones between the pastern and coffin bone. The toes on well-balanced hooves won’t be too long or too short, and hoof placement is even on both sides as the horse walks. Shoes should extend completely to the end of the hoof wall. 

How often do horse hooves need to be trimmed? 

Horses’ hooves grow continuously and should be trimmed or shoed every 6 to 8 weeks. Hoof growth is generally slower in winter months; however, trimming should still occur every 6 to 12 weeks during that time. Each horse is different based on their individual growth rate and the time frame between trim or shod can vary per horse. Your farrier can help you determine the best interval for your horse. 

The Importance of Daily Hoof Care 

Injury, bruising, infection, hoof rot and laminitis are just a few of the various problems which can affect your horse. Pick and clean your horse’s hooves daily to remove manure, dirt, and stones. This is good preventive care and it gives you a visual sense of what are normal hoof qualities for your horse. Check for bruising, odor, discoloration, and discharge. Early detection of infection or injury can help prevent further trauma and you can proactively begin treatment. If your horse is wearing shoes, check for wear and tightness of the nails. If your horse has pads, clean at the base of the frog. Antifungal solutions should be sprayed to the bottom of the feet every 1 to 2 weeks in winter or in wet conditions to prevent Thrush. Learn more winter care tips for your horse here.

Common Hoof Problems for Horses 

• Bruised Sole and Corns 
  • Bruising is normally caused by injury from stones; poor shoeing can increase this risk. 
    • If left untreated, the injured area can become infected. 
  • A corn is a type of bruise which forms in the sole at the buttress. 
    • It may appear dry with slight inflammation, or moist with extensive inflammation and a clear fluid discharge. 
  • Treatment—relieve pressure on the affected area; shorten lengthy toes or use an appropriate type of bar shoe. A corn with pus may be surgically drained and bandaged with continuous wound flushing until healed. 
• Puncture Wounds 
  • Causes may be improper shoeing (hot nail) or from your horse stepping on a foreign object, which can lead to an abscess. Depending on the location of the foreign object penetration, treatment will vary.  
  • Treatment—contact your veterinarian first for direction. Clean the hole with an antiseptic; remove any foreign object and seek veterinary guidance for best treatment practices. 
• Hoof Cracks 
  • The reasons a hoof could crack include: dry weather, frequent weather changes from moist to dry conditions, time-lapse between trimming intervals (long toes), or overall poor hoof health. 
    • Cracked hooves cause pain and lameness. 
  • Treatment—options include: 
    • Trimming or corrective shoeing. 
    • Applying topical hoof moisturizers during dry weather. 
    • Using water-repellent dressings during wet weather. 
    • Providing good nutrition. 
    • Adding a hoof supplement to improve hoof integrity.  
    • Depending on the type and severity of the hoof crack, treatment may include removal of the diseased tissue or surgery by a veterinarian to stabilize the crack.  
• Thrush 
  • Thrush is a deterioration of the frog with a secondary bacterial infection. Cases occur in wet, dirty conditions, poor conformation or trimming of the foot, and lack of exercise. 
    • Thrush causes an unpleasant odor, accompanied by black discharge around the frog.  
  • Treatment—includes exercise, providing a dry, clean environment, and using a topical thrush treatment. 
• Laminitis (Founder) 
  • This hoof issue is an inflammation of the laminae. Cases can be short-term or long-term depending on the cause. The inflammation causes the coffin bone to rotate or tilt downward within the hoof. If condition persists, a hole may form through the sole. 
    • Signs include depression, inappetence, exercise resistance, a slow walk with crouching, short-strides in gait and the hoof may feel warmer than normal. 
  • Treatment—an examination by your veterinarian is needed to determine the course of treatment. Your veterinarian may prescribe NSAIDs to reduce inflammation and pain and additional pain meds as necessary. Options include digital hypothermia (placing the foot in ice water), hoof packing, special laminitis horse boots, and—as healing progresses—shoeing (under the guidance of your veterinarian). 
• Navicular Disease 
  • This degenerative condition involves the navicular bone, bursa, ligaments, and surrounding tissues. More commonly seen in mature riding horses, this disease is caused by unbalanced hooves, poor conformation, or injury. It is also more prevalent based on breed disposition such as warmblood horses, quarter horses and thoroughbreds. 
    • The main sign is painful, toe-first stepping because of heel pain. 
  • Treatment—your veterinarian will examine and diagnose this disease; treatment includes foot care (such as trimming and shoeing to restore normal bone alignment and balance), NSAIDs, or a corticosteroid injection into the coffin joint or bursa for pain relief. 

5 simple Hoof Care Tips 

• Maintain proper horse nutrition and ideal body condition. 
• Exercise routinely to stimulate blood flow. 
• Keep your horse’s feet clean—pick feet before and after each trail ride. 
• Feed a hoof supplement containing biotin, iodine, methionine, and zinc for horses with poor-quality hooves. 
• Work with your farrier to determine a hoof-trimming schedule. 

Daily grooming for your horse’s hooves and regularly scheduled hoof trimming intervals performed by your farrier will help detect early abnormalities and keep your horse sound. 

A renowned saying “no hoof, no horse” means keeping your horse’s hooves in optimal condition is critical to the overall well-being of your horse—so you can continue to do the things you love together. 

Shop all horse hoof care products here!

Shop all wound care products here!