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Hoof Care Page

The number one concern a horse owner should have is a good farrier. The second concern a horse owner should have is a good veterinarian. This section deals with locating and keeping a good farrier.

"I already have a good farrier!"

How do you know you have a good farrier? Many lameness problems that are the result of poor farriery take months to show. By then, you may not even realize the problem is the result of something the farrier did. Who is going to tell you that it is...the farrier? The farrier is likely to be the only other person besides yourself that pays close attention to your horse's feet. Some basic knowledge can help you and possibly save your horse.

Angles

For the most part, a horse's hooves should be at a certain angle. You can pick up a gage that is relatively inexpensive in many places that sell farrier supplies. Just ask the store clerk if they sell hoof gages. I prefer the brass one that is shaped like a horse shoe and has a pointer on it with the gage in between. All I have to do is pick up a hoof, place the horse shoe shaped part of the gage on the bottom of my horse's hoof and press the pointy thing against the hoof wall, then read the gage to see the degree. The usual (not universal) degrees are: front: 52 hind: 54. It is true that one way to spot whether or not the hooves are level is to look at the hairline at the coronary band. This is where the hair on the foot stops because the hoof starts. This will work, but it will not tell you if the angle is correct. If the angle is not correct, it causes the tendon to stretch in a way (too much or too little) than it was designed to do. This is something that takes a period of time to show damage to. One way that such damage can be spotted is by looking at the hoof from the side and touching it. If the hoof is not exactly straight from the coronary band all the way down to the tip of the toe, if it has a ridge in it where it grows at one angle and then from the ridge down, grows at a slightly different angle, that is visible evidence of changing the angle of the hoof. This also results when the horse is allowed to grow a toe that is too long.

Founder

Founder is a common problem and if caught in time, its' effects can be somewhat reversed. Most of the time, corrective shoeing is called for to reduce the pain level. The bone closest to the ground in a horse's hoof is triangular shaped, much like the hoof itself. When founder occurs, this bone usually rotates so that a tip of it faces downward, into the sole. If your toe is broken, you are going to walk on your heel as much as possible. It is the same for the horse. The toe area becomes painful to bear weight on, so the horse bears as much of it's weight as it can on it's heel. It is often said that a horse has 5 hearts. This refers to the the heart that is within the chest cavity and each of the 4 frogs. The frog is the long, soft, triangular shaped piece in the center of the bottom of the hoof. The area around the frog is indented. This indention is deeper toward the heel and shallow toward the toe area. This indented area is called the "bars" of the hoof. When a horse walks or runs, the frog is depressed against the bars, which pushes blood through the sole and out to the white line area. When a horse bears most of it's weight on the heel, the frog pushes against the bars too much and too often, which spreads them out and keeps them from doing their job - supplying an adequate blood supply to the sole. The idea behind corrective shoeing for founder is to keep the bars from being pushed out of position and to alleviate pressure on the toe.
One way to tell if you need a new farrier is this: We cannot see the exact degree of rotation within the hoof. Your farrier should ask you for radiographs (X-rays) of the hoof before attempting corrective shoeing. If your farrier is willing to guess, get a new farrier. More harm can be inflicted by the wrong kind of corrective shoeing. Sometimes, no shoeing at all is best, but who can know without getting a look at what is going on inside the hoof?

"My horse's feet look great, but his shoes don't stay on!"

Shoes should stay on for at least 6 weeks under normal conditions. Mud can pull them off, as can some other things. The nails should be high in the hoof, and bent over in order to secure them. The foot and the shoe may look great when the farrier finishes, but if the shoes don't stay on, and there is no discernable reason why not, you need a new farrier.

Now that I've told you why to get a new farrier, I'll tell you how to keep the good one you already have.

Remember your appointments.

Time is money to your farrier.
Train your horse to stand. Your farrier is self employed. He/she may or may not have disability insurance. Your horse is not the only horse your farrier takes care of. If he/she gets hurt and cannot work, how many other horses will be without care? How many other horse owners will be suddenly in need of a replacement farrier? How many of those who find a replacement farrier will stick with the replacement farrier (your farrier can lose business permanently). If your horse will not stand quietly for your farrier, you can train him very easily by longeing him. Pick his feet up yourself. Hold them up for a long time. Tap on them with a small hammer or heavy hoof pick to simulate the striking of a shoe being hammered on. If he doesn't cooperate fully, immediately longe him (exercise him at a run or trot on a very, very long, specially made lead rope available at any tack shop). Stop him & immediately ask him to give his foot up again. If he gives you any trouble, go right back to longeing him. The idea is to get him to associate holding his foot up with resting. Be mindful of hot weather, the overweight horse, or exhaustion. This training takes about two weeks, so don't expect an immediate "cure" after the first session.

Provide a shady area for your farrier to work in during the summer and a warm area for him/her to work in during the winter. Don't forget, hooves still grow during winter months. Fingers and metal tools get cold, but your farrier still has a family to support. You won't be doing him any favors by not calling him out in order to spare him from the cold, and you won't be doing your horse any favor that way, either.

Listen to your farrier.

Many horse owners think they know more than their farriers. While this is always a possibility, as a horse owner, it can get you and your horse into trouble. If you and your farrier disagree on how to go about something, consult your veterinarian and do some online research yourself. If you are going to be a know-it-all, make sure that you really do know what you think you know. Do not hesitate to tell your farrier that you disagree with him/her. Listen to his/her reason for doing what he/she is doing. Find out where his/her source of knowledge comes from and go from there. Your farrier will be happy that you respect him/her enough to give him/her a chance to explain themselves.

Pay on time.

Do not call the farrier out and then tell him/her after the job is done that you left your checkbook in your other pocket or that your dog ate it. You wouldn't want that to be done to you when you go to pick up your paycheck, would you? Word can travel fast about a client who doesn't pay.

The relationship between the farrier and the horse owner is a two way street. Appreciate the good ones and send the bad ones down the road, this is what your farrier does with his/her clients.

If you have a good farrier, tell us about him or her. Why do you think he/she is good? We will be happy to post contact information so that horse owners in your area who are looking for a good farrier can find him/her.
Just drop us a line.