How often should your horse's hoofs be trimmed? Well now, that depends!
The ideal schedule is every four weeks unless the horse is turned out on very hard, rough ground, in which case less frequently is fine. However, we live in the real world, with many demands on our time and finances, and many horses will do ok on a six- to eight-week cycle.
The four-week cycle is best, however, when significant changes need to be made to the hoof or when pathologies such as laminitis are present. In some cases, switching a horse to a shorter trim cycle for a few trims will accelerate improvement in the hoof, and the horse can then revert to a longer cycle.
Performance horses should be kept on a 4-week (or less) trim cycle.
I would strongly discourage going any longer than 8 weeks between trims. I do have a very few clients who are able to be on a longer trim cycle; these are horses with excellent feet who are turned out on dry, hard ground and who are not susceptible to laminitis.
If your horse has signs of laminitis, or has had laminitis in the past, it is extremely important to keep its hoofs trimmed regularly and frequently. Chronic abscessing can also result from infrequent trimming, as well as navicular syndrome and other problems.
A hoof which looks as if it badly needs to be trimmed - chips and cracks all around the base of the hoof wall - can sometimes in fact be in relatively good shape, as the chips and cracks are the hoof's way of self-trimming. On the other hand, a hoof which appears neat and presentable can in fact be quite unbalanced, causing discomfort and potential injury. Similarly a "dinner-plate" foot may be just the right size, while a dainty looking hoof might be much too long. The only way to be sure is to evaluate the sole of the foot.
The ideal schedule is every four weeks unless the horse is turned out on very hard, rough ground, in which case less frequently is fine. However, we live in the real world, with many demands on our time and finances, and many horses will do ok on a six- to eight-week cycle.
The four-week cycle is best, however, when significant changes need to be made to the hoof or when pathologies such as laminitis are present. In some cases, switching a horse to a shorter trim cycle for a few trims will accelerate improvement in the hoof, and the horse can then revert to a longer cycle.
Performance horses should be kept on a 4-week (or less) trim cycle.
I would strongly discourage going any longer than 8 weeks between trims. I do have a very few clients who are able to be on a longer trim cycle; these are horses with excellent feet who are turned out on dry, hard ground and who are not susceptible to laminitis.
If your horse has signs of laminitis, or has had laminitis in the past, it is extremely important to keep its hoofs trimmed regularly and frequently. Chronic abscessing can also result from infrequent trimming, as well as navicular syndrome and other problems.
A hoof which looks as if it badly needs to be trimmed - chips and cracks all around the base of the hoof wall - can sometimes in fact be in relatively good shape, as the chips and cracks are the hoof's way of self-trimming. On the other hand, a hoof which appears neat and presentable can in fact be quite unbalanced, causing discomfort and potential injury. Similarly a "dinner-plate" foot may be just the right size, while a dainty looking hoof might be much too long. The only way to be sure is to evaluate the sole of the foot.
Foals should be trimmed frequently! Frequent trimming (or wear) ensures that their feet develop optimally.
They should be trimmed every 4 weeks or less - you can learn to do touch-ups in between trimmer visits if necessary.
Start handling their feet on Day 1 (or 2) tomake sure there's no drama at the first trim!
They should be trimmed every 4 weeks or less - you can learn to do touch-ups in between trimmer visits if necessary.
Start handling their feet on Day 1 (or 2) tomake sure there's no drama at the first trim!