Hoof Care & Farriery

Healthy hooves, sound horses — trimming and shoeing cycles, working with your farrier, and spotting problems early.

• No hoof, no horse: how the foot actually works — A horse stands a thousand pounds on four feet smaller than your hand. Understanding what's inside the hoof capsule changes how you see every trim and every lameness.
• Laminitis and founder: the words every owner should fear correctly — People throw these words around interchangeably and most use them wrong. Knowing exactly what laminitis is, what founder means, and what the early signs look like can save your horse's life.
• How often does a horse need the farrier? — Six to eight weeks is the answer you'll hear, but the honest answer is: it depends on the foot, the season, and the job. Here are the questions owners actually ask.
• Barefoot or shod: getting past the dogma — Few topics start an argument in the tack room faster. The truth is duller and more useful than either camp wants: the right answer is whatever keeps that particular horse sound and working.
• Thrush: that black smell and what to do about it — You'll smell it before you see it — a sharp, rotten reek when you pick out the foot. Thrush is common, manageable, and almost always a sign your management slipped. Here's how to clear it.
• Picking out hooves the right way (and what you find when you do) — It looks like the simplest job in the barn, and most people do it too fast to actually learn anything. Done right, the daily hoof pick is your best early-warning system.
• Keeping a good farrier: the client every farrier wants — Good farriers are booked solid and they keep the clients who make their day easier. A few habits will move you to the top of the list — and keep your horse sound in the bargain.
• Winter feet: snowballs, mud, and thrush season — Cold weather throws three problems at the hoof at once: ice balls that turn a foot into a wobbling stilt, deep mud that rots the frog, and slower growth that changes the whole maintenance game.
• Hoof abscess: the sudden three-legged-lame horse — Your horse was fine yesterday and this morning he won't put a foot down. Before you panic about a broken leg, know this: the most common cause of sudden, severe lameness is a hoof abscess.
• A hoof log that catches problems between farrier visits — A farrier sees your horse for forty-five minutes every six weeks. You see him every day. A simple written log turns those daily glances into the early-warning system that keeps small problems small.
• Sudden lameness in the foot: an owner's response playbook — Your horse was fine yesterday and this morning he won't put a foot down. The panic is understandable — but the right first hour follows a clear sequence. Here's the decision playbook every owner should have on the fridge.
• Pulling shoes: a realistic barefoot transition plan — Going barefoot can work beautifully — or leave a horse footsore for a year if you do it wrong. Here's an honest, week-by-week transition plan, with the checkpoints that tell you whether to push on or put shoes back.