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hooves ?

3K views 13 replies 13 participants last post by  bilyeuamber 
#1 ·
how often do you have to get your horses feet trimmed??

sorry if this is in the wrong spot =)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Most horses need to get their hooves trimmed every 6-8 weeks. However every horse is different. Some horses have more sensitive or brittle hooves meaning they are more prone to cracking and chipping. Thoroughbreds especially are like this. It also depends on how often you ride, as well as where you ride. If you ride on really hard surfaces such as pavement, the hooves wear down more easily. If your horse seems sensitive when walking on different terrains and surfaces, then he/she may need shoes. Shoes make walking more comfortable for a lot of horses. There are many horses though, on the otherhand, never need shoes in their life. It really all depends on the horse. Regardless of whether you shoe your horse or not, regular trimming is essential. Hope this helps! :wink:

And yes, you put your question in the right spot. =)
 
#6 ·
Agree with Jubilee Rose - I trim feet for a living, and the answer really is 'it depends'.

Most of the horses in my care get trimmed every 6 weeks, perhaps dropping to 8 weeks in the winter, but it does depend on the quality of the feet - if they're bad quality or more work is needed to get good feet (ie if they've been neglected) then I might bring this to every 4 weeks, or if the horse has fantastic feet and self trims well (ie in balance) then I might push this out as far as 10 to 12 weeks.
 
#7 ·
all of my horses feet get trimmed every 8 or so weeks. no earlier than 8 weeks tho. but chucky has bad feet at the moment so he needs the farrier every 4 weeks for a few months. but yea every horse is different. by the time the farrier comes next, pennellipi really needs her feet trimmed where as banjo's feet could easily wait another 6 weeks. But we get all of them done at the same time even if not completely nessecary. Our farrier is fairly cheap so its easier this way reather than him making a special trip for 1 horse.
 
#11 ·
I trim our mares every 4 weeks with a rasp (no nippers). It keeps them looking much better than having a trimmer out every 6-8 weeks. In the winter, they grow much more slowly and sometimes only require a little clean up and roll over. Also, it depends on how much riding we do and on what terrain...a lot of riding over rougher terrain keeps them almost trimmed naturally, and I just clean up any uneven wear.
 
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