We usually get the farrier out to trim hooves every 4 months at the most. Well, our 4 months is almost up, and today I noticed that Specs's hooves have trimmed themselves. They were getting somewhat long on Wednesday, I let him out into his Summer pasture on Thursday, then today the long parts of his hooves were either off or just about off. His hooves actually looked quite nice, as far as length goes, so my dad just filed them a little so they looked a little prettier and less jagged. I have no need for the farrier this time! Saved $40! (My farrier is ridiculously priced. Ugh)
I'd guess that the mud by the creek in the summer pasture would be the reason that the long parts would come off, right?
Do your horse's hooves ever get trimmed by themselves?
before i got Alli her and her dam didn't see a farrier ever. Allis feet trimmed them selves in chunks, but her mums didnt. Allis feet were stronger than her mums so snapped, but her mums where softer so just kinds spread instead of snapping to the right length
Natisha, I hardly agree. In some cases, perhaps this is true, however, I think good strong feet can take care of themselves. Mustang feet, so to speak.
Who knows if OPs horses have really rugged feet - for the sake of conversation though, I believe hooves that wear down without quarter cracks, chunks missing, or other deformities, are desirable hooves to have.
Natisha, I hardly agree. In some cases, perhaps this is true, however, I think good strong feet can take care of themselves. Mustang feet, so to speak.
Who knows if OPs horses have really rugged feet - for the sake of conversation though, I believe hooves that wear down without quarter cracks, chunks missing, or other deformities, are desirable hooves to have.
True but Mustangs travel over varied surfaces & their survival depends on good feet.
The OP's horses depend on people for good feet as do my own horses.
I once had a boarder whose Fresian only needed rasping once a year. I was amazed.
Each horse needs needs to be looked at individually. If the horse has chunks breaking off or is growing too long a hoof we need to step in & care for it.
My welsh pony gelding has the most amazing hooves. He's a mountain pony, so his hooves are meant to be hard for rugged territory. We only need to trim him up and rasp him every few months. They grow at the perfect angle, and maintain themselves very well. My QH mare, on the other hand, needs a trim every month because her hooves grow so fast.
I have heard of this before. It is all based on your horse's natural hoof condition, the amount of exercise they get, and the condition of the pasture they are kept in. For many people it isn't enough. I used to do very minimal maintenance on my horses hooves but I found that they didn't stay in as good of condition as I liked, so now I do more. The rate their hooves grow also depends on their diet a lot. They grow with the grass. Last summer the grass barely grew so I only trimmed twice all summer. So far this summer I've already trimmed three times.
My husband's QH rarely ever needs a trim. Honestly, it's not even a trim, it's just a shaping up. His hooves stay so round and pretty and smooth, it amazes me. If we go through a really dry spell in the summer he'll start getting a few little scraggly chips at the toe. When that happens, when the farrier comes out to do my horse, we'll have him shape his feet up a little and he's good to go. Our farrier doesn't even charge for it, he says he feels bad because it's like he's doing nothing.
To RunJump & RunSlide, yes, in ideal circumstances, such as mustangs/brumbies that live in arid, hard ground environments, travelling many miles daily, horses can maintain 'perfect' hooves. I think it's helpful(not just regarding needing less farriery & $ outlay, but horse health & soundness) if you can manage horses in order that they 'self trim' more & need trimming less. But IME the reality is, most of us, including OP, aren't in such a 'perfect world'.
Also even horses that do 'self trim' usually still need 'brush ups' to keep balance in... balance.
OP, you say that your horse's feet were too long this week, but putting him onto different(I imagine rougher, harder?) terrain has caused the excess to break away. You said they broke off in chunks, so your dad had to file them to look 'less jagged'. Wasn't like they abraded away evenly with lots of exercise. That is not what I'd class as 'self trimming', in a positive sense anyway & I'm concerned that there is some underlying problem, aside from excess length/leverage that caused the hoof walls to break away so apparently easily & totally.
It's important if you want healthy, sound feet long term, to manage them well enough to *prevent* them getting overlong in the first place. Trimming to maintain good function is always preferrable to having to chase your tail & 'correct' overgrowth & distortion at every trim. I find that while some can go a bit longer & some need more frequent, but 3-6 weeks is about the right schedule for most horses.
Let me clarify: I do not mean domestic horses all have rugged Mustang feet. My best friend's late AQHA gelding had feet on soft ground that would wear down just fine. He was of good health and sound, if not a bit overweight.
What I said was that these kind of feet are not unheard of, and in my opinion, are very nice to have in most scenarios.
I also am not referencing hooves that do not grow much at all as this could be unhealthy; I mean good hooves that grow and wear down evenly and properly.
Okay just wondering if it was normal. We have to have the farrier out on monday for one of the other ponies anyway, so no big deal. I'll still save forty bucks if he says there's nothing he needs to do, though. No big deal.
Like I said Specs's hooves weren't very long in the first place. An Less than an inch is what fell off, and the clippings looked like a 'u' shape, so they didn't come off in chunks, they came off together, but my dad still thought they looked not very finished so he filed them a tiny bit so they'd look prettier.
So like if you bought a BLM Mustang, you'd not have to have it's feet done very often? :-o
No, the reason they wear down their hooves is that they travel around 20-30 miles a day over many types of terrain (from rock slopes to muddy rivers) and wear their hooves down. Now, since they travel over rocks so much they probably won't need shoes.
I can't even imagine only having a farrier out once every 4 months, and then thinking that $40 is ridiculously expensive. :shock:
Horses will wear down their own hooves, and if it's too long it will break off. But there is a bit more to trimming than just reducing the length. Also there is a bit more to it than just prettying up the shape.
Horses are expensive, and so I can understand the joy at saving money - however scrimping on farrier care is not a corner worth cutting IMO.
What shape are your other horses in if you are only celebrating the one self trimming, and the others haven't been seen for 4 months?
I'm not really on charge of completely taking care of bigger stuff like vet checks and the farrier, my dad and/or trainer usually take over. I'm not supposed to make the decisions. They are!
They definitely know what they're doing, I'm not going to question their decisions.
To the above poster: thanks for your advice! His hooves were 'somewhat long' for my taste, but they really weren't as long as some people are probably thinking. Sorry I didn't clarify, my fault.
We have the farrier out when we need to. And that happens to be every 3-4 months for most of the ponies. If it looks like they need it more often, then we have the farrier out more often, simple as that. We're trying to save a penny, but only in the right places.
I just asked if it was ok for the tips of the hoof to fall off, I didn't need to be scolded on how often my ponies get the farrier. I asked my dad if it was ok for that to happen and he said its pretty normal but next time we should get the farrier out sooner. I just wanted to hear your opinions on it because I've never seen a topic like this.
Again, I ultimately don't make those decisions, but I do influence them. If you saw my ponies, you wouldn't question the care they get. They get much attention and the best care possible
I do appreciate the advice given, though. Don't take this the wrong way!
Thank you.
I apy $40 for a trim every seven weeks. My percheron's farrier bill is $120 every seven weeks!....her hooves are still recovering from her past neglect and is shod in front right now.
While I won't scold you, due to your recent posts making me a little more aware of age playing a factor here, I do think its important for you to know the difference between minimal care and adequate care. A horse can get by on grass and a farrier every 4 months. A healthy horse (depending on yuor acreage) needs at minimum hay, and usually grain and a good farrier as well as vaccinations. I have my vet out more often than you have your farrier out, just to bring this to perspective for you.
You were happy to save $40 which sounds like you pay the bill, which would also imply you may be able to call the farrir out more often if you'd like. Like others on this thread, my horses get done every 6 weeks on a schedule to ensure soundness and balance.
I dont think anybody was scolding you, it was just... most of us probably made this face :shock: when you said every 4 months. When we're paying $40-$140 every 6 weeks to properly care for our horses.
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