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Weanlings First Hoof Trim

3K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Cherie 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have went to look at a weanling a few times that I am interested in purchasing very soon. She is very friendly and willing with good confirmation and what im looking for. She looked okay the first few times I went to see her. However the last time (about a week ago) her back feet had gotten extremely long. Now this filly has not had much work, she can halter and they have started teaching her to lead. I had practiced picking up her feet when I visited her and she was very willing and picked all 4 up but of course could not hold it for too long.
My question is, if they have gotten to long and it may take another week or two before my farrier comes out after I purchase her, would there be any real damage to her growing legs and body? I would say her back hoofs are about 1.5in longer than it should be. Should I be worried about damage or her growth or is this normal?
 
#3 ·
A week or two won't make that much of a difference, now a month or two, and you are looking at potential problems, and corrective work to try and correct those problems. Sometimes, as is the case with my mare, you get relatively lucky, and in spite of the crappy long feet, they come out okay, but more often, you'll end up with potentially twisted legs, incorrect angles, hip and back issues from trying to compensate for the feet. My mare moved around a LOT which I think helped her trim her own feet down some, so they weren't as bad as they could have been if she had been stuck in a small stall where she didn't move. She does have a few issues with her hind feet, as she spent a lot of time spinning in circles, so the inside walls are pretty straight, while the outside flares easily and dishes, but the structure of her legs is sound.

If you can, if you aren't bringing her home soon, I would talk with the owner, and see about getting a farrier out, if possible, offer to be there to hold her or something, and see if you can get her worked on. Good luck. Post pics, we wanna see the horse lol.
 
#5 ·
Hi, While having only that one pic, by no means sure, but it appears they're not bad. And while it's not ideal & damage can indeed happen, as above, if only talking a few weeks to a month or 2, it's not likely to affect anything that's not already going that way, especially if the baby lives on yielding footing.

I think it's vital to train the horse to be good about her feet first, and it's important that after you teach the basics & ready for the farrier, you find one that's good with handling too & will not be rough or force the issue. When you do, tell him the story so far & let him know that the training is more important than getting the job done. Aside from heavyhandedness not helping training & future hoofcare, babies are very... malleable & too much force on young, 'green' bones can cause serious damage.
 
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