Dr. Brian Eitelman, DVM, CJF, and Aggie Vet and Farrier Services provide veterinarian and farrier services in Parker, CO, Elizabeth, CO, Franktown, CO, Castle Rock, CO, Sedalia, CO and Larkspur, CO. To learn more, please visit us at www.vetandfarrier.com
In this episode, Dr. Brian explains the benefits of routine hoofcare and how to determine whether or not to shoe your horse.
Every horse needs regular or routine hoof care. Why? Mainly, the hoof never stops growing. There are a number of factors that will cause a hoof to be out of balance: conformation (how a horse is built), parts of the foot being worn off faster than others, and as the hoof gets longer it gets weaker and is more susceptible to damage. Additionally, for horses with shoes on, as the feet get longer, the shoes likely aren’t fitting as well as they should. Regular hoof care allows us to better manage those issues.
So when I say every horse needs regular hoof care, how often am I talking about? There is usually a sweet spot around that 6-8 week mark - not 6-8 months - but 6-8 weeks. Typically, the cycle is closer to 6 weeks if they have shoes on and 8 weeks if they’re barefoot. The main reason for the difference is that when they’re barefoot, they are at least partially keeping that growth in check because the hoof itself is wearing off. However, if they have shoes on, the shoes are taking the wear so the feet get longer faster and therefore out-of-balance faster. While 6-8 weeks is a good general rule of thumb: there are of course some horses that can go longer and some that actually need shorter cycles. Horses that might need shorter cycles include those that are ridden excessively and will therefore wear through their shoes really quickly, or horses in which there is a problem or lameness and they benefit for a number of reasons from having short tidy feet.
Understand, when you wait too long in between trims and the hoof is allowed to grow out-of-balance for an extended period of time, there is a degree of damage that happens surprisingly fast and takes a long time to recover.
So on to a big question - to shoe or not to shoe.
I like to say there are 4 main reasons to shoe a horse: The first and probably the most important is simply protection - let the shoe take the wear instead of the foot. Additionally, that little bit of ground clearance offered by the shoe makes a huge difference, especially in flat-footed horses. The second reason is support. The hoof wall is the main weight bearing structure of the foot and it is an amazing shock-absorber. With a flat, level trim and a flat, level shoe - I can ensure that as much of the hoof wall is bearing weight as possible. I can also add surface area with different shoes and pads/packing if the horse needs the extra help. The third reason is performance - different riding disciplines benefit from different styles of shoes - just like us and running shoes vs soccer cleats vs tall-heeled riding boots. Most horses are fine with standard shoes but some high-level horses absolutely need something specialized. The fourth reason is therapeutic. This is when there is a problem or lameness and a specialized shoe will help.
Bottom line - the shoe is a tool. Properly used, it allows us to do more with the horse and their feet than we otherwise could.
Some general factors to consider when making the decision whether or not to put shoes on… are the quality of the foot - some breeds and lines of horses just have poor quality feet (weak, shelly, thin) and others have rock-solid feet. Another is the amount of foot - some horses grow solid hoof, just not much of it. How much you’re going to be riding is another big question. Every step your horse takes wears off a little bit of foot and they will take a lot more steps with you riding than they otherwise would. So the more you ride, the shorter their foot gets. Where you ride is also a big factor. A nice soft grass pasture or nicely manicured turned-up arena is obviously much easier on feet than rocky ground or hard-packed arena.
So with those bigger concepts discussed, let’s bring it down to ground level and talk about situations in which you would shoe your horse versus leaving it barefoot. The first and most straight-forward answer is: if you’re riding your horse routinely more than 1-2 times per week, especially over rough or hard ground, you should probably protect your horse’s feet during those times - whether with boots or shoes, even if it’s just for the few months each year when you ride a lot. Short feet and unprotected feet are simply more prone to short term injuries like bruising and abscesses that make your horse incredibly sore and need weeks of recovery time. There can also be long-term damage that can leave them permanently lame by causing excessive damage to the bones and other structures inside the foot.