‘No foot no horse’ is a common saying when talking about the health of our horses hooves. To maintain optimum hoof health there are several factors to take into consideration: environment, exercise, diet and trim intervals. Having any of these components out of balance will negatively influence the hoofs ability to function and may allow hoof pathology’s to take hold.
Many people make the mistake of waiting until visible dorsal signs (outer hoof wall) of growth are visible before making the decision to have their horses feet attended to. By the time we see long toes, flare and hoof cracks already there is excessive growth occurring that changes the bio-mechanics of the hoof, causing distortions and pathology’s. The regularity of trimming is determined by the growth rate of each individual horse. Factors such as season, diet, natural movement and work load all influence how often your horse will require trimming.