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Pick out your pony’s feet as often as you can. Remove any soil or loose
debris and make sure to brush dirt out from the crevices surrounding the
frog. This will keep your pony’s hooves in good condition and reduce
the likelihood of developing nasty foot infections such as thrush.
Regular foot trimming is so important in keeping your pony’s feet in tiptop
condition. Normally the farrier should tend to your pony’s feet every 6-8
weeks depending on how much work is done with your pony.
Avoid turning your pony out onto wet muddy fields. This will affect the
quality of your pony’s hooves as well as increasing susceptibility to mud fever
(this is a very sore skin infection). Or alternatively, try to fence off the worst
affected areas in the field.
Always monitor your pony’s hooves for any changes such as heat
over the hoof wall or a bounding digital pulse. The digital pulses
can be felt at the back of the fetlock. Noticing these changes
may help you in detecting painful conditions such as laminitis
or a foot abscess, which may require your vet.
Monitoring your pony’s foot quality is very important. Keep
an eye out for cracks that may develop, most cracks are
superficial but some can be deeper and may require the
attention of your farrier or vet. Some ponies may have
poorer quality hooves and may require help from certain
supplements, which contain biotin (an important component
of the hoof wall).
Try and keep your pony as fit and healthy as possible with
regular exercise in order to keep its weight down. This in
turn will promote normal blood flow in the foot and
prevent the extra pressure on structures in the foot when
excess weight is carried.
Welcome...
TO THE SUMMER 2013
XLVETS EQUINE PONY PAGES
FOOT CARE...
from Suzanne Naughton MVB MRCVS, Midshire Veterinary Group
www.xlvets.co.uk
‘No foot,
no horse’!