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There are still wild horses living in various parts of the
world and you could ask how they manage without
farriers. It’s simple: they travel huge distances over rough
terrain to escape from predators and this keeps their
hooves in a condition that is suited to their natural
surroundings. Domesticated horses are more often kept
in soft grassy paddocks and even regular hacks on hard
surfaces wouldn’t come close to being as effective as the
wilds of Mongolia where the Przewalski roams or the
foothills of the Rocky Mountains, home to the Mustang.
It is when we fail to provide regular professional care to
our domesticated equines that severe welfare issues
occur. Human intervention creates two main forms of
welfare issue: the common instance of leaving the feet
untrimmed causing excessive horn growth; and less
commonly but just as serious is when we trim excessive
and incorrect amounts of hoof in the misguided idea
that the hoof capsule should conform to certain trimming
protocols. Trimming the hoof to perform at its optimum is
a complex process and should only be carried out by a
trained professional.
Poor foot care can have a catastrophic impact on equines.
Lack of professional intervention from the very start of a
foal’s life can lead to an existence of pain and suffering.
In less extreme cases a very capable horse that is not
well-balanced will consistently fail to reach its potential.
When foot care
goes wrong
07 Foot care
A long toe low heel conformation.
This
horse is shod with poor support at the back
of the foot.
Severely cracked and malformed hoof due
to neglect.
Equine
foot care
Horses have survived for many thousands of
years without human intervention but as soon
as we took control of their welfare we also took
on a duty to maintain their feet.