Caring For Hooves!
Did you know each of our horses have specific hoof care needs?! Just like humans, certain horses need to pay special attention to the care of their feet! Miss Presley, our farm manager and equine trainer, does an AMAZING job caring for our equine’s feet!
Routine Hoof Care
Each of our horses get regular trims by a professional farrier. These typically happen every 4-6 weeks based on how fast their feet grow. In addition to regular trims, our horses get their feet “picked out” or cleaned each time they are handled. This can range from one to seven times per week! This picking assures rocks are cleared from their feet, preventing injury or bruises. It also allows us to inspect their feet to detect any issues before they get worse.
Additional Hoof Care
We currently have one horse who wears shoes on her front feet because she is too tender-footed while barefoot. Other than than, prevention of thrush is essential! This means keeping our horses’ feet as dry as possible and treating thrush with a solution as soon as we see (or smell) it forming. On rare occasions, horses may get a bruise or abscess on their hoof. This requires additional care, medication and a dressing, called a hoof pack. All of this amazing care is managed by our equine trainer and carried out by staff and volunteers on a daily basis.
