Hoof Care for the Trail Horse

The trail horse is exposed to various types of terrain traveled. Therefore, care should be taken to protect the hooves. It starts with a proper diet and of course, help from a professional farrier. There are supplements that can be fed to the horse to aid in retaining a healthy hoof and hoof dressings that are applied to the outside of the hoof to help maintain a proper moisture level.

The average horse should be put, and kept on a regular six to eight week trim and or shoeing schedule. If your horse requires corrective work, that schedule should be kept approximately every four weeks. If a horse has shoes on, most people have them pulled just for the winter and that barefoot horse kept on a regular trim schedule.

Plan ahead for the trail ride. If you're going to have your horse shod, do so no earlier than two weeks before the scheduled ride. That two week time frame will be sufficient time to see if any of the shoes will come off. Most farriers I know, give a thirty day guarantee on their work. If a shoe is lost out on the trail, be sure to keep a “spare tire” known as a hoof boot with you to protect that hoof from chips and such until the farrier can get to it. You can find most hoof boots in horse supply catalogs and horse supply stores. These same hoof boots can replace steel shoes if you prefer not to have your horse shod.

Before and after any trail ride it's always good to clean out and carefully inspect each hoof. Preventative maintenance goes a long way and exercised wisely can end up saving you from a lot of headaches, heartaches, and empty wallets. Not to mention keeping your horse happy, healthy, content and you happy and content.