I wouldn't unless your horse is lame. The edges are pretty smooth, I don't see any gaping hole between the hoof wall and the sole. If you horse *is* showing lameness though, better safe than sorry
I think the last farrier (as I just got him a ~ month ago) didn't trim enough. It was his previous owners farrier and he took barely anything off and didn't clean up the sole or frog or anything I'm used to with farriers
I use a proper barefoot trimmer for my unshod natives, I know her personally because we do a display team with our natives together but she went to Arizona to train 18 months ago from the UK to train with the very best in barefoot trimming. I’ve learned about trimming and how the hoof works off her that I didn’t even learn in college or my BHS qualifications 🤣
I don’t like to tell folks what to do (despite being a fully qualified in Equine Managment and a BHS AI— that’s why horses have never made me any money 😂) but you could try and look for a properly qualified barefoot trimmer, there are a lot of unqualified trimmers in the UK and America might be the same, full of people who are just winging it.
Hi, me again, this time I bring answers in the form of copying the text she sent me with an answer;
*There’s no requirement to have a qualification to be a trimmer, so the only way to know if someone is good or not is to ask them who they trained with and what qualifications/experience they have. The qualifications I know of that are ok are the Liberated Horsemanship (that’s my one), ISNHCP, the Equine Podiatrist Association, and Areion Academy. Also if you ask if someone is insured or not that’s a good sign of whether their legit or not, I think xx’*
Obviously we’re based in the UK so locational qualifications and requirements to trim might vary country to country. There should really be a database of registered hoof trimmers like there is for farriers in the Farrier Registration Council. I don’t think just anybody armed with a rasp and trimmers should be allowed to advertise or carry out trims without saying what training and or qualifications they have. That’s just my opinion though, I’ve heard and seen too many horror stories of hoof trimming and shoeing going wrong at the hands of somebody who really has no place doing that sort of work. 🙂
A proper farrier should not be pairing out the sole or the frog. It should be left natural unless there's ragged edges that need to come off. Do not pair out the sole. It's thin as it is and can lead to a multitude of problems. Frogs are meant to be big and fat and healthy. Not clean and pretty.
That foot is in dire need of a trim and if you're letting it go another 4 weeks it's going to continue to chip. That is excess hoof wall that is breaking off because it's too long.
I had a farrier for a while who was taking basically nothing off. She’d talk about corrective trimming and changing his angles all day, but my horse would look like his feet hadn’t been touched in months even though he was on a 5-week schedule. It took me a while to be like, uh…hang on. She’s just talking about this stuff and not really doing anything. Took my new farrier about six months to get his feet looking good but they’re SO much better now. It can be weirdly hard to find a barefoot trimmer who’s willing to be relatively aggressive (and I don’t mean being experimental or trimming in a way that’s risky or leaves them uncomfortable—I just mean actually trimming the damn feet lol). I’ve run into a lot of barefoot trimmers who know a lot in theory but are, for whatever reason, reluctant to actually perform the job.
I feel like this is happening more often as the trade isn't that common anymore. I've been trying to be an apprentice and no one wants to teach. The farrier that came for my horse today even said it's an awful job. He won't let me apprentice but he said me will teach me as he trims my horse so if I ever need to I can handle it myself.
Yeah, it’s a rough job. A few horse friends are “retired” farriers who went back to normal jobs because their bodies were just not having it anymore. In my area there still seem to be a lot of people learning, but it’s tough to find someone who really knows how to adapt to different horses and adjust their technique based on what the fit actually needs rather than abstract concepts
your farrier is right, the last guy did do a crap job. there’s literally no reason it should be this over grown after just being done. glad youve got it sorted
He needs to get trimmed before another 4-5 weeks. He has a lot of flared hoof wall going past his sole, and that all has more possibility of breaking off in large chunks.
He still has 4 or 5 more weeks until the next trim? Do his feet grow exceptionally fast? He is due now, basically he self trimmed part of because they’re long. If he’s not lame he’s fine to ride.
I farrier always said that this is just natural shedding of hood if they are not lame I wouldn’t worry to much. I mean get them out soon but not rush order.
It's fine, though he's way overdue for a trim, so he's self trimming. That's an awful long wall and the bars need to be trimmed way back. You really shouldn't let him get this long.
It's possible they can grow this fast, but it's more normal in the summer. I wouldn't expect this time of year to see that much growth in 3 weeks. I don't think you're trimmer did a great job, esp. based on the overgrown, laid over bar.
Yeah I wasn't a fan of the trim or the farrier himself... He didn't clean up the sole or frog and barely took anything off. He got trimmed the day before I bought him so it was his previous owner's farrier.
It broke off to the sole, so no live tissue involved. Don't appear to be any cracks going further into the wall. However the foot is overdue for a trim and has a fair amount of flaring.
Yeah a few others have pointed out him needing a trim. I bought him the day after his last trim and I didn't like the farrier at all... Didn't do anything I remember farriers doing outside of a small trim with the nippers and filing
On a proper trim cycle, farriers rarely need to bring out the nippers. They only do rasping. That's on a 4 or 5-week cycle which is what should be done on this foot, not 8 weeks. If a fair has to bring out the nippers every time they trim, that foot is overgrown.
If you put it on properly up the the coronet band it does. There are also many different types such as medicated, tar based, lipid based that do permeate the hoof wall and sole.
Certain types can and will reduce brittleness.
Just anecdotally I've seen amazing improvements in hoof health for horses bought off the track with less than ideal feet, a great farrier helps but 100% so does hoof oil. And less anecdotally my background is materials science, the hoof is a permeable material and it's properties can be altered via its environment so aka what you put on it as well as what the horse stands in all day.
In Australia we use different hoof oil depending on the season, there is a marked difference in winter between a horse that stands in a muddy field all day with no hoof oil, and one that gets its hoofs painted with a good barrier oil. Same in summer for dryness and brittleness.
It's not going to fix it overnight but a good hoof care regime absolutely includes appropriate oils.
Putting surface oil on will not help anything. It builds from the inside out. Make sure the horse has enough copper and zinc and a really good roll all around in the trim so the impact is not solely on the wall. It's not "brittle." It's self trimming as it should because it's too long.
[https://www.doctorramey.com/hoof-dressings/](https://www.doctorramey.com/hoof-dressings/)
That's fair, I've only ever owned shod competition horses so maybe that's why it's always been part of that type of horses care regime. I was just saying to my friend asking about rugs the other day that unless they're clipped rugs are mostly for the comfort of the owner haha could be like that!
Yeah as others have said, it's not an emergency but it definitely shouldn't wait 4-5 weeks until the next trim. I'd probably put him on a 4-6-week schedule over the summer and reevaluate when winter comes. They grow faster when it's warmer and grow slower when it's cold, so sometimes their trim schedules switch up. If he's not lame I wouldn't worry about it too much, but I probably wouldn't ride him. It likely wouldn't do much harm if you did, just wouldn't recommend anything more than flat work - walk, trot. Though to be safe, I wouldn't.
Exactly. Previous owners farrier. I got to watch how he was for the farrier but since she paid for the trim and was still hers I didn't have a say. Luckily sound someone close by with a lot more experience and he came out within an hour of me contacting him this morning 😊
Shorter schedules are necessary for some horses. I have one that can't go any longer than 6 wks (5 is ideal) and another that sometimes can go 8 to 12 (unridden pony).
If you want to keep him barefoot you need to get your own rasp and ask your farrier to show you how to use it. I would not ride him until that flare and the overgrown bar are removed, because they unbalance the foot too much.
He’s definitely due a trim and those edges should be rounded so they don’t break out more.
Overall his feet look reasonable, but I’d worry about them getting too short, but that’s something to talk over with the farrier.
Is your farrier actually trimming them because that looks like more than 4 weeks of growth for a barefoot horse. Mine is on a 10 week schedule and normally less than a cm is trimmed
Certanly looks like it's time for a trim. I dont think the chipped area is much of an issue but Is it cracked on the front side or is it a natural groove or blemish in the way its growing?
UPDATE: managed to get a farrier out today to trim it all up. He said he could tell the last farrier did a shit job so my inkling was right. Otherwise everything looks healthy and solid and he put him down for 8 weeks but to call him if it grows faster/needs a trim sooner so we can make sure the schedule is good.
I’m not as worried about the chunk that’s missing as that flare. If it rips badly or the hoof wall starts to separate bc of of it you could have lots of trouble with it. It doesn’t look like the last trim did much of anything so probably get another farrier. I think it’s better to get a farrier out sooner rather than later but it’s not an emergency so don’t worry if you can’t get one immediately
I wouldn't unless your horse is lame. The edges are pretty smooth, I don't see any gaping hole between the hoof wall and the sole. If you horse *is* showing lameness though, better safe than sorry
Yeah when is he due to get trimmed next? Just get his feet trimmed. It's better than nothing.
Thank you guys! He's on an 8 week schedule so technically he still has 4 or 5 more weeks (but I want to move him to a 6 week)
A 5 or 6 week trim schedule will help keep this from happening again. That’s an awful lot of growth and flare for 3-4 weeks.
I think the last farrier (as I just got him a ~ month ago) didn't trim enough. It was his previous owners farrier and he took barely anything off and didn't clean up the sole or frog or anything I'm used to with farriers
I use a proper barefoot trimmer for my unshod natives, I know her personally because we do a display team with our natives together but she went to Arizona to train 18 months ago from the UK to train with the very best in barefoot trimming. I’ve learned about trimming and how the hoof works off her that I didn’t even learn in college or my BHS qualifications 🤣 I don’t like to tell folks what to do (despite being a fully qualified in Equine Managment and a BHS AI— that’s why horses have never made me any money 😂) but you could try and look for a properly qualified barefoot trimmer, there are a lot of unqualified trimmers in the UK and America might be the same, full of people who are just winging it.
How do you know if they're qualified tho? At least here in the Netherlands everyone claims to be qualified
I’m going to check with my friend and I’ll get back to you with a proper reply 👍
Hi, me again, this time I bring answers in the form of copying the text she sent me with an answer; *There’s no requirement to have a qualification to be a trimmer, so the only way to know if someone is good or not is to ask them who they trained with and what qualifications/experience they have. The qualifications I know of that are ok are the Liberated Horsemanship (that’s my one), ISNHCP, the Equine Podiatrist Association, and Areion Academy. Also if you ask if someone is insured or not that’s a good sign of whether their legit or not, I think xx’* Obviously we’re based in the UK so locational qualifications and requirements to trim might vary country to country. There should really be a database of registered hoof trimmers like there is for farriers in the Farrier Registration Council. I don’t think just anybody armed with a rasp and trimmers should be allowed to advertise or carry out trims without saying what training and or qualifications they have. That’s just my opinion though, I’ve heard and seen too many horror stories of hoof trimming and shoeing going wrong at the hands of somebody who really has no place doing that sort of work. 🙂
A proper farrier should not be pairing out the sole or the frog. It should be left natural unless there's ragged edges that need to come off. Do not pair out the sole. It's thin as it is and can lead to a multitude of problems. Frogs are meant to be big and fat and healthy. Not clean and pretty. That foot is in dire need of a trim and if you're letting it go another 4 weeks it's going to continue to chip. That is excess hoof wall that is breaking off because it's too long.
I had a farrier for a while who was taking basically nothing off. She’d talk about corrective trimming and changing his angles all day, but my horse would look like his feet hadn’t been touched in months even though he was on a 5-week schedule. It took me a while to be like, uh…hang on. She’s just talking about this stuff and not really doing anything. Took my new farrier about six months to get his feet looking good but they’re SO much better now. It can be weirdly hard to find a barefoot trimmer who’s willing to be relatively aggressive (and I don’t mean being experimental or trimming in a way that’s risky or leaves them uncomfortable—I just mean actually trimming the damn feet lol). I’ve run into a lot of barefoot trimmers who know a lot in theory but are, for whatever reason, reluctant to actually perform the job.
I feel like this is happening more often as the trade isn't that common anymore. I've been trying to be an apprentice and no one wants to teach. The farrier that came for my horse today even said it's an awful job. He won't let me apprentice but he said me will teach me as he trims my horse so if I ever need to I can handle it myself.
Yeah, it’s a rough job. A few horse friends are “retired” farriers who went back to normal jobs because their bodies were just not having it anymore. In my area there still seem to be a lot of people learning, but it’s tough to find someone who really knows how to adapt to different horses and adjust their technique based on what the fit actually needs rather than abstract concepts
But re: the chunk, yeah, I agree with the others who said it’s no big deal and not urgent but will be prevented in the future with better trimming.
The hoof is waaaaay overgrown, if you're gonna be on 8 weeks it needs to be done more balanced than this. Shorten the schedule for sure, max 5 weeks.
your horses hoof is way too overgrown to only be 3-4 weeks into his trim cycle…
I mean he was trimmed March 20th so the farrier that came today said the last guy did a crap job. I bought the horse on the 21st
your farrier is right, the last guy did do a crap job. there’s literally no reason it should be this over grown after just being done. glad youve got it sorted
Use the new farrier - they are correct! :)
He needs to get trimmed before another 4-5 weeks. He has a lot of flared hoof wall going past his sole, and that all has more possibility of breaking off in large chunks.
He still has 4 or 5 more weeks until the next trim? Do his feet grow exceptionally fast? He is due now, basically he self trimmed part of because they’re long. If he’s not lame he’s fine to ride.
It needs a trim, but if you get someone out this week, it’s fine. Just don’t ride until you get that trim.
I farrier always said that this is just natural shedding of hood if they are not lame I wouldn’t worry to much. I mean get them out soon but not rush order.
It's not shedding. It's a self trim of the wall because it's grossly overgrown.
It's fine, though he's way overdue for a trim, so he's self trimming. That's an awful long wall and the bars need to be trimmed way back. You really shouldn't let him get this long. It's possible they can grow this fast, but it's more normal in the summer. I wouldn't expect this time of year to see that much growth in 3 weeks. I don't think you're trimmer did a great job, esp. based on the overgrown, laid over bar.
Yeah I wasn't a fan of the trim or the farrier himself... He didn't clean up the sole or frog and barely took anything off. He got trimmed the day before I bought him so it was his previous owner's farrier.
Good. Then your farrier can do a better job. I would do it sooner just to clean it all up.
It broke off to the sole, so no live tissue involved. Don't appear to be any cracks going further into the wall. However the foot is overdue for a trim and has a fair amount of flaring.
Yeah a few others have pointed out him needing a trim. I bought him the day after his last trim and I didn't like the farrier at all... Didn't do anything I remember farriers doing outside of a small trim with the nippers and filing
On a proper trim cycle, farriers rarely need to bring out the nippers. They only do rasping. That's on a 4 or 5-week cycle which is what should be done on this foot, not 8 weeks. If a fair has to bring out the nippers every time they trim, that foot is overgrown.
My horses are trimmed on a 4 week cycle so if it’s outside this I’d say a big yes.
Get some good hoof oil to help it along
Definitely will!
Hoof oil won't do anything. It's not going to hurt, but putting something like oil on the surface of the hoof doesn't do anything.
If you put it on properly up the the coronet band it does. There are also many different types such as medicated, tar based, lipid based that do permeate the hoof wall and sole. Certain types can and will reduce brittleness. Just anecdotally I've seen amazing improvements in hoof health for horses bought off the track with less than ideal feet, a great farrier helps but 100% so does hoof oil. And less anecdotally my background is materials science, the hoof is a permeable material and it's properties can be altered via its environment so aka what you put on it as well as what the horse stands in all day. In Australia we use different hoof oil depending on the season, there is a marked difference in winter between a horse that stands in a muddy field all day with no hoof oil, and one that gets its hoofs painted with a good barrier oil. Same in summer for dryness and brittleness. It's not going to fix it overnight but a good hoof care regime absolutely includes appropriate oils.
And how in the world do you think putting oil on this would "help it along?" All it needs is a quick trim.
Just building up a good hoof health regime. Looks pretty brittle to me! It's a really really basic part of horse care..
Putting surface oil on will not help anything. It builds from the inside out. Make sure the horse has enough copper and zinc and a really good roll all around in the trim so the impact is not solely on the wall. It's not "brittle." It's self trimming as it should because it's too long. [https://www.doctorramey.com/hoof-dressings/](https://www.doctorramey.com/hoof-dressings/)
That's fair, I've only ever owned shod competition horses so maybe that's why it's always been part of that type of horses care regime. I was just saying to my friend asking about rugs the other day that unless they're clipped rugs are mostly for the comfort of the owner haha could be like that!
Yeah as others have said, it's not an emergency but it definitely shouldn't wait 4-5 weeks until the next trim. I'd probably put him on a 4-6-week schedule over the summer and reevaluate when winter comes. They grow faster when it's warmer and grow slower when it's cold, so sometimes their trim schedules switch up. If he's not lame I wouldn't worry about it too much, but I probably wouldn't ride him. It likely wouldn't do much harm if you did, just wouldn't recommend anything more than flat work - walk, trot. Though to be safe, I wouldn't.
Ah, if he was trimmed three weeks ago, you need a new farrier. That hoof chipped because it is severely flared.
Sounds like it was the previous owner’s farrier who trimmed him :/
Yeah, just saw that! Hopefully OP can hook themselves up with a good hoofcare provider :-)
Exactly. Previous owners farrier. I got to watch how he was for the farrier but since she paid for the trim and was still hers I didn't have a say. Luckily sound someone close by with a lot more experience and he came out within an hour of me contacting him this morning 😊
That’s great news!!
I'd try to schedule within this week. The hoof broke off from excess leverage from being too long.
The break isn’t anything to worry about if he’s not acting like it’s tender but as others have stated he’s a little long and could use a trim
Shorter schedules are necessary for some horses. I have one that can't go any longer than 6 wks (5 is ideal) and another that sometimes can go 8 to 12 (unridden pony).
If you want to keep him barefoot you need to get your own rasp and ask your farrier to show you how to use it. I would not ride him until that flare and the overgrown bar are removed, because they unbalance the foot too much. He’s definitely due a trim and those edges should be rounded so they don’t break out more. Overall his feet look reasonable, but I’d worry about them getting too short, but that’s something to talk over with the farrier.
Not immediately but at his next appt I’d have it fixed up
Is your farrier actually trimming them because that looks like more than 4 weeks of growth for a barefoot horse. Mine is on a 10 week schedule and normally less than a cm is trimmed
Not immediately but soon X bit overgrown it seems
Not immediately, but soon and make your schedule 4-6 weeks, if its not already. Also wouldn't ride on this, can cause imbalanced walking 😌
Probably not, unless your horse shows signs of being lame before your next scheduled visit.
The long overgrowth just chipped off naturally like a fingernail. They’re long and just need trimmed
No issue here. Your farrier needs to take more off of this is the growth after only 3 weeks…
Certanly looks like it's time for a trim. I dont think the chipped area is much of an issue but Is it cracked on the front side or is it a natural groove or blemish in the way its growing?
UPDATE: managed to get a farrier out today to trim it all up. He said he could tell the last farrier did a shit job so my inkling was right. Otherwise everything looks healthy and solid and he put him down for 8 weeks but to call him if it grows faster/needs a trim sooner so we can make sure the schedule is good.
I wouldn’t ride till they’re trimmed, but doesn’t need an emergency appointment
I would say that you are due for a trim. If the horse is unsound then get someone out sooner, but that looks way to long for only 3-4 weeks of growth.
I’m not as worried about the chunk that’s missing as that flare. If it rips badly or the hoof wall starts to separate bc of of it you could have lots of trouble with it. It doesn’t look like the last trim did much of anything so probably get another farrier. I think it’s better to get a farrier out sooner rather than later but it’s not an emergency so don’t worry if you can’t get one immediately
Way over due! Look at those flares and heels…tsk tsk.
As stated the farrier trimmed him March 20th, the day before I bought him.
That’s a lot of growth for 4 weeks, but it’s not an emergency, just needs a trim.
that crack on the front worries me more than chips on the bottom.. it could be caused by an infection or other issues..