19/06/2026
All this! Especially this time of year (especially this time right now with grass growing crazy)
WHAT IS HOOFCARE?
It’s constant diet tweaks, assessment of living environment, regular bodywork, exercise, correct engagement of the body, compensation for imperfect conformation.
It’s understanding that a hoof is not a static structure. It is living tissue, constantly growing, adapting and responding to everything happening higher up the horse, to everything happening inside the horse, to things happening outside of the horse. All living organisms try to move towards healing, but that can look different for each individual.
It’s recognising that the hoof is often the messenger, the giver of secrets held somewhere inside.
It’s managing sugar and calorie intake, balancing minerals, supporting gut health and understanding that what goes into the horse will eventually show up in the feet. Wormers, medication, toxins. They all show up in some way,
It’s paying attention to movement. But not just how much movement they get, but how they move. Loading, compensating, efficiency.
It’s looking beyond the hoof capsule to the shoulders, neck, back, pelvis and hindquarters. Tight muscles, restrictions and asymmetries all influence how forces travel through the limbs and how the feet develop.
It’s considering surfaces. Deep mud, hard ground, soft arenas, tracks, grass, gravel and roadwork all create different demands and stimulate different adaptations.
It’s understanding that medical history matters. Previous injuries, arthritis, suspensory issues, tendon damage, kissing spines, gastric ulcers, EMS, PPID, metabolic dysfunction, laminitis and neurological conditions can all influence how a horse moves, loads its limbs and develops its feet.
It’s recognising that some hoof distortions are not caused by poor trimming, but by the horse’s attempt to protect itself from pain or dysfunction elsewhere in the body.
It’s understanding that medication history can matter too. Long-term pain relief, steroid use, metabolic disease management and rehabilitation programmes can all affect the hoof.
It’s knowing things that happened months or even years ago may still be influencing the feet you see today.
It’s understanding that age, workload, injury history, genetics, conformation and even seasonality influence hoof health.
It’s knowing that growth rates change throughout the year. That feet can improve, plateau or deteriorate depending on countless interacting factors. Even a perfect hoof is only so in that moment in time.
It’s recognising that a trim is simply one small intervention within a much larger system.
It’s accepting that there is rarely a perfect trim because there is rarely a perfect horse. Most horses come with asymmetries, old injuries, movement habits, medical histories and conformational challenges that require thoughtful management.
It’s making small adjustments, reassessing, observing and adjusting again.
It’s understanding that the horse standing in front of you today is not the same horse that was standing there six weeks ago. It’s not the same horse that stood in front of you before a trim.
It’s appreciating that hoofcare is not something that happens every few weeks when the farrier or trimmer arrives. The trim may take an hour. The other 1,000 hours happen in between and require intentional management from caregivers.
Healthy hooves are usually the result of hundreds of tiny management decisions made consistently over time. A sprinkle of good fortune and good health. Conscientious decision making. Proactive thinking and a great team around you both.
(*attached is a picture of a hoof that has required a great many hours of thinking outside the box, adapting and head scratching and will likely continue to do so)
