Tuesday ~ No Foot No Horse

Our Students learned... 

What is a Farrier? ~ The “Foot Doctor.” This person is dedicated to the care of horses’ feet. They trim away the over-growth, possibly put on metal shoes, or just inspect the sole, toe and frog of each hoof.

Roux first as our students take turns holding the horse quietly and the others watch and ask questions. 

A horse’s foot grows approximately 1/4^th inch a month. It grows a little more in the summer and a little less in the winter. The hoof wall is very similar to your nails as it grows it needs to be trimmed and at certain angles must be maintained so that the horse can walk properly and/or maintain certain gaits for his job. If the angles are off a horse could go lame or put stress on his tendons and ligaments and cause pain/lameness.

Mother Nature designed the horse for roaming to find forage and grazing most parts of the day therefore, horses need to be able to walk on all four feet. A horse cannot stay lying down for long periods of time. Longest time a horse will lay down is for REM sleeping phase (approximately 20 mins). 

This service that Jesse is providing is referred to as a “Barefoot Trim” and the cost is $40 per horse. Our horses need this done every 8 weeks. This works out to be approximately $240 - $260 a year per horse! And that is JUST their feet! WOW!!