For many horse owners, visits from the farrier occur every six weeks and typically involve routine trimming or standard horseshoeing. When a horse remains consistently sound and performs well, regular farriery by an experienced professional is usually sufficient for optimal hoof health. However, when soundness problems or decreased performance arise, more specialized farriery approaches may be needed to restore comfort and function.

With spring approaching, horse owners are eager to get back in the saddle! However, as winter transitions to spring — or during any time of year with wet and muddy conditions — hoof health can be challenged, as these environments create the ideal conditions for thrush to develop.

Unhealthy hooves in horses are often not due to genetic weakness, but rather preventable lifestyle factors. While it’s hard to admit, many common horsekeeping practices contribute to sore feet in horses. Key causes of weakened hooves in modern horses include limited movement, inappropriate ground surfaces, improper diet and supplements, and early development practices such as weaning.

We ask a lot of our four-legged friends as today’s horses compete throughout most of the year. Whatever the horse’s primary job — from dressage to trail riding and reining to show jumping, the feet are the most common source of lameness. With the advent of preventative drugs such as Legend®, Adequan®, and Pentosan EQ™ we can improve the longevity of our horses’ athletic use, but unfortunately injuries still occur.