Holistic barefoot hoof care.
06/20/2024
Why 4 weeks?
If you are accustomed to the timeline of a traditional farrier, you might be a little shocked to find out that when you switch to a barefoot trim, we want to see your horse more often than before. Going from a 6 week schedule to a 4 week (even in some cases a 2 week schedule!) might seem almost excessive or like a grab by your farrier for more money! But I promise there are many reasons a barefoot trim is done on a shorter schedule than shoes.
First and foremost, there’s no shoe to protect your horse's lengthening hoof wall from wear and tear. Have you had a horse with two front shoes and a trim in back? Do you get to the end of the 6 weeks and your horse's hind feet are starting to chip out? Or maybe they start flaring at the quarters? This means your horse has gone too long between trims on their hind feet, but you make do, because it would certainly be cost prohibitive to ask your farrier to come out a second time to freshen up the trim on your horse’s hinds, besides he’ll be out in a week right? With all four feet barefoot we can shorten to a schedule that manages your horse’s new growth on all 4 feet at the same time and minimizes chipping and tear-out.
Next, your horse is not conformationally perfect, not a single one of them is, and that’s okay! Seeing your horse more often means we can address distortions that happen in the hoof due to conformation issues before they become BIG issues in the hoof. Toed in horses tend to over wear the lateral (outside) wall of the hoof more than the inside, toed out wear the medial side and there are nearly a million other ways a horse’s hoof can distort due to variations in environment/conformation/wear. Addressing uneven growth early is imperative to barefoot care as we can’t make huge changes in one trim. We need to leave enough protective sole and hoofwall so your horse can stay sound. Whereas traditional farrier work allows larger changes less often because they can manage sensitivity with a shoe.
It may even seem at certain points of the year we barely do anything. Wintertime especially, because growth is slower, we might only run the rasp across one side to even balance rather than take off quarter inch or bigger nips with our nippers. But it’s important to note that just because we seem to be doing less does not mean the trim wasn’t necessary or should be postponed. When the hoof is wet in the winter and softer it distorts faster, small imbalances can lead to large distortions in the hoof capsule if not managed in a timely manner.
I know pushing the appointment out a couple weeks seems like a big help for your budget. So let's do the math on a $60 trim. A trim every 4 weeks is 13 times a year which totals to be $780, every 6 weeks is 8.6 times a year and $520. A savings of $260. But in the grand scheme of all the expenses of owning a horse $780 a year is tiny. Hoofcare IS healthcare for your horse, and it is as necessary as vetcare
Furthermore, we care, we are dedicated professionals who genuinely care about the welfare of your horse. Our primary goal is to support your horse's health and soundness. We are proactive in identifying and addressing subtle changes that may go unnoticed by owners, serving as a critical line of defense against lameness and other issues. Our commitment to your horse's well-being drives our practice and underscores the importance of consistent and attentive hoof care.
