One often neglected part of horse care is their hooves. Without healthy hooves, a horse cannot lead a healthy life. Many newer horse owners assume that since horses in the wild get no human care for their hooves, they don't need it when they are pasture animals. That couldn't be further from the truth. In the wild, horses clomp over a variety of terrain from rough rocks, to hard flatlands to grassy nooks and all of this keeps their hooves naturally worn down and in perfect walking and running shape.

However, horses that are kept in stalls or allowed to primarily roam soft grasslands will have hooves that grow faster than the hooves can be worn down. For this reason, your horse's hooves will need a trim on a regular basis. If your horse wears shoes, he will need to see a farrier (horse shoer) about every month and a half to insure perfect fit. You know what happens to your feet when you wear ill-fitting shoes? Imagine if they were tacked to your feet and you can see the necessity of giving your horse fitted, comfortable shoes. If you let your horse go barefoot, have his hooves trimmed about every 2 months or sooner if you see they need it. Never let hooves grow out of control.

Clean your horse's feet every day. Dirt and mud can become impacted and press rocks and debris tightly against the sole causing bruises and painful walking. Also, this is a good time to look for thrush. It is the same bacterium that causes white spots on a baby's tongue, it also causes horse's feet to become soft and grainy looking. There will also be a dark, foul smelling discharge from the foot. If you keep your horse's stall dry and clean and clean his feet every single day, you will go a long way to avoiding this.