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Hoof Care
It is good practice to pick out the horse's feet daily. Some horses have very good feet others have poor quality horn and may require a hoof supplement. Coming soon on this site will be links to experts on hoof supplements. There are also a very wide range of hoof dressings available to support a healthy foot and this website will have links to these sites very soon. A horse's foot needs to be balanced in relation to the whole limb therefore it is essential that horses are regularly seen by a qualified farrier as the hoof continually grows. Most horses need their feet to be trimmed every 5 to 6 weeks. There is a lot of debate as to barefoot verses shoes. Below is some information that you should find useful in helping you to decide. There are many things to consider when deciding if your horse would be better off with or without shoes. These include:-
- Workload and the type of work
- Surfaces the horse will be worked on
- The quality of the horse’s hoof
- The horse’s action and confirmation
- The living accommodation / ground conditions
It is important to note the law in relation to farriery. Farriers must be registered, The Farriers Registration Council maintains a Register of Farriers. To find out more about The Farriers Registration Council click here. Registered Farriers are qualified either by examination, and / or training and / or experience to carry out work safely and competently. Unregistered persons carrying out farriery are committing a criminal offence. If you use an unregistered person you could find you have no comeback in law, and if you need to make a claim on your insurance if the horse was lamed or damaged as a result of an unregistered farrier it can invalidated your policy. Farriery means “any work in connection with the preparation or treatment of the foot of a horse for the immediate reception of a shoe thereon, the fitting by nailing or otherwise of a shoe to the foot or the finishing off of such work to the foot”. Farriers (Registration) Act 1975.
This means that just trimming the hoof so long as a shoe is not fitted is not covered by the act and is therefore not regulated. Therefore simple trimming and rasping of horse’s feet is allowed by lay persons. However please note radical trimming and reshaping of the horse’s feet can in un-trained hands have the potential to cause significant discomfort, pain, lameness and long term damage to the hooves. Bare foot has become very popular in recent years, and for some horses it is the best option. (My horse is now bare foot) However recently there have been a lot of cases of horses that have been trimmed by lay people using “bare foot” techniques hitting the news as criminal cruelty cases. A registered farrier has undertaken years of training and is regulated by a code of conduct. A lay person offering to trim horse’s feet may or may not have undertaken training. The training will not be of the same standard as that studied by a farrier. Some people offering triming may have taken no training! Therefore you need to consider if the lay person offering trimming is qualified to work on your horse. You will not have the same level of protection as using a farrier as the lay person will not be registered or covered by a code of conduct. Please note all registered farriers are able to trim hooves and provide advice on keeping your horse bare foot as well as shoe horses. To find a local farrier please visit the The Farriers Registration Council website by clicking here. On the website you will also find lots of useful information on the qualifications your local farriers hold.
The Worshipful Company of Farriers (WCF) has the general responsibility of securing adequate standards of competence and conduct among persons engaged in farriery. It also promotes the art, science, training and education of farriery. It is the examining body for farriery qualifications, and promotes continual professional development. For more information please visit their website by clicking here.
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