Reader's Questions on Caring for Horse Feet

SimCat wrote in to ask "just how often (really) a horse's feet need to be cleaned."

For me, inspecting my horse's feet and cleaning them when necessary, is dependent upon the environment they are in. During the rainy season when they often stand in wet dirt, I'll inspect and clean them more often. Even in the dry parts of the year, which is most of the year here in West Texas, I reckon I do not go more than a week without picking up and looking at their feet.

We recently finished the "rainy season" here, recieving a total of about two inches of rain over a few weeks. Enough rain to make the corrals wet, some standing water and mud for several days in a row where I picked their feet sometimes every day and applied Kopertox is needed to combat the pre-thrush condition. Picking the feet exposing the bacteria to oxygen is usually enough to fight the pre-thrush condition, but sometimes one, maybe two treatments of Kopertox or Thrush Buster is necessary. 

I always look at the feet before riding to see if a shoe is loose or to look for any foot injuries. I do not clean the hooves prior to riding, instead allowing the dirt and manure packed into the hoove to help protect the hooves for that ride, but I always clean the feet after a ride and before I turn a horse back out.  

Tina wrote and asked "if I ever used plastic hoof packing to protect my horse's feet when riding in rough areas."

No Tina, I have not.  The horses I take into rough areas are wearing shoes.  I have had my horseshoer use a urethane product to fill the concave portion of the hoof, then a pad to keep it in place, then nailed on horsehoes to help dropping heel bulbs on one back leg, but I have never used this or other plastic or rubber products to cushion a horse's hooves for rocky or rough ground.  I suppose it could be or has been done.  But it's a lot of effort.  You have to ensure the hoof is dry and some people will use a heat gun or butane torch to do so.  Hoof boots may be a better solution and they would be re-useable for continued riding in the terrain you are concerned about.    You can find some examples of hoof boots at EasyCareInc.com