Trimming is a pain-free process for keeping your horse’s hoof aligned and safe from multiple hoof infections. The farrier always considers the size, shape, and conformation of your horse’s hoof before trimming. But what if the prior inspection of the equine’s hoof is missing? Active 1: What if someone fails to inspect the horse's hoof before trimming, considering its size, shape, and conformation? An over-trimmed horse's hoof is a frequent case in the barn. We should thrive medical management of over-trimmed ASAP.
Why is Hoof Trimming Essential in Horses?
Wild horses can cover rough terrains and hard paths barefoot, but domesticated horses need extra hoof care to do the same.
Hoof health of horses is the combination of genetics, body conformation, surrounding environment, and nutrition. Farrier preferably trims the hoof at the time of shoeing depending on the growth. Hoof growth is different in summers and winters. Summers call for more frequent trimming than winters, likely once in 6-8 weeks.
Overgrown hooves can subject the hoof, leg, and body of the horse to unwanted mechanical injuries. The distorted hoof would cause repeated contusions and create physical stress on the horse.
To prevent the horse's foot from exposure to multiple injuries and promote a smooth walking pattern is the goal of hoof trimming. Trimming needs are different for different horses.
In short, the overgrown hoof needs immediate trimming, and a horse's hoof trimmed too short also requires a check.
What if the horse's hoof is trimmed too short?
Hoof comprises two structures, externally cornified structure, and internally live tissues. The outer hoof capsule structures provide an amazing ride experience for the rider and hoof health balance for the horse.
We always look forward to removing the overgrown hoof, but sometimes subside the utility of the hoof size.
Over-trimmed horse's hoof creates soreness along with exerting extra pressure on the living part. Too short a hoof can cause lameness in the long run.
The hoof capsule comprises a wall, a sole, and a frog. I separate the hoof wall from the sole with a ‘white line’ which demarcates the dead tissue to be trimmed.
Excess hoof trimming damages the sole and poses a threat to internal structures like coffin bone present beneath the sole.
Signs of Over-trimmed Hoof in Horses
- The horse will look sore after the hoof trimming, or maybe after a few days.
- The horse will show pain reflexes on touching the hoof.
- If someone trims and shoes simultaneously, then the problem may also lie within the nail puncturing.
- The sole will feel more pressure while riding and cause chronic pain to the horse.
- One may notice over-flexing in the hoof capsule.
- Sole bruising.
- Horses with associated lameness signs may feel more pain after the over-trimming of the hooves.
- The horse's hoof bleeds after trimming.
How to treat the over-trimmed hoof with horses?
Horse hoof bleeds after the trim instantly if it’s gone over the margins. To check the bleeding, apply a pressure gauge and then clean the surface with a diluted Betadine solution.
After cleaning the surface, pack the cut with a sterile gauge and do the taping to prevent further contamination. Call your vet to determine the hoof condition.
Check the bleeding if it is coming from some artery, if yes, then call a vet immediately (the arterial blood spurts and doesn’t stop with gentle pressure). It may take hours to check arterial bleeding.
Pro-tip: the dead part of the hoof (hoof wall) that is to be trimmed doesn’t have nerve and blood supply.
Give your horse's hoof rest for a prescribed duration to protect it from future complications and pain.
FAQs
Q 1- What will happen if the horse's hoof is trimmed too short?
Ans- Over-trimming of the hoof would cause soreness in horses. The sole would appear flat and more exposed. We observed excess flexing of the hoof capsule in horses.
Q 2- Do horse’s trimmed hooves grow back?
Ans- Yes, horse’s hooves grow back after the wearing or trimming. The hoof may grow ¼ to ⅜ inch in a month. We must check the growth of the hoof with the utmost care to avoid over-trimming.
Q 3- Does hoof trimming cause pain in horses?
Ans- Hoof trimming has to be done by an experienced farrier after the evaluation of the hoof growth. The hoof capsule comprises a hoof wall, stole, and frog. Trimming the horse's hoof to a length that doesn't reach the level of nerve endings doesn't cause pain or hurt.
Conclusion:
‘No hoof, no horse’ is true for all-purpose horses. Whether it is your riding buddy, helping in transportation, a race participant, or a hiking companion. A healthy hoof horse accomplishes all roles.
Trimming of hooves is a common practice to correct any imbalances or cure the pain because of different etiologies. But one shouldn’t overdo it. Hoof trimmed too short would cause a sore horse and refrain it from doing routine work.
Assessing the hoof growth at the right time easily enables checking for over-trimming of the horse's hoof.
Next time, leave the hoof to grow out and then proceed for exact trimming.