Cleaning feet -- how often...

[CrescentMinis]

How often do you pick out your minis' hooves?

 

[dgrminis]

Anytime we are going to lead them we check their feet and clean them if needed. Some keep their feet clean on their own it seems and others always have stuff packed in there

I am sure this is one of those things that everyone probably does differently

 

[Mini_lovr]

I pick my horses hooves daily. It all depends on where you live on how often you should pick your horses hooves, if you live where the horse can get stuff in it's feet a lot then I would suggest doing it daily but if you live somewhere where the horse can not get much in their hooves then do it at least 3 times a week. The main reason for cleaning the hooves is for the safty of the horses feet and to make sure nothing harmful like a rock can get in the hoof and cause pain on the horses frog. So I would recomend you do them at least 3 times a week and you are suppose to clean your horses hooves before and after every work out you do with your horse. Nice talking to you, DaVonna

 

[mondak]

daily. If manure, rocks, etc stay in the hoof much longer than that it opens the hoove up to thrush, absess, sole bruse. I also paint them once a week with hoof flex right now because it is so dry. The foot is so important to horses, no hoof...no horse.

Courtney

 

[Mini_lovr]

How much does the Hoof Flex cost I want to get it for my horses but I am afraid too, Does it make the hooves more tender? I have a little patch of big rocks out with my horses and I do not want to use the stuff and they hurt their feet really bad on the rocks, I HATE my horses in pain.....Please let me know,

DaVonna

 

[Marty]

Here you go mini lover for Hoof flex is good stuff and I use Rainmaker which is on the following page. Good products to help bring moisture to your horse's feet

http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/products....p;sort=&r=1

 

[CrescentMinis]

Thanks everyone. I didn't know about using a product like Hooflex either and I will check it out.

Although they look really nice and the farm they came from was very clean and well kept, I don't know if my two are used to daily cleaning because I get some attitude from both of them by the time I get to the third hoof! It is rainy here lately and there's a lot of mud, which I don't want to leave their feet packed full of.

 

[dgrminis]

We use the rainmaker as well and it has worked great for us

I dont think it was very expensive at all.

 

[Mini_lovr]

Thank you I will try the stuff out next time I go to the feed store.

 

[Jill]

At the risk of being voted "Bad Horse Mom of the Year", I will admit I do NOT pick out their feet every day. That honestly would take all day. We do our own hoof trimming and have not ever had one lame or anything of the kind.

 

[Leeana]

I clean out my show horses hooves every day or every other day. Normally before and after i condition them as well. Everyone else i do their hooves whenever i bring them up to file their hooves down or when i get allot of extra energy to burn off i go through and do everyone elses at once.

I use Rainmaker, its the best stuff imo. A friend once told me the best stuff to use on the hooves is Rainmaker bc its almost like motor oil (in texture). The other stuff that is really thick just blocks out water that could get in and add mosture to the hooves. The more watery the hoof conditioner the better bc then it easily and quickly soaks in and then allows other moister in, if you put thick oil conditoner on the hooves it takes forever almost to soak in. Water cannot get through oil, we all did that experiment in school where you put oil and water in a tube and oil sinks and water stays ontop right? Makes sense to me

I think Rainmaker is sold at TSC and its about $17 or so. I apply it once a week or so to the show horses hooves and right after they are trimmed.

 

[Mona]

At the risk of being voted "Bad Horse Mom of the Year", I will admit I do NOT pick out their feet every day. That honestly would take all day. We do our own hoof trimming and have not ever had one lame or anything of the kind.

Jill, you'll have to fight me for that position! I too only clean my horses hooves out when I trim them. I have NEVER had a case of thrush or of sore feet or anything else here.

 

[Minimor]

I'm with Jill & Mona. Feet here do not get cleaned daily, nor even 3 times a week. If the horse is being worked, his feet get cleaned out prior to work. If we're out on the gravel road at all, even if it's just to cross it a time or two, feet get cleaned when we get home, to make sure there are no pieces of gravel lodged in the hoof. Horses not in work get their feet cleaned out when they are trimmed.

There are times when we have some serious mud here, but we have never had a case of thrush. Never.

 

[mininik]

BG's hooves are picked before and after he is worked. Right now that translates to about three times per week.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I would love to say I do it every day but..... I would be lying

:

Truth is everyone gets groomed as in a full grooming once a week some more (like ravens horses ) she is better at it then I am but bottom line once a week we make sure everyone gets feet done and a good going over

 

[Fred]

I am a farrier and I don't clean feet every day. If they are PROPERLY trimmed and they are kept in a clean enviornment there is no need to clean daily. I do keep an eye on them if they are on rocky terrain though. As for hoof conditioner, if the feet are dry then hoofmaker or rainmaker would be beneficial. However I do not like the pine tar based products as they seal the moisture out. The VERY BEST hoof conditoner I have used is Vita Hoof. Even very hard foundered feet will become more pliable. I may not pick the feet every day but I do LOOK at them every day. Linda

 

[Sassy'sMom]

I have to admit, I don't clean feet every day either. If it is really muddy, I tend to clean them more often. But, I usually try to clean them a couple times a week. But, I only have 1 mini and I big horse, so it doesn't take me very long! :bgrin

 

[billiethekid40]

before and after every grooming or workout... so sometimes every day, sometimes once a week. All depends on how often I get to the barn ( I board). When he lives at home, every day, sometimes multiple times a day ( I only have the one horse and spend a lot of time grooming LOL)

 

[Jean_B]

My horses are outside 24/7 - on hard soil, sand, rocks, and a little bit of dirt (not much topsoil when you live on top of a mountain ridge). I never pick out my horses' feet - and there is little if any dirt to be cleaned out when the farrier is here because they pound the dirt out of their feet. Only time I do it is if they are stalled for any length of time because then they aren't able to knock the dirt out of their feet by themselves. And they are all healthy and sound.

 

[eagles ring farm]

I don't pick out feet very often some once every few weeks some

almost never between trims have never had any problems all have very good feet per farrior

we are in a quite sandy area though

Our foals are a different story we pick up feet every night almost when they are brought in to feed and are in their stalls for the night. sometime use a pick other times just picking up feet