How often to do hoofs in muddy weather

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rockymountain

Member
Jun 3, 2009
210
1
18
Falmouth, Cornwall UK
Hi

Sorry I have to ask - At the moment I check and clean the hoofs once a day, Not sure what I am looking for as she is not ridden, just goes out in the field for about 5 hours a day - normally I do this in the morning when her hoofs are dry ( It is difficult with all the mud around at the moment to do this when her hoofs are wet with mud ).

I will get Ian Whatley to come and have a look hopefully next week and give me some idea how to properly clean the hoof. In the meantime should you wash the hoof to get all the wet mud off or is it good enough to brush off the dry mud in the morning after it has had a chance to dry in the stable overnight.

Sorry but I have no idea how to clean the hoof, she is barefoot and has been for the past 8 years . I am happy to do the flat bit but I am concerned about digging to hard around the soft frog area so just tend to use the brush end on it.

Am I being silly - I just do not want to hurt her feet by digging the pointed end too much into her hoof.

Advise please
 
I would deffo leave mud to dry before brushing, although tbh I probably wouldnt even do that - a layer of mus will build up which reduces fresh bateria getting in - if they are very wet it can cause hooves to soften and thus crack etc, so I would leave brushing mud out, just get the stones out.

I kind of work on the basis that I wouldnt wash legs because of mud fever... So I wouldnt wash feet or encourage mud into the cracks if at all possible - but other people wash legs to prevent mud fever!! :D Just personal choice I think :)
 
picking the feet out once a day is fine although I tend to do it when they come in so they are not standing in the stsble all night with mud compacted hooves or perhaps a stone irritating the hoof. Put a pair of gloves on to stop your hands getting covered!
I also use a stiff brush instead of picking with a metal hoof pick, can be easy to pick too deep.
Dont wash the mud off, its fine to leave as long as horse isnt prone to mud fever like mine :rolleyes:
 
I'm not much help with regards to when and how to clean out hooves but I would say that when I first picked out a barefoot hoof I was a bit worried about stabbing things that might be part of the frog. You do get to know your own horse's hooves after a while and will feel more confident when digging around gently;)
 
Agree with the above. Important to get all the little stones out (and big ones obviously). The little stones can get lodged in the hoof wall and get stuck and stop the hoof wall from healing properly and thus cause cracks and voids.

As for the washing I wash the bottom of Maya's hooves once a week with Hibi Scrub to fight against infection. I wouldn't worry about mud on the legs or the outside of hoof. The more people tend to mess around with the hairs and let bad bugs get in the more problems arise. I have always gone by the rule of don't touch the hair if wet.

Don't be afraid of getting the hoof pick in around the frogs to make sure all stones are out obviously don't stab away, once you get to know her feet you will become more confident. Just remember you are that you are unlikely to cause your mare any pain so please don't worry about it. Around the frog is also a place where infection likes to be so you will be able to see (and usually smell) whether you need to take action.

Don't worry too much about your mare. I'm a big believer in if it's not broken then don't fix it. Just keep an eye on her feet for stones and infection.
 
we dont have any stones in our feild, so i dont pick out hooves more than once a week, and never wash off the mud. ( lots of that, when it's not icy!) and we never get mud fever or thrush. i think it better to have a dried layer of mud, rather than wet mud all the time. ditto washing, which i think lets the bacteria in, so i never wash legs. if mud gets very cloggy up the leg feathers i would keep them in til it dried out naturally, and then brush it off, but with my straw path in place, that hardly ever happens ( not my field so i cant put anything permanent in, in the way of paths)
 
I just pick them out in the evening when they come in, unless wet mud, I leave to dry first then pick out.

You will get used to your horses feet and more confident of where to pick as time goes by, but generally, dont worry too much about the frog as this is like leather and is tougher than you think, just dont go stabbing at it!

I use the pick gently on the Central Sulcus of the frog too to ensure no debris of any kind there.

After a while you can do it with your eyes shut!!!
 
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