Nailed It!

The most important part of a horse is it's feet! The amount of work and type of work a horse can do, is all about how their hooves are made. Just like human nails, hooves grow, and when they do, the person to call to fix it is called a farrier. A farrier is a person specialized in the anatomy and care of hooves on livestock. Generally used on horses, farriers are very useful to horse owners, and horses as well. If a horse's hooves become overgrown, the horse may become lame or sore, or even unbalanced due to over growth. The farrier is called out to barns usually every 8-10 weeks to keep things running smoothly.

When the farrier comes to your barn, there are some basic tools and equipment they will bring, in order to work on your horse's feet. First, there is a rasp. It is essentially just a giant nail file, strong enough to file hoof. Along with the rasp is a nipper. A nipper is like nail cutters. They're shaped almost the same but are super industrial. Different farriers may choose to use additional tools as well, depending on the person, and the horse. The nippers cut the hoof wall, and the rasp files any rough edges or surfaces that may cause the horse any pain if it gets caught on anything. After the nippers and rasping is done, the farrier moves to the 'frog' and uses a hoof knife to cut it back. The frog is an almost spongy part of the horse's hoof, which absorbs shock. If the frog is too big or too small, the horse may obtain injuries easier than if it were healthy.

Just like cutting your own nails, the horses feel no pain when having their hooves trimmed. the only time it can become painful is if the farrier ever cuts too far back and hits the white line. If the white line is hit, the horse may bleed, but not too much; it is usually very minor. Horses that have horse shoes are horses with 'soft feet', which means their hooves are sensitive to things like gravel, pavement, or other materials they may be subject to walk on. For most horses, walking anything is fairly simple however, and the farrier will tell you if you need shoes or not.




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