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Foal Hoof Care

The hoof of the foal is soft and waxy. At birth, the hooves will have feathery-type horn that will wear off in a day or two and the hoof will start to toughen up in about a month. The first trim should be between four and twelve weeks of age. In most cases all that is needed is light filing every four to six weeks to keep the ground surface of the their hooves level. If there are any limb deviations, early veterinarian and farrier intervention is needed with more frequent trimming intervals. Contact your veterinarian and farrier as soon as you see any leg or hoof problems. It is a good practice to have your vet out to check the foal in its first week of life and, even if you think everything is okay, have your farrier look the foal over when they are out or in the area. The opportunity for correction decreases or becomes impossible the older the foal gets, because of closure times of the growth plates at the end of the leg bones. Growth plates are responsible for the majority of long bone growth in young horses. As they mature, these plates will gradually close. If corrections are attempted after the growth plates close, it can cause stress on the tendons and ligaments of the horse's leg. Taking proper care of the foal's hooves will pay off in the long run and it will also help in keeping it sound into its senior years of life.

Teaching the Foal to Stand for Trimming

Start training the foal to stand for the farrier when it is about a week old. Tie the mare up in a safe place close by. Have a competent (this is important) handler at the head of the foal. Work along a solid wall with a level area to work on. Working close to the foal's body, start at the foal's shoulder (on the front) or hip (on the back) and firmly run your hand down the shoulder/hip to the back of its leg, down the back of its leg to its hoof, slightly lean into his shoulder/hip to nudge him slightly off balance and lightly pinch the fetlock with your fingers. Pick up his foot. If he gets upset at any time, calm him down and continue. Remember to praise him. Keep in mind that he has no idea what you are asking him to do. After you get his hoof off the ground, hold onto it by the hoof (not the leg) - you'll have more control that way. Hold onto his hoof for only a moment to start with. Set his hoof down - don't let it drop to the ground. If he starts to fight when you have his hoof in your hand, if at all possible do not put it down. Just move closer to him and have your handler help hold him to the wall and calm him down. As soon as he relaxes, set his hoof down. Gradually increase the time you hold the hoof off the ground. Work up to thirty seconds for foals. When you are able to hold each leg up without a struggle for thirty seconds then work on gently moving the hoof from side to side and move the leg from front to back. Tap on the hoof, then set the hoof down gently. Remember to praise him when doing well and use "fair" discipline when misbehaving.

Stay calm. Do not rush and do not lose your temper. You can undo everthing you have been working on in one second of anger. If you feel yourself getting frustrated, go back to something that the foal will do for you without a fight, have him do that and then quit for the day, ending on a good note for both of you. Start the next day with a clean slate. Do not hold grudges and continue to patiently train your foal.

A properly trained, respectful foal will more than likely continue to be a pleasure to work with as he grows up and his feet will need to be held up for a longer period of time to trim and possibly to have shoes put on. Untrained, disrespectful horses are a liability to everyone.

This is what it looks like....

That's it!! Good luck and stay safe!!

A special thanks to: The Woodwards (Blue Lake Peruvians) Zimmerman, MN. for their patience and the use of their facility. And to Mateo, the Peruvian Paso foal.

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