updated 4/13/2023

Here are the top five backyard hoof care myths dispelled. There is a saying in the horse world. “No hoof, no horse.” I’m sure you may be tired of hearing that from us horse people. You may even be tired of hearing from us “horse people” in general. But the truth of the matter is that we have worked with horses day in and day out over the decades. We’ve seen a lot and learned a lot of lessons along the way that we like to share to help others avoid costly or deadly mistakes.

Unfortunately, there is a proliferation of bad advice regarding horses on the internet in general. Here are the top five myths in hoof care that I have observed. I have even believed in one myself and learned my lesson the hard way.

Myth #1: Horses “self-trim” and some horses only need trimmed once or twice a year.

A self-trimming horse is one who wears their hooves down without trimming. Although all feral mustangs self-trim, self-trimming is not possible for a modern backyard horse, sport horse, or pasture pet. Wild horses have no one caring for their hooves and they still maintain healthy hooves. So why isn’t this possible for a captive horse, even those kept in large fields? A horse’s natural habitat is semi-arid and desert land. They are masters of living in harsh conditions. In order to meet their food and water needs in these severe conditions, wild horses will walk between 10-20 miles a day, often on rocky or hard ground. The hard ground wears down the hooves naturally. It isn’t possible to recreate these conditions in captivity and because of that, a knowledgeable hoof professional needs to trim your horse’s hooves every 4-8 weeks. Some professionals will say 6-12 weeks although that is not based on current research.

Natural selection has provided the wild horse with the best hoof possible. In fact, adopted mustangs notoriously have strong, hard feet. But even they need to have their hooves trimmed by a professional every 4-8 weeks. All horses do, no matter the breed. There is no way to recreate the conditions in which wild horses properly self-trim their feet. Also, many modern horses have not been bred with hoof health as a foremost consideration. No matter the breed of your horse, they need trimmed every 4-8 weeks.

Some horses also have special hoof considerations. Have you ever heard the term “thoroughbred feet?” Thoroughbreds are not the only breed known for weak feet. Quarter Horses also suffer this malady. Here is a great article for further reading about “thoroughbred feet.” You can read more about my experience with thoroughbred feet in myth #3.

Myth #2: You can learn to properly barefoot trim a horse on the internet.

Many country dwellers tend to be a do-it-yourself lot. Trimming horse hooves is not an area we should DIY. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT trim your own horse hooves without proper training. Poor trimming can cause stress founder, navicular disease, lameness, and make the hoof more susceptible to abscesses and thrush. You cannot learn to properly balance a hoof from a YouTube video.

I know my barefoot hoof trimmer is more than happy to help her clients learn to trim their horse’s hooves. She even encourages this because all horse owners need to know what makes a healthy, happy hoof. Some clients will order cadaver horse hooves to practice on before they try a living hoof. She still oversees her clients who are learning to trim in order to make sure that they are doing it properly. She views this as a way to extend the time between visits, rather than replacing care from a trained hoof professional.

I need to add the warning to make sure that your hoof professional didn’t learn from the internet. Ask your trimmer or farrier where they received their education. There are schools for both traditional farriery as well as barefoot trimming. If they did not attend a school then they need to have had an apprenticeship. Both of extremely valid ways of learning the art of hoof care.

Myth #3: All horses can go barefoot.

I have adopted the phrase “Barefoot when possible, shoes when necessary.” I saw that term on the Chronicle of the Horse forums as I was researching keeping OTTBs (off the track thoroughbreds) barefoot. All horses can go barefoot is actually a common myth.

I will admit it, I drank the barefoot kool-aid that every horse should be barefoot. I took the attempt to transition my thoroughbred, Sergent, barefoot a little too far and he suffered because of it. I had him regularly trimmed. I had him in boots as much as I could although he was master at losing $100 hoof boots in the field. He also was a master at losing horse shoes, but that’s a different story. I balanced his nutrition. He was on hoof supplements. He ate a low sugar diet. I did everything the experts told me to do and this horse still had cracked, shelly feet and no heel. He also had a rearing problem. I can tell you the last day that he reared: that is the day I had him shod. I chose to have him shod when he came up four-legged lame after a balanced trim. The farrier who came felt that the trim was well done and there was no reason my horse should be four-legged lame, but he was.

When my farrier came to reset the first full set of shoes for the first time, he said to me, “You were told Sergeant couldn’t grow heel, weren’t you.” Why, yes, I was. He then showed me the heel Sergeant grew in just six weeks. Sergeant’s hooves started healing. As Sergeant’s hooves grew stronger and my farrier learned to use 4 nails on each side as well as two clips combined with 24/7 bell boot use, he lost his shoes less and less. He was not lame again.

This was a hard lesson for me. My barefoot trimmer is excellent. She patiently worked with Rosarita, mustang, as she learned to have her hooves handled. She corrected Pilsner’s hooves because his prior owner’s believed in “self-trimming” and she miraculously got Chancellor through a founder. He was foundering on the day I purchased him. His prior owner also believed in self-trimming. He had not had his hooves trimmed in a year. It is not always the sugar in grass that causes founder, improper hoof care can as well.

Can all horses go barefoot? No. Do all horses need shoes? Also no. Barefoot when possible, shoes when necessary.

Myth #4: All horses need hoof supplements.

The horse supplement industry is a huge industry that is poorly regulated. There is a lot at money at stake to convince you that your horse needs supplements. The fact is that yes, it probably needs something other than hay and pasture to keep it healthy. However, many horse owners over supplement.

I put Sergeant the Thoroughbred’s information into a popular online supplement calculator and they suggested he get $300 of supplements a month. He had hoof problems, a history of ulcers, and early arthritis after 49 racing starts. Rosarita has mustang feet and is an easy keeper. In fact, I refer to her as an air fern. This supplement calculator still recommended $160 a month in supplements. This does not fit into my budget.

Every horse needs a balanced diet. This diet will be based on age, breed, use, activity level, type of hay or pasture, as well as personal genetic makeup. If you ask hoof professionals they will tell you that an overall balanced diet low in sugars is better than a hoof supplement. However, some supplementation may help if your horse suffers from poor hoof quality. It does not have to be an expensive hoof supplement though. My veterinarian swears by adding gelatin to a horse’s feed to help with hooves. Gelatin is a simple cost effective fix that is also known to help joints.

Biotin is the vitamin usually supplemented to encourage quality hooves. It is generally agreed that biotin should be supplemented at 20 mg/day to help poor hooves. Biotin is a B-vitamin so any excess vitamin will be peed out by the horse. Feeding excess biotin will not harm the horse but will harm your pocket book. If your horse has good hooves already then you do not need to further supplement biotin.

Zinc and copper are also important for hoof health. The absorption of both of these elements is blocked by high iron levels. Watch out for excess iron in a horse’s diet through forage or water and avoid iron supplementation. Zinc and copper should be in a 3:1 ratio. You should feed three times as much zinc as copper. If you feed a hoof supplement that is high in zinc without the added copper, then you need to make sure to balance that by adding copper. All sources of zinc, copper, and iron need to be considered and not just the supplemented amounts.

Myth #5: Good farriers are hard to find.

Yes, there are bad farriers, mean farriers, and drunk farriers. I’ve had all types working on my horses through the decades. If you pay on time, teach your horses to stand still during trimming, always have your horse ready in a clean dry area, and schedule at regular intervals you will not have a problem finding and keeping a farrier or trimmer. Be sure to check their education level and ask around about their reputation you save yourself the headache of a bad trim. Make sure your barefoot trimmer didn’t learn how to trim from the internet (see myth #2).

Remember that this is a dangerous profession. They make a living by standing under horses. Every single one of them has been hurt and bit. If they correct your horse’s behavior it is because your horse is misbehaving. If you have a horse that misbehaves then you need to be upfront with the trimmer on how they plan to do their job. My hoof trimmer loves cookies and positive reinforcement. However, even she will be “mean” if she needs to. Between trimmings you need to actively work on training. During the trim you need to make sure your horse is behaved. If you own a biter, you need to keep their mouth under control or put a muzzle on during trimming.

Learn not only what makes a good trimmer but how to be a good customer. Teach your horse to stand still while their feet are being handled. Picking your horse’s feet daily is the first step in training. Make sure your trimmer has a clear dry spot to work. Wipe your horse’s legs off if they are muddy or have a towel available for wiping. Your horse needs to be out of the pasture and ready to go before the appointment time. Pay them on time.

You also need to remember that nutrition and horse care play a large roll in your horse’s health. Even the best trimmer in the world will not be able to reverse poor nutrition.

Summary

The top five myths hoof care myths are:

Horses self-trim and some horses only need trimmed once or twice a year.
You can learn to properly barefoot trim a horse on the internet.
All horses can go barefoot.
All horses need hoof supplements.
Good farriers are hard to find.

Remember these five hoof care myths and you are well on your way to having happy, healthy horse hooves.