How to Trim Hooves

Can you imagine wearing the same shoe day after day, all day? Well, essentially, that is what horses have to endure. When a horse's hooves grow, the angle the horse walks on changes. This change in angle can put a lot of stress on the legs of the horse, which may also cause injuries. It is important for a horse's hooves to be kept at the correct angle, which requires trimming every four to 10 weeks.

Things You'll Need

  • Apron or chaps Horse knife Horse pick Nippers Rasp Calipers Hoof gauge
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use the horse pick to remove any trapped debris. You may also need to use the horse knife to trim away dried sole. Do the same for all the hooves, except hold the back hooves across the lap.

    • 2

      Use the nippers by holding them perpendicular to the bottom of the foot and trimming the hoof wall from the heel to the toe.

    • 3

      Use the rasp by holding it flat to the hoof and pulling it with one hand and pushing with the other to level off the bottom of the hoof wall, remove burrs, and smooth and round the outside of the edge of the hoof wall.

    • 4

      Use calipers to measure the hoof's length at the center of the toe by finding the place where the hard hoof wall meets the soft coronary band. Put one leg of the calipers at the top and the other leg of the calipers at the bottom, or ground side, of the hoof wall. This measurement can be used to go onto the next hoof to ensure the same size.

    • 5

      Use the hoof gauge to match pairs of feet in their angle to the ground to ensure an angle between 50 and 58 degrees.