How to Trim a Boxy Horse Hoof

Horse's hooves protect the tender portion of the horse's foot from the ground. The hoof is not one solid structure. Instead, the hoof has four major parts: the outer wall, the white line, the sole and the frog. The outer wall of the hoof is very hard and both supports and protects the softer sole and frog of the foot. In the wild, the back of the hoof, or the heel, wears down as the horse travels over rocky terrain. When the heel doesn't wear down, the horse develops boxy hoof. This condition may cause permanent damage if not corrected.

Things You'll Need

  • Hoof pick
  • Hoof knife
  • Nippers
  • Rasp
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Instructions

    • 1

      Trim the foal's hooves for the first time by the second week of life. Some foals come into the world with boxy hooves. If the hoof isn't corrected early, the foal's flexor tendons, which run up the back of the leg, do not grow properly. By the time the horse is an adult, the only way to fix the problem is with surgery. Careful trimming at a young age prevents the problem.

    • 2

      Pick the hoof clean of dirt and debris. Use the hoof pick to pry dirt, straw or even small stones from the crevices in the hoof. Be sure to clean the crevice between the frog, the triangular soft section toward the heel of the foot, and the sole, the middle section of the hoof.

    • 3

      Trim the sole of the hoof with the hoof knife. Trim the frog with the knife. Use the sharp blade to slice away small portions of the sole. Leave a 1/4-inch crevice between the frog and the sole. Be careful to trim the frog with shallow cuts. The outer portion of the frog has no feeling, but it protects tender flesh.

    • 4

      Trim the front, or toe, of the hoof with the nippers. Hoof nippers are very similar to fingernail clippers for humans. Two blades meet and snip small portions of the outer wall of the hoof. Grip a portion of the outer wall of the hoof between the nipper blades. Squeeze the two handles together to clip a portion of the outer wall away from the hoof. Trim around the toe. Foals are born with sharp front hooves to help them break through the amniotic sac. However, if you leave the front toes sharp, the foal will develop a pigeon-toed stance. Nip the hoof to give the toe a squared look in the front.

    • 5

      Trim the back, or heel, of the hoof. Trimming the heel corrects the boxy hoof. Ideally, the base of the hoof is parallel to the base of the coffin bone inside the horse's hoof. This places the line of the pastern, or front, of the hoof at a 45- to 50-degree angle from the base of the hoof. Trim the hoof to achieve this angle. If necessary, use the hoof knife to trim more of the sole away at the heel.

    • 6

      File the base of the hoof with the rasp. The rasp is similar to a fingernail file. Hold the hoof firmly and rub the rasp on the hoof with long strokes from the back of the hoof to the front. Smooth the wall of the hoof with the rasp to prevent chips and splits.