How To Pick Out A Horse’s Hoof – 9 Easy Steps
- Make sure that your horse is properly secured; either tied up or have someone hold them.
- Facing towards the rear of the horse, calm them by patting and talking to them.
- Prepare your horse to lift their leg by running your hand down their shoulder (front legs) or haunches (rear legs).
- Continue to run your hand down towards the leg and gently lean into the horse to get them to adjust their weight ready to lift their leg.
- As your hand reaches the fetlock (ankle) area use your voice and say ‘up’ as you lift their hoof.
- The pick should be held in your hand with hook part facing down and away from you.
- Cup your hand around the hoof and hold firmly as you use the hoof pick.
- The pick should be used from the heel towards the toe, gently removing all stones and debris that can collect and become compacted within the sole area, especially if the horse is wearing shoes. Using the pick from heel to toe prevents damage to the soft and sensitive frog. As the hoof is cleaned look for any signs of damage.
- When you have finished picking the hoof apply hoof oil to the underside of the hoof, gently lower the foot to ground and move on to the next foot. Apply hoof oil to the top of the hoof. Repeat for the other three feet.
Why we pick out horses feet?
Picking out a horse’s hooves is an essential part of the grooming and wellbeing process. The sole of the foot is quite soft and prone to puncture wounds. Picking out the hooves is a great time to look for damage and to remove stones or other debris that if left in place may cause problems.
You should pick out your horses hooves every day and before and after every ride. As you run your hand down your horses leg prior to picking up their feet it is the perfect opportunity to check the condition of the legs and look for signs of damage such as swelling and heat.
Correct way to hold a hoof pick
The hoof pick should be held in your hand with the hook part facing down and away from you as in the photo.
With the pick held in this way the only way to use it is in a downward motion.
There are different types of pick, some of the most popular have a bristle brush on the reverse side of the pick.
Parts of the hoof
It is important to be able to identify the main parts of the hoof. This will help to identify potential problems and to make picking out your horse’s feet safe.
The triangular ‘spongey’ area is known as the frog and acts as a shock absorber. The heels are part of the frog at the wide end. The toe is the tip of the hoof furthest from the frog. It is important to know how these areas look in a healthy foot.
9 Easy Steps to picking out horse’s feet
1. Make sure that your horse is properly secured
Ensure that your horse is properly secured in a halter and either tied or have a helper hold them while you pick out their hooves.
There are horses who have trouble standing still while being groomed. This can make picking their feet out tricky and time consuming.
Having them secured restricts their movement allowing you to stay close to them. It can be a little embarrassing chasing your horse down the yard with hoof pick in hand!
Do not kneel on the floor when picking out your horse’s hooves as you may not be able to move out of the way quickly enough if the horse is startled or tries to kick.
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2. Face the rear of the horse
Face towards the back of the horse. This way the horse can see you and will not be surprised by a sudden hand on the leg!
Now that your horse knows you are there, talk to them, approach and gently lay a hand on their shoulder (or haunches if picking out the rear feet).
The idea is to let the horse know something is about to happen, while keeping them calm.
3. Prepare your horse
Keep talking to your horse while gently moving your hand from the shoulder (or haunch) down the leg.
This movement of your hand tells the horse what is happening, after they are used to being handled many horses will lift their own leg at this point, once they realise what it is you want them to do.
When moving around the horse to pick out their other feet, do not walk under the horse’s neck when changing sides and never walk behind the horse –this is dangerous.
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4. Gently lean into the horse
Continue to run your hands down the leg towards the fetlock (ankle). At this point the horse knows what is expected and should start to ease there weight to one side in preparation for lifting their foot.
There are many horses who seem to find it amusing not to comply with our requests. If by the time your hand has reached the fetlock and the horse has not eased their weight, gently lean into the side of the horse to get them to move their weight away from you so that they are able to balance on three legs.
5. Use voice commands and lift the foot
It is perfectly okay to use the voice command ‘up’ or something similar as you ask the hose to raise their foot. Horses respond well to voice commands and if this makes picking their feet up easier, go for it.
If your equine friend is still not responding, lean a little harder into their side and lift the foot from close to the hoof
Once you have their foot off of the ground be careful not to place your feet directly the horse’s foot.
Never try to pick out your horse’s hooves if there are a lot of noisy distractions going on that could frighten your horse and make them unaware that you are holding one of their feet. Try to find a quieter place.
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6. Hold the pick correctly and begin to clean the hoof
The underside of the horses foot is quite fragile and prone to injury. One of the reasons that we hold the pick down and away from us is the it reduces the chance of injury from being ‘over-zealous’ with the hoof pick.
The frog and heel are quite soft and can be easily damaged. Care should be taken when cleaning these areas.
Never lean your face directly over the foot when picking it out. If your horse should have a fly irritate them and they try to remove it with a foot, you could easily be kicked in the face by accident-be aware of what is going on around you.
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7. Cup the hoof
Cup your hand around the hoof and hold firmly while you clean the hoof.
It is important to make sure that all of the accumulated muck and dirt is removed from the hoof, this allows us to see the frog, heel and sole.
If there is any discolouration, heat, discharge or or signs of a puncture wound seek professional help.
8. Clean from heel to toe and inspect for damage
The hoof pick should be held firmly as shown in the photo at the start of the article and used in a downward motion, from the heel to the toe. Clean away all stones with a gentle prying motion never try to ‘dig’ them out as you may cause serious damage to the hoof.
In addition to checking for injuries also check for excess wall (the outer ‘hard’ part of the foot) growth and if shoes are fitted check on the fit and if the clenches (the end of the nail on the outside of the wall) have raised. If any of the mention need attention contact your farrier for a visit.
9. Apply hoof oil and gently lower the foot to the ground. Then repeat x 3
In the UK conditions always seem to be too wet or too dry, either of which can cause harm to horses feet.
An application of some form of ‘hoof-oil’ is the best way to prevent environmental factors from causing harm.
Apply the hoof treatment as you finish picking their feet. Gently guide the foot down to the ground and apply the hoof treatment to the outside of the hoof.
When you have finished cleaning out your horse’s feet make sure to clean up the mess afterwards. This is especially important in a shared yard where you are expected to clean up your own mess. Over their lifetime horses will have problems with their feet, whether from injury of from environmental conditions.
Having a regular and thorough hoof cleaning routine will prevent many of the environmental problems and allow for quick diagnosis and treatment of injuries. The old adage ‘No foot, no horse’ is as true today as it ever was.
