Farrier Care Important for Foals and Weanling Horses

Foals are often born with legs that aren’t quite straight and hooves that are stubby, pointed at the toe, and wider at the coronet than at the sole. As the foals grow and exercise, many of these imperfections moderate or self-correct without treatment.

Fast growth and exercise are beneficial in producing a big, strong yearling. Young Thoroughbred foals can gain up to three pounds a day and reach about 84% of their mature height by six months of age. This rapid development is also reflected in the foal’s hooves, which can grow out completely from coronet to ground in less than five months. In contrast, it may take a full year for an adult horse to accomplish the same thing.

Because the legs and hooves are growing so fast, fairly minor imbalances or deviations from normal can have a big effect on the way bones and joints develop. Corrected soon after they are noticed, unbalanced hooves can be trimmed to bring them into proper alignment. This keeps leg bones and joints in the right position as they bear the foal’s increasing body weight. If the improper stance is neglected for even a few weeks, it can have a long-lasting effect on how straight the horse’s legs will be, and possibly on future soundness.

Foals should be checked by a farrier every two to three weeks so that their feet can be shaped correctly with only slight changes to the hoof. Waiting for longer periods between trims means that more hoof material must be removed to correct any problems. A sudden change in balance may put a strain on the other structures in the hoof and leg. Weanlings can go three to four weeks between trims, though individuals with specific problems may need to be trimmed more often.

The “wait and see” approach is not a good idea because growth plates in the young horse’s inner hoof and lower limb begin to close in the first few months as the foal develops. The angle of a joint can be influenced only as long as the bones making up the joint are still growing. Therefore, the earlier corrective measures are taken, the better the foal’s chance of maturing with the correct conformation.