Hooves, Teeth & Movement
Learn the owner-facing essentials of hoof care, dentistry, lameness and musculoskeletal health.
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Daily hoof checks and picking out feet safely
Picking out feet is a short handling task with two purposes: remove loose debris and notice change. Work in a safe place, use a familiar lifting cue, clean gently from heel towards toe and compare all four feet without trimming, probing or forcing the equid.
Read article →Horse lameness: when to call the vet
Contact your vet today if your horse is lame or suddenly moves differently, and stop work straight away. If the horse cannot bear weight, is unstable, has a serious wound or shows possible laminitis, treat it as an emergency and call immediately; do not make the horse walk to test the problem.
Read article →How often should your horse see the farrier?
There is no single farrier timetable that suits every horse. Agree the next visit with the farrier who knows the animal, then bring it forward if hoof condition, movement, work, management or a shoe changes before that date.
Read article →Horse dental checks and warning signs
Plan dental care with an equine vet or appropriately qualified dental technician, using age, history, previous findings and current signs rather than a universal timetable. Arrange prompt assessment for changes in eating, weight, facial comfort or behaviour. Call the vet urgently for choke, serious injury or inability to eat or drink.
Read article →Could this be laminitis? Signs that mean calling your vet now
Call your vet immediately if a horse shows signs that could be laminitis, and do not make it walk to test the feet. Keep movement to the minimum needed for immediate safety, prevent access to grazing, and provide deep supportive footing where the horse already is while following veterinary advice.
Read article →Loose or lost shoe: protect the horse and decide who to call
Stop riding or exercising the horse, keep them somewhere quiet and ring the farrier promptly. A loose or missing shoe is often a farriery problem, but marked lameness, bleeding, a puncture or another sign of injury means the vet should be contacted too.
Read article →Shoes, barefoot or hoof boots? Plan hoof protection with your farrier and vet
Shoes, bare feet and hoof boots are tools, not competing beliefs. The right plan is the one that keeps an individual horse comfortable through their real workload and living conditions, with regular assessment by a qualified farrier and veterinary input when pain or disease is involved.
Read article →Heat or swelling in a horse’s leg: stop and seek advice
Stop work and contact your vet the same day about new heat, swelling or tenderness in a horse's limb, especially with lameness, a wound or rapid change. Keep the horse quiet, compare only by gentle observation and do not flex, lunge or force movement to identify the structure yourself.
Read article →Horse back-pain warning signs: stop, observe and arrange assessment
Stop work and arrange prompt veterinary advice when a horse shows a persistent or sudden pattern suggesting back or neck discomfort. Record changes around grooming, tacking, mounting, posture, movement and performance, but do not press, stretch or ride through them to locate the pain yourself.
Read article →Persistent asymmetry in a horse: what to record and who should assess it
Arrange professional assessment when uneven muscling, posture, saddle movement or way of going persists, worsens or affects comfort and performance. Record the pattern under comparable conditions, but do not decide from photographs that the horse is naturally crooked or prescribe exercises and tack changes yourself.
Read article →Thrush in horse hooves: what to notice and who to involve
Possible thrush may cause foul-smelling dark discharge, softened or ragged frog tissue and deepened sulci, but appearance varies and not every dark frog is diseased. Pick out the hoof gently, keep bedding and standing areas clean and dry, and involve the farrier; pain, lameness or a deep lesion needs prompt veterinary assessment.
Read article →Suspected hoof abscess: sudden lameness still needs professional assessment
Call your vet today when a horse becomes suddenly very lame, even if a hoof abscess seems likely. Abscesses can cause dramatic pain, heat and a stronger digital pulse, but fractures, penetrating injuries, laminitis and other conditions can look similar. Keep the horse quiet on safe footing and do not dig or cut the hoof.
Read article →Tendon or ligament injury in horses: understand the recovery pathway
After a tendon or ligament injury is diagnosed, recovery depends on following the individual veterinary plan rather than testing how the horse feels. Restriction, controlled activity, examinations and imaging may change over months. Record the daily response and report heat, swelling, pain or renewed lameness promptly.
Read article →Food packing and gum disease in horses: understanding diastemata
Gaps between a horse’s cheek teeth can trap feed and contribute to painful periodontal disease. Dropped feed, mouth odour or weight loss may raise concern, but none confirms the cause. Arrange an examination by a veterinary surgeon or suitably qualified equine dental professional and do not try to remove packed material with tools.
Read article →Hoof cracks: record the location and know when to call the farrier or vet
A fine surface line and an unstable crack reaching sensitive tissue are different problems, yet the visible edge cannot show depth. Record its endpoints, movement under weight and any heat, pain, discharge, bleeding or lameness. Contact the farrier promptly, and involve the vet for pain, instability, infection or coronary-band involvement.
Read article →White line disease or seedy toe: understand the farrier–vet pathway
White line disease, often called seedy toe, involves crumbling horn and separation within the hoof wall, but cavities and hollow areas have other causes. Ask the farrier or vet to assess it promptly. Do not dig, resect, pack, seal or apply chemicals; the visible opening may underestimate the extent.
Read article →Sole bruising and thin soles: do not guess the cause of foot soreness
Contact your vet today if a horse becomes tender on firm or stony ground. Stop ridden or driven work, move the horse only as needed to a safe comfortable place, and record the surface, timing and hoof changes for coordinated veterinary and farriery assessment.
Read article →Poor hoof horn quality: review environment, diet and the farriery cycle together
Crumbling, flaring or repeatedly cracked horn rarely has one useful explanation. Record the pattern across feet and time, then review the environment, complete diet, health and farriery cycle with the vet, farrier and an appropriately qualified equine nutrition professional.
Read article →Hoof boots: check fit, retention and rubbing during break-in
A size-chart match is a starting point, not proof that a hoof boot fits in motion. Check the freshly maintained hoof, the exact model and fastening, then use brief controlled observations and stop at the first sign of rubbing, instability or discomfort.
Read article →Horse sore after farriery: stop work and choose the right professional call
Contact your vet today and stop work if a horse is unexpectedly sore after trimming or shoeing. Contact the farrier promptly as well, but do not remove a shoe, pull a nail, test the foot or alter the hoof unless the attending professionals direct it.
Read article →Wolf teeth and bit comfort: start with a proper oral assessment
A wolf tooth is a small first premolar, not a diagnosis of bit pain. Some horses have one or more without an obvious problem, while position, surrounding tissues and the rest of the mouth can alter its relevance. Arrange a thorough oral assessment before changing tack or discussing treatment.
Read article →Broken or loose tooth in a horse: recognise pain, infection and feeding risks
Contact your vet the same day if you find a broken or loose tooth, marked mouth pain, bleeding, swelling, foul discharge or an inability to eat normally. Keep the horse calm, remove bitting work and follow veterinary feeding advice; do not test, pull, flush or medicate the tooth yourself.
Read article →EOTRH in senior horses: notice subtle incisor pain and changing eating behaviour
EOTRH is a painful, progressive disease affecting the incisors and sometimes canine teeth of mainly older horses, yet visible crowns can understate what is happening below the gum. A change in grazing, biting firm food, accepting the bit or having the face handled deserves a veterinary dental assessment rather than a home mouth examination.
Read article →Record a useful lameness history and video without repeatedly testing a sore horse
A clear timeline and a short, safely obtained video can help a vet triage a gait change, but neither should require repeatedly testing a painful horse. Non-weight-bearing lameness, suspected fracture, severe pain, collapse or an unsafe horse overrides recording: stop movement and call the veterinary emergency service.
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