Less Than Half Of Australians Hire A Farrier Every 6 Weeks

A horse health management practices survey reveals that less than half of Australian horse owners provided hoof care at least every 6 weeks, according to the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.

Of the 505 horse owners who participated in the survey, 41% had a farrier tend to their animals every 6 weeks, while 32% provided hoof care every 6 to 8 weeks. Just 14% had their horses’ hooves regularly cared for every 3 to 4 weeks, while 3.5% went every 1 to 2 weeks. Some 4% of owners had their horses checked every 2 to 5 months, while another 5% were tended to “when the horse appeared to need it.”

Just 1% had their horse’s feet trimmed or shod annually, rarely, every 6 months or when the farrier was in the district. Regular hoof care was not provided by 2%.

Owners paid someone for hoof care 80% of the time, while 18% did it themselves. The remainder did not pay for the service. Someone who was unqualified maintained his or her horse’s feet 14% of the time.

Tapping a bob-punched toe clip back into its source is a better alternative to grinding it off.

A Better Way To Remove A Toe Clip From A Concave Shoe

If you apply concave horseshoes, there’s a chance you’ve been in a situation when you’ve needed to remove a bob-punched toe clip.

“Sometimes it happens,” Mentmore, Wales, farrier Billy Crothers told…