Learn about toxic plants in your area

If your horse is blessed with good feet, it’s easy to slack off on farrier appointments. And waiting “one more” week to schedule a trim or reset typically won’t adversely affect most horses. But when “one more” becomes two or three and it happens a few times a year, cracks, flares and imbalances can develop in any hoof.

Problems that take only a few weeks to develop in a hoof can take a few months to correct. Considering it takes nearly a year for a hoof to grow out from the coronary band to ground level, a crack that extends “only” two inches up from the toe could take six months to resolve. And hoof imbalances—toes grown too long or one wall higher than the other, for instance—don’t just look funny, they alter the way a horse bears the load of each step and can stress his muscles, joints and tendons. A delayed farrier visit could eventually lead to a much more expensive veterinary visit and long lay-up as a lameness issue is addressed.

An easy first step to keeping your farrier appointments is to schedule them all at once, for the entire year. Most farriers will be happy to line up a regular schedule. Fill in your calendar and then adjust specific days as needed if other issues arise. If you board at a large barn, your farrier will probably be coming out on a regular basis anyway, which makes scheduling much easier. If you have only a few horses on your own property, it can also help to coordinate with other owners in your area who use the same farrier—by making your appointments on the same day, you’ll have more incentive to stay on schedule. You can also help each other out by holding horses for shoeing, if necessary. Your farrier will be a great resource for coordinating schedules with other horse owners nearby.