When I was a kid, I used to find trimming hooves and nailing horseshoes on hooves are very painful for them. But later I came to know this shoe attachment process is not also painless but the shoes eliminate lots of health concerns that may develop on hooves if they don’t get trimmed in a timely.
So does trimming a horse’s hooves hurt? Before knowing it, you must know if a horse’s hooves are sensitive. Do they have a nervous system? No horse’s hooves are not sensitive and they are like our fingernails. That’s why trimming horse hooves should never hurt them if you keep the process right.
So here I’ll talk about the necessity of trimming horses’ hooves and attaching shoes for the horses. The horseshoes prevent the horse’s sensitive sole from decay and keep feet from having abnormalities.
Horse Hoof Protection
Now I’ll discuss horse hoof protection. The discussion will give you the answer to why do we put horseshoes on horses. But if you ask me if every horse needs shoes, I will deny it. There are issues that decide if horses need shoes or not.
You already know horse hooves are like our nails, they have keratin protein there which tends to grow. But if we don’t take care of our nails they get longer and at times they hurt. Also cleaning the nail is also something that keeps you healthy. Exactly the same way, horse hooves need to be protected.
A horse produces almost 40 pounds of manure and produces almost 4 liters of urine every day. So when the horse stands on its own manure and urine, it may have an effect on its hooves. They may have an infection and ultimately get injured.
How Often Do Horse Need Horse Shoes
It is very obvious that you don’t have grown up with horses and have so many questions about this mysterious creature like why do they need shoes and how often? I always appreciate this kinda question from new people. So is it really necessary to nail metal shoes under horses’ hooves?
Shoes for Working Horses
First of all, be clear that the shoes do not hurt the horses. Even you nailed the shoes on hooves because the hooves are kinda like human hair and nails. No sense there. So do every horse need shoes? I would say no, not every horse needs shoes, only the ones used to do work, help in transportation, and do sports need to protect the hooves.
Shoes for Medical Reasons
Some horses do suffer from syndromes like navicular disorder. Having this disorder causes pain every time horses walk. So they need all kinds of special shoes to alleviate the pain. So all the horses do not need shoes.
Why is Trimming Horse Hooves Necessary?
Does hoof trim hurt cows or horses? Nope, it doesn’t hurt for both of them. Trimming the horse’s hoof is necessary because it is the key to keeping the horse healthy and enthusiastic. Do you know what horse hooves are made of? They are made of keratin protein in our hair and nails. So it naturally grows and needs to be trimmed.
Without trimming, horse hooves may grow faster and each hoof can have a different length of hooves. It makes the legs feel sore for horses. That’s why trimming is necessary. But don’t try to trim yourself without having any training, because if you can’t do it properly, the horse will be in discomfort. Also, some horses’ hooves are prone to be sore, so trim them less.
Is Trimming Enough for Sore Hooves?
Sometimes a horse’s hoof gets sore because we trim more than it needs. In that case, we must give time to grow the hooves a little bit and get less sensitive. Also if the soreness is too much, then you can buy hooves gel to make the horse feel a bit more comfortable. But if you find your horse is always uncomfortable walking barefoot, you must call a farrier and ask him to put horseshoes on your hooves.
Never try to do it yourself, because nailing them on the hooves is not an easy task. Only experts should do it. The horseshoes allow the horse to walk on rocky terrain. Also, horses’ hooves have a tendency to grow unparalleled, so an expert farrier can give the correct shoes for more comfortable walking and running all the time.
FAQ
Do horses feel pain in their hooves?
Horses don’t feel any pain in their hooves, they feel sore and if they are badly injured due to rough terrain and rocks in that case the hooves can hurt them. But most of them trimmed hooves and allowed the horses to have horseshoes to protect their hooves from any kind of damage.
Do horses enjoy hoof trimming?
– When we trim or cut our nails, we really enjoy it. Exactly the same way, horses enjoy it when you trim their hoof. Trimming the hoof feels like getting rid of extra weight on the legs. So horses must enjoy trimming. But for sore hooves, they don’t enjoy trimming so much.
Do horses feel pain?
Yeah obviously horses feel pain, the hooves can get attacked by bacteria and viruses if they continuously use their urine and other dirty places. So when hooves feel sore, then even walking turns into a painful activity for horses
What happens if horse hooves are not trimmed?
If hooves are not trimmed properly or not trimmed at all, you will see your horse is walking uncomfortably, not running fast, and often standing while walking. Also if hooves are not trimmed, then the horse will be in pain.
Final Notes
You may ask how wild horses trim their hooves. Yeah, they never do trim, their hooves are stronger and rugged because these horses used to walk and run in wild and rough areas from the very beginning. But domestic horses need horseshoes more often because they grow up on soft land and don’t use to walk over rough terrain that much.
References:
https://www.animalfriends.co.uk/horse-and-rider/horse-blog/why-do-horses-need-shoes/
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what-your-horse-s-hoof-angle-may-be-telling-you
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