Hoof care

No foot, no horse. Healthy hooves start with a few minutes every day: learn the daily check, know who to call when something looks wrong, and get the best from your farrier.

The daily hoof check

Pick out each foot in turn, working from heel to toe. Checking every day lets you spot problems early, when prompt action can stop them becoming more serious.

Step 1 of 5

Heels and heel bulbs

Start at the heel and work towards the toe. Check the soft heel bulbs at the back of the foot for cuts, heat or swelling.

Look out for
  • Cuts or flaps of skin, often U- or V-shaped, from an overreach
  • Deep, narrow clefts and contracted heels make thrush more likely
Common hoof problems →

Who to call

  • Call your vet now

    Call as soon as you notice any of these. Don't pull out anything stuck in the hoof, and don't force a lame horse to walk.

    • Something sharp stuck in the hoof
    • Sudden, severe lameness, or a horse that won't put weight on a foot
    • Signs of laminitis: heat in the hoof, a strong digital pulse, shifting weight from foot to foot
    • A deep wound to the heel bulbs, or part of the hoof wall torn away
    Common hoof problems

  • Call your farrier

    Your farrier can advise you, and will suggest involving your vet if needed.

    • A foul smell or black discharge from the frog
    • Soreness on hard ground, or marks on the sole
    • Lameness in the week after shoeing
    • A loose or lost shoe
    • A crumbly or widening white line
    Working with your farrier

  • Ask at the next visit

    Not urgent, but worth talking through with your farrier.

    • Shallow cracks in a sound horse, which are often only cosmetic
    • Dry, brittle hooves, and whether a hoof dressing would help
    • Whether your horse could go without shoes, perhaps over a quieter winter
    • Whether a biotin supplement would help poor-quality hooves
    Working with your farrier

Guides

Every dayHoof care: a practical daily routine"No foot, no horse." How to pick out feet safely, what a healthy hoof looks like, how to check for heat and a strong digital pulse, and how to look after hooves through wet and dry seasons.7 min readYour farrierWorking with your farrierWhy only a registered farrier may shoe your horse, how often to book visits, how to prepare, and how to choose between shoes, going barefoot, hoof boots and composite shoes.7 min readProblemsCommon hoof problemsFrom thrush and bruised soles to abscesses, cracks and nail wounds: how to recognise the hoof problems horses get most often, what causes them, and whether to call your farrier or your vet.9 min readHow the hoof worksInside the hoofA horse stands on the tip of a single toe, wrapped in a keratin wall that takes most of a year to grow from top to bottom. Here's what each part of the hoof does, and how it evolved.6 min read

By the numbers

Sources

  1. Essential care for your horse's hooves — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  2. Hoof anatomy — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  3. Winter hoof care — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  4. Thrush — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  5. Canker in horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  6. Hoof abscesses in horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  7. Bruised sole in horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  8. Hoof cracks in horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  9. White line disease in horses (seedy toe) — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  10. Hoof penetration injuries — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  11. Nail bind in horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  12. Overreach and heel bulb injuries in horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  13. Hoof wall avulsion in horses — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  14. Laminitis — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  15. Laminitis in horses — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
  16. Code of practice for the welfare of horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids (2018) — Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (accessed 8 October 2026)
  17. About the FRC — Farriers Registration Council (accessed 8 October 2026)