Horses in the wild keep their hooves trimmed down naturally by the constant friction of their hooves against different types of terrain.  Our domestic friends do not have that option in most typical horse settings, so it is up to us to provide the necessary trimming on a regular basis.  Horses whose feet are not trimmed regularly can develop very serious, sometimes completely debilitating lameness issues when their hooves grow out too long.

Trimming Hooves
Depending on how active your horse is, the condition of his pasture, and how fast his particular hooves grow, your horse may need his feet trimmed every 6-12 weeks.  Horses that have shoes will need to be reshod about every 8-12 weeks, but barefoot horses can sometimes go longer if they are very active, especially if they move over rocky ground.

How to Trim
Trimming horse hooves is a fairly labor intensive job and requires special tools.  Unless you have a teacher, it is usually best to let a professional farrier handle your horse’s hoof care.  Costs vary by location, but you can expect to pay somewhere between $15 and $30 to have your horse trimmed. 

While you can sometimes get away with longer time between trimmings, letting your horse’s hooves get too long can cripple him.  As the hoof grows out, your horse’s legs must adjust to the extended hoof, putting more pressure in the wrong places and eventually causing lameness.  Hoof care is not an area you can afford to skimp on when you have horses.