A hoof grows out entirely in about one year, and if a horse is no longer getting that kind of extensive exercise, it will need to be trimmed every four to eight weeks, depending on the horse. Mustangs that are still being kept in a 20 by 20 foot pen or are on soft ground will need trimming more often than horses that are kept in a large pasture with at least some rough footing, or that are being ridden regularly (more than just weekends!).

Mustangs don't need shoes, as they generally have the toughest hoof horn in the horse kingdom. Plus, shoes will eventually cause contracted heels, because they prevent the natural expansion and contraction of the hoof as it is put down and picked up. This expansion and contraction is called "hoof mechanism", and helps keep healthy circulation in the hooves. Also, the hoof grows out in a conical shape, getting wider at the bottom. Shoes do not allow for this, and the nails put stress on the growing horn.

Before we start, here are some links to excellent information about teaching the newly adopted wild horse to let you handle his hooves. All of these articles assume that you are able to halter and lead the horse, and touch most of his body. The articles are well illustrated with photos of mustangs.

http://www.kbrhorse.net/tra/open01.html. This article is about the training situation that best applies to a mustang, though it is excellent for any horse. Read this first so you will understand references to it in the other articles.

http://www.kbrhorse.net/tra/legtug1.html. This article is about teaching the horse to give you his hoof. This is difficult for newly adopted wild horses, as they are by nature ready to flee danger at any moment, and letting someone pick up one of their legs puts them in a vulnerable position. Be sure to use only a cotton rope for this exercise... other types of rope are more apt to burn both the horse's legs and your hands.

http://www.ecis.com/~hplove/clo/farcalm1.html. Here are some great ways to teach your horse to remain calm during a trimming or even just hoof cleaning session. You can use this method of training along with the Leg Tugs above.

I am not going to teach you to trim your own horse in this article (that would take a book, though the websites I suggest will go a long way to getting you started), instead I am presenting a lot of suggestions about tools and techniques. I am not a farrier, just a concerned horse owner who sought answers to her (TB off the track) horse's thin, crumbly hooves... and found them! Even if you will not be trimming hooves yourself, I suggest that you visit this site and read all you can: http://www.barefoothorse.com/. It explains mustang hooves and trimming them to be as healthy as they are in the wild. Of the books discussed at that site, I recommend The Natural Horse (this is Jaime Jackson's first book, and contains a great deal of information on the mustang in the wild), The Horse Owner's Guide to Natural Hoof Care (this is the trimming guide, and is called the HOG) and the video Learn to Do a Natural Trim. The video goes very well with the HOG, and if you are doing your own trimming, will save you a lot of trouble and pain (back pain as well as rasping-your-own-hands pain). Its information on how to handle the tools and the horse are worth as much as how to trim, and if you don't use the trim recommended, it will still be a very useful video. You'll see Jaime using his own designed hoof stand. There are others that are as good, one being the Hoof Jack, available at http://www.horseshoes.com/supplies/alphabet/equineinnovations/index.html. The cost is about the same. If you are only touching up or trimming a couple of horses, you probably won't even need a hoof stand, unless you have a bad back. You will find that the Barefoothorse website and the HOG do not strictly agree on the final shape of the hoof. The HOG is easier to do, and should be fine for most horses. The Barefoothorse site is very useful, however, and also very clear in the explanations and accompanying photos and diagrams. If you're not trimming your horse yourself, just read that site and perhaps try to get one of the books so you can understand what your farrier is doing, even if he is not doing the "mustang trim". Note: the latest version of the HOG recommends Swiss Horse Boots for those times when your barefoot horse may have trouble on very rocky trails (many mustangs never do). I recommend the Old Mac's instead, as they are much easier to fit to your individual horse's hooves (they come in 9 different sizes). They don't come off in the middle of a ride, and they drain any water that may get in. They are much easier on the hooves than EasyBoots, and a heck of a lot easier to get on and off (than any other boot as well). http://www.equinenet.org/ernet/oldmacs.html. Boots seem expensive, till you figure how long they last (usually 6 months of regular riding, and longer if you rarely ride rocky trails) compared to how much you'd pay for keeping your horse in shoes during that time, even just front shoes... shoes stay on 24 hours a day, but boots are only used when riding, so they wear out more slowly. Of course, your mustang may never need the protection of boots, but if he does, it will be only on the front hooves unless you're doing those hundred milers (and maybe not even then). A final word on boots... shoes inevitably cause contracted heels and frog, as the hoof cannot expand and contract when nailed to a piece of metal. It is just as economical or more so to go barefoot and use hoof boots when necessary, with the advantages that the hoof boot allows the natural expansion and contraction, plus the horse is barefoot all of the time it is not being ridden. Also, after a year or two of going barefoot, many if not most mustangs (and other horses) will not need hoof boots except in the most extreme conditions of sharp and stony trails, and never in an arena. In Florida, probably never at all. Plain old hard ground is not that tough on barefoot horses... it's been shown that the concussion on hard ground is about 7 times as bad on a shod hoof as on a barefoot hoof. Ever wonder why some police forces use rubber shoes on their horses? Now if we could just get them to try boots....

Your farrier may or may not trim in the manner suggested at the Barefoothorse site, which is based on the hoof of the wild horse (it shocks most farriers, who are used to horses having a much higher heel, and they don't believe a horse can carry a rider's weight with such a trim -- but they can and do, even non-mustangs). If you ask your farrier if he does a mustang trim and he doesn't recognize the term, you might ask about a four-point trim... this is similar, and more widely known, and would be acceptable. However, farriers have all been trained to shoe horses, and therein is the majority of the income they make. They are a conservative bunch of folks for the most part, but generally good hearted. Since my farrier does not agree with the mustang-based trim, what I do is let him trim every 6 weeks, and after he's well out of sight... touch up his trim to suit the way I think my horse should be trimmed. It's a lot easier on me (I'm a bit arthritic), as he does the hard part, and it's an easy way to start out if you want to do your own trimming eventually. I will say that I do not take the heel down quite as much as illustrated (see Mustang Trim picture) at the Barefoothorse site, but more than my farrier does. I also do not concave out the quarters of the sole as much as noted, because she has typical TB thin soles. You will have to adjust your trim to the individual horse. Note: The hind foot is less round than the front hoof: the hind foot is generally more oval, and the toe is a little pointed. Don't try to trim a hind hoof to look like a front hoof, which is more round in shape.

Since the mustang hoof is so hard, you might need to make it easier on yourself by softening the hooves temporarily for trimming. Women especially benefit from a softer hoof (let's face it, most guys are stronger). Soaking them in water will help. One clever trick is to use a large piece of thick carpeting and hose it well. Then stand the horse on it for 15 to 20 minutes while you groom him... those hooves will soak up the water and be easier to trim. Works well for domestic horses as well. "Hoof Marvel" is a new item that is also very helpful, to be used instead of soaking in water. It is a hoof softener that you spray on the hooves (it doesn't hiss, just comes out in a stream, but try it a little away from the horse first!). After spraying, you wait about 10 minutes, then you can work on the hoof for 15 to 20 minutes. If you need longer, spray again. It has no permanent effect. You can get it at several on-line stores, but many don't have it yet. Here is one source that offers free shipping if you buy two: http://www.deltahorsecare.com/ordersys/pages.htm. It costs about $10 for a 32 ounce bottle, which should last quite a few trimmings.

Note: If you are trimming softened hooves, whether softer because of wet ground conditions or because you used some suggestions from the above paragraph, you'll have to be a little more careful in using the hoof knife... it'll be easier to trim the sole, but also easier to dig into it, which is not what you want. You want to ease off layers of the sole a little at a time, not dig in and scoop out. You'll know when you've gone far enough when you see the sole get shiny. That is the layer that should be left alone. Use the knife parallel to the sole, with two hands, one to hold the knife handle and one to push it gently along. As for frequency of trims, you'll have to judge that for yourself, as it depends on the footing your horse is on and how often he's ridden and on what kind of ground he's ridden. Plus, horses' hooves generally grow faster in the spring and summer, and slower in the fall and winter. A general guide is anywhere from four weeks to eight weeks. You'll know if you are trimming too soon, as there wont be much to take off. In that case, just use the knife to take off any raggedy pieces of the frog, and use the easier side of the rasp to even things up a bit. Then wait a few more weeks before trying again.

Using a standard hoof gauge (often brass), which requires you to lift the hoof to measure the angle, is not accurate because when the hoof is bearing weight, the angle changes as the unshod foot naturally spreads a little, mostly in the back half. Use one of the gauges suggested below to be accurate. Make sure you measure when the horse is standing fully on the hoof; usually one or the other of the front legs will be slightly ahead of the other, and the one bearing most of the weight is the one under the horse, not the one in front. To measure the angles while the hoof is on the ground, you will need a special hoof guage (Jaime Jackson sells one), or a Hempe angle/protractor that you can get at most large hardware stores for about six bucks (see picture). After you've measured the angle of the weight bearing hoof, move the horse a bit so you can get the other hoof underneath his body and then measure that angle. If you need to order a rasp and handle (using a handle is much easier on the hands, and always wear gloves to prevent tearing your hands up), check the links here: http://www.alltel.net/~star/page12.html. This is Jaime Jackson's site, and the tools are of the best quality. Another good set of nippers are the ones made by GE, which you can find on most on-line farrier supply stores. Diamond makes good rasps... get the best they make, as they will be sharper. If you will only be doing a little touching up now and then because you are using a farrier, you can pick up a rasp and hoof knife at most larger tack or feed stores, plus the Hempe angle/protractor at a hardware store. Be sure to keep your tools from rusting. To sharpen the knife, you can use a fish hook sharpener, found at most hunting and fishing stores. Do yourself a favor and sharpen the knife several times during a session. It will go easier.

Willis Lamm uses a different technique with the rasp, and one that makes sense. Here is his suggestion: "Take a small sledge hammer and break off the tail of the rasp, grind off any ragged edges on a grinder [or with a Dremmel tool] and wrap the end with vet wrap. [A novice may] inadvertently poke his horse in the belly [with a rasp handle] and maybe cause a wreck." The problem here is that rasp handles just add to the length of the tool. Here is a page on owner trimming, and you can see a picture of the rasp modified as above: http//www.kbrhorse.net/hea/mtrim01.html. You will also see a picture of the Hoof Jack on that page. Explore the next pages in the series to learn more.

Hoof knives come in left handed and right handed. No matter which you are, you will need two knives, one of each kind. This is because the projecting frog in the middle makes it almost impossible to trim the left half of the sole with a right handed knife without accidently digging in too deep. Don't use the hook of the knife on the sole... use the first half of the flat of it. You will understand this from the HOG and the video, and also when you attempt your first trim. It is easier than you think to use a knife that is "handed" other than the way you are. You will generally use both hands on the knife anyway, one to guide it and one to push the blade. Never buy a two-sided hoof knife... you can't push it along without cutting yourself, and the job will be harder anyway because most of them are not angled correctly. One of the best hoof knife brands is F. Dick, and they have the added advantage of making a smaller knife with a rosewood handle that fits smaller hands very well. I use them myself, as the regular knives were hard for my smallish hands to deal with. F. Dick also makes a regular sized hoof knife. Note: when rasping, the walls have a different grain, and pulling the rasp towards yourself when rasping the wall at the heel and the bars is the easiest way. You can rasp across the toe, however.

A horse should be standing balanced before starting any trimming work, or even just to pick out the hooves. The best way to keep him balanced is to have the horse standing diagonally. This means that you don't have his feet lined up square and even with each other, but with one diagonal pair slightly ahead of the other. Then when you go to work on a hoof, you pick up the one that is bearing less weight. In the front, this would be the hoof that is ahead of the other front hoof. In the back, it would be the hoof that is behind the other hind hoof. The weight bearing hooves will be the ones more underneath the body. When you are finished with one hoof, you move the horse slightly to line him up right for the next hoof you'll work on. You can do this by backing the horse a step or two. Only logical, really, and makes the horse more comfortable and less likely to struggle. For a young horse's first trim, you can do a little and then stop to give the horse a rest. You can also stand the young horse next to a barn wall so that he can lean against it if he feels a little off balance. This also works well for older horses that are a little arthritic or any lame or sore horse. Never tie a green horse when trimming. It's a wreck in the making. Either have someone hold the lead rope, or don't use one at all. It's best to do both front hooves first, then if you get tired, at least you have a matched set. You can do the hind hooves a day or so later. Since the front hooves bear at least 60% of the horse's weight, they are the most important to keep trimmed. Of course, this doesn't mean you should neglect the hinds.

When you've finished the trim, bevel the edge of the walls, which will help prevent cracks and chips, as well as facilitate ease of breakover (pickin' 'em up and puttin' 'em down). Minor chips are the normal way barefoot horses trim their hooves in nature, but since you are taking care of the trim now, you don't need those chips, and definitely not any cracks. If you do find that your horse's hooves tend to crack or chip even when trimmed regularly (and if you let them go too long between trims, they will chip and possibly even crack), there are two things you can do. One is to find a way to soak those hooves in water, or better, "clean" mud (mud without manure or urine in it) once a day for about 15 minutes. This keeps the elasticity in the horn. One way to do this is hollow the ground in front of the water trough and keep that hollow filled with water or wet mud. That way, the horse will automatically soak his hooves each time he drinks. This is good for all horses, not just ones with cracking and chipping problems. In the wild, your mustang walked right into his watering hole or creek, and stood there while he drank his fill. Every day.

The other thing you can do for cracked and split feet is to use a feed supplement for hooves. You want a good supplement that contains biotin and methionine as well as zinc, copper and other minerals. Since it takes a year for new horn to grow down to the ground, you have to watch the hooves for at least six months to see if it makes a difference. You should see shiny and hard wall growing down about half way in that amount of time. If you see no difference at all, you can either wait another six months to see if it really is working (in a year, chipping and splitting should stop), or discontinue it. Not all horses have a need for the supplement, but it's surely worth a try. As a last ditch effort, you can feed a gelatin supplement. It does seem to help some horses, though it has no minerals and is mostly just protein.

Some last thoughts. The hoof is healthiest when the horse is turned out in a large area so that he can move about freely. A roofed, three sided shed is enough shelter for most any horse; they will use it when they feel like it. Don't be surprised to see your mustang out in the cold, driving snow instead of his shelter (well, in Florida you might not see that... but you may see him standing in the hot sun until he learns that the shed protects him from flies). His heavy winter coat will protect him, and his instincts for quite a while may prevent him from going into a place where he cannot see 360 degrees around him. As for keeping any horse stalled for long, it will slow hoof growth, and if the stall is not kept meticulously clean, the hoof wall and sole can deteriorate. But even a clean stall will dry out the hooves because the bedding is designed to absorb liquid. Nature knows best, and the wild horse is on the move most of his life, at a walk most of the time, but with lots of trotting and occasional cantering and hi-jinks... not to mention the sudden run to escape predators. Do him a favor and give him as much freedom as possible. If you do not have a large pasture, ride him as often as possible. Keep those feet moving!

If you use a farrier to trim, as you handle the horse follow the farrier's suggestions on where to stand and so forth. He knows how the horse balances, and should be able to guide you to the proper position. Some horses need to watch what's going on and you'll need to stand so they can do that and thus feel reassured. Do not tie a green horse to be trimmed, particularly a fairly new mustang. Hold the lead rope, but loosely. You don't want the horse to feel confined or trapped. Best to do the trim in a large area like a round pen or corral rather than in a barn aisle or stall until trimming is old hat to the horse. And do be sure that you can pick up and handle the hooves before asking a farrier to come out. You'll see some good techniques on teaching that in the websites at the beginning of this article.

When checking a finished trim, have the horse led away from you on level ground at a brisk walk, and watch for how the hooves land. The heel should touch down just a titch before the toe. Not enough to make a two beat sound, though. If he really clunks those heels down, they need to be lowered a bit, and if he hits toe first, well then the toe is too long. And if you see one side of the hoof landing before the other side, you have a little more work to do... rasp the side than lands first a little shorter.

Consider this article unfinished, and email me with any questions. I'll be glad to answer them or refer you to an authoritative site or book. Understand that I have strong opinions about not using shoes, and you're not gonna change my mind on that one, but I welcome healthy debate. Expect this page to expand as questions come in and I find I've left out something important.

Finally, thanks to Willis Lamm for his critiques of this article. We had some healthy debate, and I certainly learned a lot. Willis runs the Kickin' Back Ranch website with scads of horse and in particular mustang information, including trimming... http//www.kbrhorse.net/ and also has the Wild Horse Mentors site, very useful information for mustang adopters.