Cleaning Hooves

Draft horses have big feet. Okay, HUGE feet (the giant breeds at least). Those huge feet need cleaning out, you'd be surprised how easily they swallow up rocks.

Once, on one of our walks I decided to see how she would handle pulling off to the side of the road and standing while I walked around her to check out her feet. You never know if you're going to need to pick out a hoof while trail riding or driving. When I picked up one of her hooves, I found a surprisingly large stone lodged in her hoof (lucky and unexpected find!). I hadn't brought a hoof pick with me, and it took a while, but I was eventually able to pry the rock free.

So the other day, as I was cleaning her hooves out, and I remembered something. I have seen time and again online about draft horses needing stocks because they "couldn't pick up and hold their own hoof up". Sitting there bent over cleaning Elsa's hooves, I asked a mental "What?" to those people. The most common excuse I have heard is that they have trouble because they're so big and heavy.....still...."What?"

Elsa is no small baby. At 2 years old she's already breaking 17 hands and over 1400lbs. She isn't extremely fit, most of her exercise is walking around small hills while she eats. And, this girl can stand perfectly fine while I clean out her hooves. Does she hold them way up for me? No, but I've never really known a horse who has. She picks up her feet though and doesn't lean against me. She rests her hooves in my grasp until I'm done with them. So yes, I have a very hard time believing that just because a horse is a draft horse, big and heavy, that they can't lift their own legs and need to have a post to help with feet trimmings and things.

Unless there is some legitimate underlying health cause, I'm sorry, but you just have a lazy horse. And such laziness shouldn't be encouraged. (My back certainly couldn't take such a lazy type horse). If you're a new draft owner, or looking to buy a draft, don't fall for this. Teach your horse good and proper manors.