Farrier Care of Pregnant and Nursing Mares and Foals

©2013 Doug Butler PhD, CJF, FWCF

Butler Professional Farrier School

Foaling season is just around the corner. A question often asked by horse owners and farriers relates to the hoof care of mares about to foal or those that have foaled. When and how should they be trimmed?

Mares should be trimmed before foaling for several reasons:

1)    During foaling she might accidently injure herself or the foal if she has on loose shoes or excessively long and ragged hooves.

2)    She will be sore in the perineal region after foaling and may fight the farrier when her rear leg is lifted for trimming.

3)    She (especially first time mothers) will be anxious about the foal and may instinctively attack the farrier to protect it.

4)    The foal may get in the way of the farrier when working and annoy the farrier, or it may be accidentally hurt by being stepped on by the mare.

5)    There is no reason for a mare that is not working to wear shoes.

6)    Tranquilizing drugs should not be used on pregnant or nursing mares as they may affect the foal.

After the foal is a month or two of age, then the mare can be trimmed again.

The safest way to work on the mare and the foal is put them on each side of a Dutch stall door with the bottom half closed and the top half open so they can see each other and even touch each other but not get in the way or be dangerous to the farrier or horse holder. Imprint training of the foal as taught by Dr. Robert M. Miller in his Western Horseman book is very valuable.

Young foals’ hooves should be trimmed, or at least inspected, once a month in a safe stall corner where they can be controlled by a trained holder. Trim the hind feet first with the head in the corner, then turn it around and trim the front feet with the hind quarters in the corner. Since some will struggle and rear and possibly hurt themselves, a protective head bonnet, put on under the halter, may be useful. A special stall padded for this purpose can also be used.

Frequent trimming of the foal prepares it for the day when it will be trimmed and shod as an adult. This will prevent the need for restraint training to teach it to stand on three legs at a later date. Restraint training should not be done on foals due to the possibility of fracture of the epiphyseal plates that are still open while the leg bones are growing in length. Avoid trimming a foal’s hooves too short as this may increase the incidence of P3 fracture.

Consistent and patient care pays off in developing sound valuable foals and maintaining a breeding mare’s longevity.