PSA: I just read that a horse's hoof wall grows about a quarter inch per month

I was flipping through an old textbook from my apprenticeship and saw that stat, which honestly surprised me because I always thought it was slower. It really puts the timing for resets into perspective for me now. Does that growth rate seem about right from what you all have seen in your regular clients?

4 comments

4 Comments

davis.noah1mo ago

My old farrier used to say you could set your watch by some horses, but my current gelding seems to grow hoof like a weed in the summer. We're on a six week schedule with him from May to September, but it stretches to eight weeks in the winter. It makes me wonder how much diet and turnout really play into that quarter inch average.

the_harper3d ago

That quarter inch average is just a starting point. Diet and exercise change it a lot, like your schedule shows. The number is useful, but watching the individual horse matters more.

murphy.aaron1mo ago

Saw a friend's horse outgrow its shoes in five weeks once.

diana5121mo ago

My mentor always told me it was an eighth of an inch, so I've been working off that for years. Reading that quarter inch figure made me go back and check my own notes on a few steady clients. Sure enough, looking at the dates, a quarter inch a month lines up almost perfectly with when they start getting that long toe look. It completely changed how I plan my schedule now.