Farriery & Hoof Care

Healthy feet are fundamental to the whole horse

The old saying “No foot, no horse” still contains an important truth.

A horse's feet support its entire body, interact with the ground at every stride and influence how comfortably and efficiently the horse moves.

Good hoof care is therefore about much more than keeping the feet looking tidy.

It involves maintaining appropriate hoof shape and balance, providing protection or support where necessary, recognising changes that may indicate a problem, and involving the veterinary surgeon when pain, lameness, injury or disease is suspected.

Modern hoof care has also changed enormously. Owners now have access to traditional farriery, barefoot management, hoof boots, adhesive and composite shoes, remedial or therapeutic farriery and increasingly sophisticated technologies for measuring both the hoof and the way the horse moves.

The aim should not be to promote one philosophy.

The question should always be:

What does this individual horse need to remain comfortable, functional and appropriately supported?

Who looks after your horse's feet?

Owners may encounter several different types of hoof-care practitioner. Their roles overlap in some areas, but their training, professional status and legal position are not currently identical.

Registered Farrier

Farriery is a statutorily regulated profession in Great Britain.

Registered farriers are trained in hoof care, trimming, balancing, shoeing and the manufacture or modification of shoes for different horses and circumstances.

The Farriers Registration Council (FRC) maintains the statutory Register of Farriers and regulates registered farriers under the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975.

The Act defines farriery around preparing or treating the foot for the immediate application of a shoe and fitting that shoe, whether by nails or another means.

That last point is increasingly relevant because a shoe does not necessarily have to be nailed on.

A farrier should not be confused with a blacksmith. A blacksmith works with metal; a registered farrier has specific education and training in equine feet and farriery as well as the necessary forging skills.

Owners can check whether somebody is registered using the FRC's public register.

Barefoot Trimmer

A barefoot trimmer maintains horses' feet without preparing them for the application of shoes.

Under the present legislation in Great Britain, trimming by itself — where the hoof is not being prepared for a shoe — falls outside the statutory definition of farriery.

This creates an important difference for owners.

At present, someone providing barefoot trimming does not automatically have to belong to the same statutory register that applies to farriers.

That does not mean that barefoot practitioners are necessarily untrained. There are practitioners who have undertaken considerable education and assessment.

However, owners should not assume that the title “barefoot trimmer”, by itself, guarantees a particular qualification or level of training.

Ask about qualifications, insurance, professional membership, continuing education, experience and referral procedures.

Equine Podiatrist

Podiatry simply means the study and care of feet.

Equine Podiatrists generally work within barefoot hoof management and may consider the horse's feet alongside movement, workload, environment, surfaces and nutrition.

There is now a Lantra Awards Level 5 Diploma in Equine Podiatry, covering areas including anatomy and physiology, hoof trimming, gait analysis, imaging, nutrition, environment, pathology and laminitis, professional practice and relationships with vets and farriers.

The Equine Podiatry Association UK (EPA) represents practitioners within this area and maintains a practitioner directory.

The important distinction is that professional association membership and voluntary qualifications are not currently the same thing as statutory registration.

That situation may change as the wider veterinary and allied-professional regulatory system develops.

Shoes or barefoot?

There is no single correct answer for every horse.

Some horses remain comfortable and perform successfully barefoot.

Some benefit from conventional shoes.

Others may be barefoot most of the time but use hoof boots for particular surfaces or activities.

Some require specialist protection or therapeutic support because of injury, disease, conformation or lameness.

The answer may also change during the horse's lifetime.

Rather than asking:

“Is barefoot better than shoeing?”

a more useful question is:

“What does this horse need, doing this work, on these surfaces, with these particular feet?”

Modern hoof protection — more than traditional metal shoes

Modern farriery and hoof care now offer a wide range of options.

Traditional nailed shoes

Steel and aluminium shoes remain widely used.

They can provide protection, alter traction and provide different forms of support. A skilled farrier can manufacture or modify shoes for the individual horse rather than simply fitting a standard shoe.

Remedial or therapeutic farriery

Owners may hear the terms:

remedial farriery

remedial shoeing

therapeutic farriery.

In straightforward terms, these describe farriery intended to help manage a particular hoof, limb or movement problem rather than simply protecting the hoof from wear.

It may involve specialist trimming, particular shoe designs, pads, support materials or other techniques intended to alter how the foot is supported or loaded.

Where significant lameness, laminitis, injury or disease is involved, the veterinary surgeon and farrier will often work together.

Glue-on, stick-on and adhesive shoes

Shoes do not necessarily have to be attached with nails.

Modern adhesive or glue-on systems can attach hoof protection using specialist adhesives, cuffs or combinations of materials.

These may provide useful alternatives in selected horses, including circumstances where conventional nailing is undesirable or the hoof wall is compromised.

The choice and application of these systems require appropriate knowledge and skill.

Composite and synthetic shoes

Modern hoof protection is no longer limited to steel and aluminium.

Shoes and hoof-support devices can now be manufactured from polymers, plastics, composites and combinations of different materials.

Different products may offer different characteristics in terms of flexibility, weight, traction, wear and interaction with the ground.

Newer does not automatically mean better.

The important question is whether the product and method are appropriate for the individual horse.

Hoof boots

Hoof boots are removable protective boots fitted over the hoof.

They can be particularly useful for some barefoot horses needing additional protection during exercise, roadwork or work over stony or abrasive surfaces.

Some boots can also accommodate pads or inserts.

Correct fitting matters. An unsuitable or poorly fitted boot can rub, twist, interfere with movement or be lost during exercise.

Pads, packing and support materials

Modern farriery also includes a wide variety of pads, packing materials, impression materials and support systems.

These may be used for protection, cushioning, support or redistribution of loading.

Their use should have a clear purpose rather than simply adding more material beneath the horse's foot.

Hoof terminology explained in plain English

Owners can understandably become confused when vets and hoof-care practitioners use several technical terms during the same conversation.

Here are some of the common ones.

Pedal bone / P3 / distal phalanx

Different names for the large bone contained within the hoof capsule.

Laminae

Specialised tissues connecting the hoof wall with structures surrounding the pedal bone.

Failure of these tissues is central to laminitis.

Frog

The roughly triangular structure underneath the foot towards the heel.

Digital cushion

Soft tissue towards the back of the hoof that contributes to supporting and cushioning the foot.

White line

The visible junction near the outer edge of the sole between the hoof wall and structures further inside the foot.

Sole depth

The amount of sole protecting the sensitive structures above it.

Breakover

The stage of the stride where the heel leaves the ground and the foot rolls over the toe.

Mediolateral balance

In simple terms, the relationship between the inside and outside of the foot.

Dorsopalmar balance

For a front foot, this broadly describes the relationship from toe to heel.

For a hind foot you may hear dorsoplantar used instead.

Hoof-pastern axis

The relationship between the angle of the hoof and the pastern immediately above it.

Underrun heels

Heels that have migrated forwards rather than providing good support towards the back of the foot.

Flare

An area of hoof wall that has distorted or moved away from a healthier alignment.

Long toe / low heel

A commonly used description where the toe has migrated forwards while the heel has become low or underrun.

Asymmetry

This simply means a difference between two sides.

In movement terms, it may mean that corresponding limbs are not moving in exactly the same way.

Importantly, asymmetry does not automatically mean that a horse is lame. Its significance needs appropriate interpretation.

You cannot judge everything from the outside of a hoof

Hoof shape provides useful information, but it does not tell us everything.

A hoof may change shape because of:

conformation;
workload;
surfaces;
previous trimming or shoeing;
injury;
pain;
metabolic disease;
hoof pathology;
altered movement;
compensation for a problem elsewhere.

Sometimes what appears to be primarily a hoof problem is partly the consequence of something occurring elsewhere in the horse.

This is where veterinary investigation and modern technology can become particularly valuable.

X-rays and veterinary-farrier collaboration

Owners may hear their vet refer to radiographs.

A radiograph is simply an X-ray.

X-rays allow the vet and farrier to see relationships inside the foot that cannot be accurately determined from external appearance alone.

Depending upon the case, they can provide information about matters including:

pedal-bone position;
sole depth;
relationships between the hoof wall and internal structures;
rotation or sinking associated with laminitis;
fractures;
some bony changes;
aspects of hoof balance.

In complicated cases, the farrier may work directly with the veterinary surgeon using marked or measured radiographs to help plan hoof support.

This is sometimes described as a multidisciplinary approach.

In plain English:

the professionals are sharing information and working on the same problem together.

Measuring how the horse actually moves

One of the most exciting developments is that assessment no longer has to depend entirely upon what the human eye can see.

An experienced veterinary surgeon or practitioner can learn an enormous amount by observing a horse moving, but subtle differences can be difficult to see consistently — and the eye cannot put an exact number on everything it observes.

Sensor-based gait analysis

Small electronic movement sensors can be positioned at different locations on a horse.

Depending upon the system, sensors can potentially gather information from all four limbs and from different sections of individual limbs, allowing movement above and below major joints to be assessed.

This can provide objective measurements including:

limb or segment angles;
range of movement;
differences between corresponding limbs;
the number of degrees by which movements differ;
timing within different phases of the stride;
changes between repeated assessments.

Instead of simply saying:

“The left side looks as though it is moving differently,”

it may become possible to establish:

where the difference occurs, how large the difference is, when it occurs within the stride and whether it changes over time.

That is a significant development.

Why is this relevant to hoof care?

The hoof does not function independently from the limb above it.

Changes to trimming, shoeing, hoof protection or support can potentially influence how the horse moves.

Objective gait measurement may therefore help professionals investigate and monitor movement:

before and after trimming;

before and after shoeing;

with different forms of hoof protection;

during rehabilitation;

and

over time.

Repeated measurements can also create an individual baseline so that a horse can increasingly be compared with itself, rather than relying solely on comparison with a theoretical average.

But this distinction is essential:

measurement is not diagnosis.

Finding a measurable asymmetry does not by itself establish that a horse is lame or identify the cause.

Conformation, surface, speed, training, normal individual variation and many other factors can influence movement.

Where pain or lameness is suspected, veterinary assessment remains essential.

Other technologies entering hoof care

Sensor-based gait analysis is part of a much wider technological change.

Owners are increasingly likely to encounter:

Digital radiography

High-quality X-rays that can be rapidly viewed, measured and shared between vet and farrier.

Slow-motion and high-speed video

Allowing particular phases of movement and hoof landing to be examined in much greater detail.

Force and pressure measurement

Technologies capable of investigating aspects of how forces are distributed as the horse interacts with the ground.

Digital hoof measurement and 3D scanning

Recording hoof shape and dimensions digitally so that changes can potentially be monitored accurately over time.

Computer-assisted design and manufacturing

Technology capable of contributing to increasingly individualised hoof-support solutions.

3D printing

An emerging manufacturing technique that may allow increasingly sophisticated or individualised hoof-support components to be produced.

New adhesives, polymers and composites

Providing alternatives to conventional metal and nailed-on hoof protection.

These technologies do different jobs.

An X-ray shows something different from a gait sensor.

A movement sensor measures something different from a pressure system.

A 3D scan records shape but cannot, by itself, diagnose why a horse is lame.

The real potential comes from combining useful measurements with knowledge, experience and appropriate professional judgement.

Technology should provide better information — not replace the professional.

How often should a horse's feet be attended to?

There is no universal interval.

Many horses may be attended to somewhere around every four to eight weeks, but the correct interval depends upon the individual horse.

Factors include:

hoof growth;
season;
age;
workload;
surfaces;
conformation;
whether the horse is shod;
previous hoof problems;
metabolic health;
how quickly distortion develops.

Some horses require much shorter intervals, particularly during treatment or rehabilitation.

Do not simply wait until a shoe falls off or the foot obviously looks too long.

What should owners look for between visits?

Regularly picking out the feet allows owners to become familiar with what is normal for their horse.

Look for changes such as:

new or worsening cracks;
broken or crumbling hoof wall;
unusual growth rings;
stretched or damaged white line;
unpleasant-smelling or black material around the frog;
unusually deep frog grooves;
loose shoes;
raised clenches;
changing hoof shape;
unusual heat;
stronger-than-normal digital pulses;
reluctance on hard or stony surfaces;
altered landing;
shortened stride;
repeated stumbling;
unexplained lameness.

Taking photographs from consistent angles periodically can also help identify gradual changes that are difficult to notice from day to day.

Nutrition and hoof quality

A hoof grows slowly.

If nutritional changes improve hoof horn, that improvement has to grow down from the coronary band. It may therefore take many months before the full effect becomes visible.

Healthy hoof growth depends upon the overall diet, including appropriate:

protein and amino acids;
vitamins;
minerals and trace elements;
energy intake.

Owners commonly associate biotin with hoof health. Biotin can form part of nutritional hoof support, but hoof quality depends upon the overall nutritional picture rather than simply providing large quantities of one ingredient.

Persistent poor hoof quality should therefore encourage owners to consider the whole horse — diet, management, workload, hoof care and health.

FreeStep support for hoof quality

Where nutritional hoof support is appropriate, relevant FreeStep hoof-support products should be displayed prominently near the top of this page, rather than hidden at the end of the article.

The product information should clearly explain:

What it supports
Healthy hoof growth and horn quality.

Who it may be appropriate for
Horses where poor-quality, brittle or slow-growing hoof horn indicates that nutritional support may be beneficial as part of the horse's wider management.

What it cannot do
A nutritional supplement cannot correct inappropriate hoof balance, replace professional hoof care, diagnose lameness or treat conditions such as laminitis.

Persistent hoof problems, pain or lameness require appropriate professional assessment.

Recognised organisations, qualifications and regulation

Farriers Registration Council — FRC

The Farriers Registration Council is the statutory regulator of farriery in Great Britain.

It maintains the Register of Farriers, oversees approved training and qualifications, regulates professional conduct and has investigation and disciplinary functions.

For owners, the important point is:

FRC registration has legal status.

Owners can check the public register to establish whether a farrier is registered.

Worshipful Company of Farriers — WCF

The Worshipful Company of Farriers has an important role in farriery education, examinations and advanced professional qualifications.

Owners may see post-nominal letters including:

AWCF — Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers

and

FWCF — Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers.

These indicate advanced professional achievement beyond basic registration requirements. Fellowship represents the WCF's highest level of technical competence.

Equine Podiatry Association UK — EPA

The Equine Podiatry Association UK is a professional organisation representing Equine Podiatrists and promoting standards within equine podiatry.

It maintains a practitioner directory.

The associated professional landscape also includes the Lantra Awards Level 5 Diploma in Equine Podiatry, a nationally recognised qualification covering a substantial range of hoof-care knowledge and skills.

Owners should nevertheless understand the distinction between a professional qualification or membership organisation and statutory regulation.

The hoof-care industry is changing

This is an important area for horse owners because the regulatory landscape itself may be about to change.

In July 2026, the UK Government published Our vision for a thriving veterinary sector, setting out proposals for major reform of veterinary legislation.

The proposed future system includes Allied Veterinary Professionals — AVPs.

In straightforward language, this would create a regulatory framework in which appropriately qualified professionals working alongside veterinary surgeons could have clearer recognised roles, scopes of practice and professional accountability.

The Government's proposals specifically contemplate equine barefoot trimmers within the AVP framework and envisage farriery within the wider future regulatory landscape.

The details are still to be developed and legislation will be required.

So owners should distinguish between:

what the law says today

and

the direction in which regulation is proposed to move.

The potential direction is significant.

Over time, hoof care may move away from a landscape in which some professional titles are statutorily regulated while other practitioners work within voluntary systems, towards clearer definitions of:

qualifications;
competence;
scope of practice;
professional standards;
continuing competence;
accountability;
referral responsibilities.

That could make it considerably easier for owners to understand who is qualified to do what.

A changing profession and a changing toolkit

Two developments are therefore occurring at the same time.

The people providing hoof care may become more clearly regulated.

At the same time:

the tools available to them are becoming considerably more sophisticated.

The future hoof-care team may increasingly combine professional experience with:

veterinary imaging;
objective gait measurement;
digital hoof measurement;
advanced materials;
adhesive technology;
removable hoof protection;
computer-assisted design;
individualised therapeutic solutions.

This does not mean every horse needs more technology.

Sometimes an excellent trim or a well-made conventional shoe may be precisely what the horse needs.

The objective should be better decision-making, not technology for technology's sake.

When professionals need to work together

Difficult hoof cases rarely benefit from professional rivalry.

A horse with significant lameness or complicated hoof disease may benefit from the veterinary surgeon and farrier or hoof-care practitioner sharing information and agreeing a management plan.

Depending upon the problem, other appropriately qualified professionals may also contribute to rehabilitation, movement assessment or nutrition.

The important principles are:

work within professional competence;

communicate;

share relevant information;

and

refer when another professional is needed.

The horse should be at the centre of the decision — not the professional title or hoof-care philosophy.

When should you call the vet?

Contact your veterinary surgeon promptly for:

sudden or significant lameness;
suspected laminitis;
a horse reluctant or unable to walk normally;
a penetrating injury to the foot;
significant swelling;
severe or persistent hoof pain;
recurrent unexplained abscesses;
major hoof-wall injury;
inability to bear weight;
unexplained changes that may indicate disease.

A nail or other object has penetrated the hoof

Do not automatically pull it out.

Its position, direction and depth can provide extremely valuable information about which structures may have been affected.

Keep the horse as still as safely possible and contact your veterinary surgeon for advice.

The vet may want to examine or X-ray the foot with the object still in place.

What owners can do

Good hoof care happens between professional visits as well as during them.

Pick out and inspect your horse's feet regularly.

Maintain an appropriate hoof-care schedule.

Become familiar with your horse's normal feet and movement.

Maintain an appropriate bodyweight.

Provide suitable nutrition and exercise.

Provide your hoof-care professional with a safe, dry, well-lit working area.

Teach your horse to have its feet handled safely.

Ask your practitioner to explain what they are seeing and why they are recommending a particular approach.

And remember:

good hoof care should not be about choosing a camp.

Barefoot, traditional shoes, composite shoes, adhesive systems, hoof boots and therapeutic farriery are all tools or approaches.

The important question remains:

What does this horse need?

JCG Health Hub — important

This information is intended to help horse owners understand farriery, hoof care and the different professionals and technologies involved.

It does not replace examination, diagnosis or treatment by a veterinary surgeon or appropriately qualified hoof-care professional.

A horse showing sudden or significant lameness, suspected laminitis or a penetrating hoof injury requires prompt veterinary advice.

JCG Health Hub
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Graphics — maximum 3

Each graphic must be capable of being printed, saved or shared independently while retaining its meaning and its connection with JCG.

Every graphic should therefore include:

JCG Health Hub
Farriery & Hoof Care
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GRAPHIC 1 — HERO

MODERN HOOF CARE — WHAT DOES YOUR HORSE NEED?

A high-quality horse standing naturally, with one hoof visually forming the centre of the design.

Around it, show the principal options without making one appear preferable:

BAREFOOT

Natural hoof icon.

TRADITIONAL SHOE

Recognisable metal horseshoe.

ADHESIVE / COMPOSITE SHOE

Clearly modern non-traditional hoof protection.

HOOF BOOT

Modern removable protective boot.

REMEDIAL / THERAPEUTIC FARRIERY

Horse's hoof alongside a radiograph.

Include a small sensor symbol on the horse's limbs representing objective movement measurement.

Central message:

Modern hoof care isn't simply “shoes or barefoot”.

The right approach depends on the individual horse, its feet, health, workload, surfaces and movement.

Bottom strip:

GOOD HOOF CARE PUTS THE HORSE BEFORE THE PHILOSOPHY

JCG Health Hub | Farriery & Hoof Care | jcgsupplements.com

This is the principal page image and must also work as a standalone educational graphic.

GRAPHIC 2 — WHO LOOKS AFTER YOUR HORSE'S FEET?

Three clear practitioner panels.

REGISTERED FARRIER

Trimming • Shoeing • Hoof balance • Specialist/remedial farriery

Statutorily regulated in Great Britain.

Registration can be checked through the Farriers Registration Council.

BAREFOOT TRIMMER

Maintains horses' feet without preparing them for shoes

Training and qualifications currently vary.

Barefoot-only trimming presently falls outside the statutory definition of farriery.

EQUINE PODIATRIST

Specialist hoof care generally working within barefoot management

Formal education routes include the Lantra Awards Level 5 Diploma in Equine Podiatry.

Professional organisations include the Equine Podiatry Association UK.

Bottom panel:

THE INDUSTRY IS CHANGING

UK Government proposals published in 2026 envisage bringing equine barefoot trimmers into a future regulated Allied Veterinary Professional framework.

Check qualifications • Check professional status • Check insurance • Expect appropriate referral

JCG Health Hub | Farriery & Hoof Care | jcgsupplements.com

GRAPHIC 3 — FROM LOOKING TO MEASURING

Split the graphic visually into four connected areas around a moving horse.

INSIDE THE HOOF

Digital X-ray

Shows relationships that cannot be judged from external appearance alone.

HOW THE HOOF MEETS THE GROUND

Force & pressure measurement

Can investigate aspects of loading and interaction with the ground.

HOW THE HORSE MOVES

Show small sensors positioned on all four limbs, including locations above and below major joints.

Sensor-based gait analysis

Can potentially quantify:

Angles • Range of movement • Asymmetry • Degrees of difference • Timing • Change over time

Plain-English callout:

ASYMMETRY = a measurable difference between corresponding movements

THE SHAPE OF THE HOOF

Digital measurement & 3D scanning

Can record hoof shape and changes over time.

Prominent central message:

MEASUREMENT IS NOT DIAGNOSIS

Technology can provide objective information.

Professional knowledge is needed to interpret what it means.

Bottom: