I have experienced various minor hoof and foot problems with my horses over the years but the main problem was usually horse shoes being lost just before a competition and trying to get the Farrier to come out to fit a new horse shoe at short notice.

Unfortunately my current horse has had a long list of different problems with his hooves and hosre shoes:

• A serious foot injury after a horse trailer accident and he now has a ‘loose quarter’ on a front foot. He did this about ten years ago and has a healed split down the side of his hoof. It looks like a bad crack from the top of the coronet band with the crack opening up from the bottom of the hoof to varying degrees throughout the year. It’s generally OK and we’ve had fewer problems than expected given it look a year for the split to heal fully and be strong enough for him to be regularly ridden. The main problem is if he looses the horse shoe, dirt quickly gets into and opens up the crack more than normal. He has done this a couple of times but this has not led to any infection in the foot.
• Thin walled and boxy feet which grow slowly. If he pulls off a horse shoe and damages the wall, it can take months to get his feet back into good shape, so we use a supplement to try to encourage good foot growth and minimise such problems occurring. We have found Farriers Formula to be the best, although it is quite expensive. I also regularly use Cornucrescine and a good hoof oil.
• Thrush, a fungal and bacterial infection which causes the soft tissue to become diseased and slough off. The frog on a horse is a major structure of the foot and is intended to maintain the integrity of the foot and have a cushioning affect on the pressure applied to the foot, so thrush can cause more problems than expected. Usually it’s just a nuisance as the feet have to be regularly washed and treated. Iodine or purple spray are often used to successfully treat thrush.
• Some tendon problems so the farrier has fitted shoes which are broader than normal at the heel to spread the weight.

The value of a good farrier cannot be underestimated and I have seen the benefits of remedial horse shoeing first-hand with problems such as a badly cracked foot and tendon problems. I would certainly look for a Master Farrier if there is one locally but you may find there is a big queue. At a minimum you need to find someone who is reliable and will try to fit you in for any urgent problems.

I think most non-horse owners would be shocked by the cost of shoeing. This is currently around £50 ($100) per horse and most will require shoeing every 6-8 weeks.

Most horses in regular exercise need to be shod in order to do road work. Even when horses are not in exercise, horse shoes tend to be kept on as the horses feet have become accustomed to them. I recently had to leave my horse’s back feet unshod as there was not enough foot to attach shoes to after a series of problems. I was surprised at the change in his feet over the months with a significant broadening of the frog as it had more weight than usual to carry. I’ll certainly be less wary of doing this in the future.

Many farriers are very busy with large yards so it can be difficult to schedule a shoeing for just one horse, particularly if they are not local. I suggest that you book appointments in advance rather than wait until they are needed. Several farriers have their own premises so you can travel to them if you live locally or have transport.

It is increasingly dangerous for horse riders on the roads mainly due to the ever increasing volumes of traffic. There was an incident reported in the local News over the weekend where a horse was killed and a young rider critically injured. Unfortunately accidents regularly occur between road vehicles and horses and in most occasions a fatality occurs - either the horse, the rider or the person in the vehicle.

Horses are flight animals that are constantly on the look out for danger and their natural reaction is to run away from load noises such as airbrakes and unfamiliar objects/unexpected movements such as plastic bags in hedgerows. Most horses can be made traffic-proof with training but most have some specific dislikes for which horse riders need to be aware eg tractors, high-sided vehicles, water spray in bad weather, etc. It is up to the rider to be looking for potentially dangerous situations but it is also up to the car drivers to slow down and allow plenty of room for the horse and rider. Most car drivers seem unaware that a horse can move extremely quickly sideways. I carry a long whip in my hand next to the traffic as this can assist in keeping the horse straight rather than going sideways into traffic.

Wear a protective helmet and I always wear a light-reflective jacket. This will give the car driver the earliest sight possible of the horse and rider. I am always amazed by horse (and bicycle) riders at dawn/disk or in bad weather in dark clothing. Extra care should be taken in high winds, rain and in icy conditions.

I used to ride near the edge of the road but this seemed to encourage traffic to squeeze through between myself and the oncoming vehicle and not slow down. I now find it safer to ride several feet from the edge of the road as cars are more likely to see you, wait for oncoming traffic before overtaking and give you a wider berth. I understand motorcycles riders are similarly trained in terms of positioning in the road.

In the UK horses are ridden in the same direction as the traffic and the rider needs to listen for approaching vehicles and their speed. If this sounds to be too fast I will use arm signals to try to slow the traffic down and then acknowledge them if they do slow down and pass carefully. If the vehicle sounds large or noisy, I will quite often stop or move to a grass verge to give the vehicle more room. Similarly you need to be watching out for vehicles heading towards you.

For young horses, I think it is very helpful if they are kept in a field next to traffic so they become accustomed to the noise before being ridden on the roads. Horses and ponies should initially be ridden out with an older, traffic proof horse which should be positioned between the young horse and the traffic. However care should be taken as this will take up one lane of the road and it is suggested that this be done at quieter times of the day when traffic is lighter.

I would be very careful about allowing children to ride on any horse or pony on the roads as they are often not as experienced in riding or have much traffic awareness. If they cannot be kept off the roads, this should be kept to a minimum and very closely supervised. I ride on the roads as little as possible these days. It’s much more enjoyable and safer to ride on trails and in fields, where you still have to be careful for unexpected sights and sounds but you do not have the added concern of constant traffic.