Belle - Healthy Performing Hooves

Trimmer: James Welz, Phoenix, AZ

This is my own horse, Gezebella. "Belle" is a 4 year old branded RPSI Warmblood mare (and future Grand Prix dressage horse). Her feet are a good example of soft terrain hooves that have adapted to hard/dry terrain. She has been trimmed by James since we purchased her as a late yearling. Even though she is not conditioned to rocky ground, she is fairly comfortable traveling right over rocks. Other than a little bit of high-low syndrome so common in domestic horses (she eats with her left foot foreward and right foot backward), her hooves are pretty much problem-free. Okay, the one drawback is that her hooves grow like weeds, and can sometimes be a lot of work to keep trimmed to the level of perfection that I expect. -- Yvonne, Sept. 2007

Belle has shown in many dressage shows over the past year, earning 70% scores at Training level, and frequent scores of "8" for her gaits.

Do you want to breed feet like this?
Hoof quality is definitely passed on through good hoof genes. While proper care can help make genetically-poor hooves become adequate, they will never be truly outstanding. To attain truly outstanding hooves, you need to start with genetically-good hooves and then keep them that way through proper care and trimming. Start out with good hooves by breeding to horses with good hooves that pass on their good hoof quality! Here is a link Belle's sire, Gatsby: http://www.foxdalefarm.us/

Note: Photos are provided for reference and educational purposes only, and are not meant to indicate guidelines for trimming. Every horse should be trimmed as an individual. Opinions vary as to what constitutes "correct" but keep in mind - there are NO PERFECT FEET, not even in the wild. Owners are cautioned to seek professional help for the trimming of their own horse's feet. Owner trimming of pathological feet is not advised. Photos may not be reproduced, copied, or distributed in any way.

©2007 by The Horse's Hoof. All rights reserved. No part of these publications may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher and/or authors. The information contained within these articles is intended for educational purposes only, and not for diagnosing or medicinally prescribing in any way. Readers are cautioned to seek expert advice from a qualified health professional before pursuing any form of treatment on their animals. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.