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Welcome to the Foot and Shoeing topic!

In this course, you will learn more about the horses feet and the shoes that they wear!

The following topics are included:

Parts of the Foot

Caring for the Feet

Problems with the Feet

About the Farrier

The Farrier's Tools

The Process of Shoeing

Here are the badges you will earn at the end of this topic:

Foot and Shoeing

Looking after the horses feet is essential to their overall health. There is a well-known saying of 'No Foot - No Horse'. This means that if your horse has problems with their feet, they will be unable to do the most basic things and often become lame.

The feet carry the entire weight of the horse so we must make sure the hooves are in the best condition possible. Problems with feet can be caused by a variety of things. For example; very hard and dry ground, a poor diet or very wet ground.

Most horses wear shoes, which help to protect the hooves from being worn down too quickly. But some horses and ponies, the more hardy types, are barefoot. But we must consider the condition of the horses feet and their workload when caring for their feet.

Have a go at the quiz to see how much you know about foot and shoeing already!