Hooves

~ From Legacy Friesians

Friesians have great, hard feet. They are normally best kept barefoot unless medically necessary to shoe. Some people's terrain and use (i.e. constant unusually rocky turnout/riding, trail use, driving often on hard roads) will mean shoes are necessary. Overall, most can be kept barefoot easily. The Dutch like to see a higher heel, and the horse in general tends to naturally grow a higher heel. I've found a horse has better dressage movement when trimming more "traditionally". By trimming with the higher heel, you get more carriage-driving like movement . (There was just discussion on the lists about this and what judges like to see trim-wise for the keurings, with the higher heel etc). In addition, friesians try to grow a higher heel, and you need to let them exist in a higher heel than most other breeds. There's a happy medium between the heel angles needed---too upright with too tall of a heel makes for very jarring movement in a friesian and percussive damage on their legs, taking too much heel off makes them appear underslung and has been confirmed on x-rays to start reverse rotation of the coffin bone angle, plus it also puts tension on the deep digital flexor tendon. Having had the need to trim according to x-rays, I've had the unique ability to see the various style trims on friesian feet and their direct impact on the coffin bone orientation and movement, sometimes x-raying and lunging before and after trims. Overall advice: keep barefoot if your sport and turnout/riding allow. If only used occassionally for "harder" surface/impact uses, consider hoof boots for those times. Find a farrier who has worked on light drafts before--don't let one allow the various flares etc that friesian feet get too out of control and "trim like a draft". At the same time, I've had farriers that have trimmed the hoof capsule too small and "trimmed them like a pony". Also be aware of the pointy hooves that adolescent friesians get on their hind hooves. You can round them out cautiously, but they SHOULD mature out of it around 4-5 years old.