Hoof care is arguably the most fundamental equine welfare intervention. Regular, skilled farriery prevents pain, lameness and suffering that affect millions of horses globally.
Hoof health is the foundation of equine welfare because a horse in foot pain cannot move comfortably, access food and water normally or exhibit natural behaviour. Neglected hooves grow excessively long, distorting the coffin bone angle and causing chronic pain and eventual structural damage. Thrush and white line disease in neglected feet cause tissue destruction and bacterial infection. Regular farriery prevents the vast majority of these problems: a horse with well-maintained feet is a horse that can move freely, participate in appropriate work and have a good quality of life. The gap between hoof care standards in high-income and low-income countries is enormous: working equids in South Asia and Africa routinely work with severely overgrown, untreated feet causing constant pain that reduces both welfare and working capacity.