A horse’s strongest arsenal lies in its strength and agility.

They are not just farm animals.

They are also used to carry knights and soldiers, to transport products, and they are also used to transport civilians.

That is why a horse’s hooves are the most important part of its body.

Without the hooves, a horse wouldn’t be able to run fast and take on heavy cargo.

In order to perform their usual tasks, a horse’s hooves should always be in great shape.

It greatly affects their efficiency and productivity if their hooves are damaged, injured, or overgrown.

Above everything else, it also affects their mobility and it might cause other complications if not treated well and with utmost urgency.

A farrier a day keeps horses’ hooves okay.

Ideally, a horse’s hooves must be trimmed every four to six weeks.

But oftentimes, the horses wouldn’t come back after seeing them once – not even a single horse has ever returned.

Maintenance is key.

Just recently, the Idaho Horseshoeing School was visited by an Arabian stud with overly grown hooves that almost looked like the tips of an elf’s shoes.

Surprisingly enough, the handsome male horse was still able to walk and stand without stumbling or falling.

However, it was evident to them that the poor horse was having a hard time doing such simple tasks.

Riley Mickelsen, the owner of the school, said that with how the stud’s hooves looked, it probably took two to three years for them to grow that long.

The sad truth.

Riley gets such cases quite often and it makes him sad about these poor horses.

Yes, it’s the sole purpose of his school to teach and train people how to be farriers.

However, the cases of overgrown hooves that he’s been getting also mean that more and more horses are being neglected by their owners.

Overgrown hooves like what this Arabian stud had could cause complications and more problems in the future if not immediately treated.

That’s where Riley comes in.

“You’ve got to imagine (it’s) like if you were wearing a softball on the bottom of your shoe all day and you couldn’t just stand flat and you’re rocking all around, how incredibly painful that would be,” Mickelsen described.

It must’ve been very difficult for the horse to even stand, let alone walk or run.

He was due for a makeover.

For a person to be an effective farrier, one must be patient and careful. One wrong move and you might end up injuring the horse.

Trimming overgrown hooves takes time and must not be rushed.

The first thing that he did was measure where the coffin bone was resting, knowing its location would help him estimate where to saw off the overgrown end parts of the hooves.

He used an electronic saw to chop them off and flipped the hooves, one at a time, to start with the flattening process.

Using hoof nippers, Riley then proceeded to remove the accumulated dirt underneath and in between the hooves.

It was also one way of checking if the hooves were hiding any wounds.

Worry not.

The entire process of trimming the horse’s hooves didn’t hurt the horse at all.

Time for the finishing touches.

Finally, after getting all the overgrown parts of the hooves done, he finished it by using a rasp to bring back their original look.

And just like that, the horse was able to walk again without any difficulties or any signs of discomfort.

The Arabian stud was back to his majestic form again.

See this horse get the gold-star treatment he needs from a determined farrier below!

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Source: YouTube – Idaho Horseshoeing School, Idaho Horseshoeing School – Facebook