getting started 

cost of ownership

bloodstock agents 

your trainer 

transporting your horse 

role of veterinarians 

horseshoer or farrier

do I need insurance?  

tax considerations  

library   

reading a catalog page
 

The old saying goes "no hoof, no horse" and it is so true. Hoof problems can keep your horse out of competition and foals with poor feet may be compromised and have little chance of being racehorses.  A famous story is how A.P. INDY, the favorite, was scratched the morning of the Kentucky Derby due to a foot bruise.

Vigilant trimming of your foal's feet can help correct leg deformities. On the flip side, feet trimmed improperly or not often enough can lead to leg deformities or cause injuries. A horse in training must be re-shod about every 4 weeks and a foal may need trimming as often as every two weeks. Yearlings are usually trimmed about every 3-4 weeks.

 "Regular" shoeing includes hoof trimming and runs about $85-$150 per horse at the track, less at the farm or training center (the price depends on your locale and the farrier´s expertise).  When it comes to "special" or "remedial" shoeing and procedures, farriers will charge according to their reputation, experience and what the local market will bear with charges for things like quarter crack patches and glue on shoes potentially adding $500 per month or better to your farrier expenses

Bar shoes are for horses developing hoof or quarter cracks and are $50- $100 per shoe, applied instead of "regular" shoes. There are various types of bar shoes, but all share the same design in that they are closed at the heal.

Quarter Crack Patches repair serious (and inevitable) hoof cracks - $300-$400 per patch, in addition to the "regular" shoeing. The cracks are wired together and a fiberglass or acrylic patch is placed over the wires.

Trimming of your horse's feet where no shoes are applied for those horses out on pasture, yearlings and weanlings usually runs $20-$35.