Pick up each hoof every evening and every morning and check four things: stones lodged in the sole or frog, cracks in the wall, heat in the hoof wall compared with normal, and the condition of any shoe. Pry stones out with a hoof pick or stick; minor cracks are cosmetic but cracks reaching sensitive tissue cause lameness, and heat means bruising, abscess or the start of laminitis.
Part of Pack Animal Management
The four-point hoof check for working animals: what to look for, what each finding means and what to do next.
Four Checks, Twice A Day
Most lameness gives warning in the foot first: a stone pressing, a crack opening, heat, a loose shoe. The inspection costs about a minute a hoof and sits in the evening and morning routine of every pack trip.
| Check | Look or feel | Meaning | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stones | Sole and frog | Lodged stone bruises | Pry out with a hoof pick or stick |
| Cracks | Wall | Minor cracks cosmetic; cracks that reach sensitive tissue cause lameness | Note; reduce load or protect if deep |
| Heat | Hoof wall, compared with normal | Bruising, abscess, or the start of laminitis | Rest, investigate; see Emergency Hoof Repair |
| Shoe condition | If shod | Shoes tight, nails not risen | Reset or replace |
What You Need
- A hoof pick, or a stick.
- Light.
- A calm, haltered animal — tied with a quick-release knot or held.
- A routine — the same order every time.
Method: Lift And Look
Step 1: Stand beside the animal’s shoulder, facing the tail. Run a hand down the leg to the fetlock and ask the animal to lift the foot. This is general handling practice, not from the source article.
Step 2: Clean the sole. Pick out mud and stones, working from heel to toe away from yourself.
Step 3: Look at the frog and sole. Stones lodged, cracks, anything unusual.
Step 4: Feel the wall. Compare warmth with the other hooves. Heat in one hoof is the signal.
Step 5: Check the shoe. Tight, nails not risen.
Step 6: Test for tenderness. A flinch when a bruised spot is pressed with the pick points to a stone bruise; see Emergency Hoof Repair.
Worked Example
Time and count for a string.
- Per animal: 4 hooves x 2 inspections a day = 8 hoof checks.
- A string of 6: 6 x 8 = 48 checks per day.
- At an assumed 1 minute per hoof: 48 minutes a day.
Reduce time by inspecting while loading and unloading, not as a separate stop, but never skip a hoof.
Common Mistakes
- Looking only at the near side — all four hooves, every time.
- Missing the heat — feel the wall; do not just look.
- Prying with the point toward you — a slip drives the pick into your hand.
- Treating a crack as cosmetic without checking depth.
Safety
A lifted foot is next to a kicking leg
Stay beside the shoulder or hip, never directly behind. Keep your head and body out of the line of the leg, hold the foot low, and let go if the animal pulls. Never hold a lead rope wrapped round a hand while handling a foot.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Emergency Hoof Repair — what to do with what you find
- Combine with: Hoof & Foot Care — trimming and shoeing routine