How often does a horse see an equine vet? Do they have annual checkups like dogs and cats do? Or, do they need to go more often?

Do most of you have vets who come to you, or do you load up your horse?

Stephanie,

Yes, at minimum they need a yearly check up. This way the vet (Not sure what you feel comfortable doing yourself) can come out and listen to them and do a good physical exam, check the horses teeth (and float if needed), clean a gelding sheath, do vaccines, and answer any questions and concerns you may have.

Depending on where you live will depend if the vet has a clinic or if there is a referral hospital in the area. The majority of Equine vets do make farm calls, but if they have a clinic the office call may be cheaper than the farm call. You will just have to check with your local vets.

This is what the average horse needs :

Farrier care every six to eight weeks.
Regular worming - every six to eight weeks.
Regular veterinary care - seasonal vaccinations. Some can be administered by the horse owner, others require veterinary certification, 2 visits per year.
Annual dental checkups - can be administered by your veteriarian during one of his seasonal visits, or by an equine dentist,average of two visits per year.

Eventhough, some people go by a time frame on when to shoe or when to do teeth. You overall must go by the horse. If you see your horse getting a bit long with its feet, yet it isn't time for shoes, you might want to have the farrier come by. Every horse is different. My gelding, needs shoes every 4 weeks. Same with teeth. You don't 'need' to have their teeth done twice a year. You can feel the teeth yourself and judge to see if they are getting sharp, etc.

Thanks for the information!

So, does the average horse need new shoes every 4-6 weeks? Does a farrier only come when it is time for new shoes? What about any other care for the hooves? (trimming and such) Does the farrier do this, too? I am assuming that the farrier comes on-site to handle this.

Thanks, again, for all of the help.

The farrier does come out to trim the feet as well as put on new shoes, if the horse wears shoes. The adverage time for shoes is 4-6 weeks, but I have seen others go as far as 8 weeks. When you have the farrier out to see the horse, he/she will tell you when the horse will need to be seen again.

Do some horses go without shoes? If so, why? I would guess that how often a horse needs hoof care and new shoes would depend upon riding surfaces and frequency of riding. Would this be the case?

Our horses will primarily be in their stalls or in the field/paddock. And, we'd go pleasure riding around our property and on nearby trails. I'll be interested to see how often my horse one day needs to see a farrier.

In your case, you might want to stick with natural bare foot trimmers, no shoes. Shoes are never required, unless your horse needs them to correct foot or leg soundness issues or your riding dicipline calls for them. Even if your horse is standing around in a pature, he will still need to be seen by the farrier for trimming. You can judge yourself when the horse's feet are getting too long and its time for a trim.

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but what are natural bare foot trimmers? I definitely will rely upon a farrier at first to help me learn when my horse's feet need attention. Plus, I am sure my trainer friend of mine will be a GREAT help.