Since FFF is an international stable, we have owners and ponies from all over the world. I wish to help in communication by setting up a unifying glossary of terms used by Atheena in her training. Please consult this page to look up terms she has used. IF you find one that is not on the list, please inform her so she can add it. Atheena will be adding these as she thinks of them, so questions will help it go up faster.

Diagram of a Horses Foot.

Bottom of a horse foot

Click to see larger view

If I am talking to you about cleaning out the horses hoof these are the terms I will use. The Sole of the foot is a dome and can hold a good bit of packed mud, stones or
debris. Use the hoof pick to clean mud by scraping from heel to toe.

Be very mindful of the groove by the frog. This area can house very small stones, which hurt the Equine very much.
The green area of the foot is the heel. The blue area is the part where the horse shoe will be nailed into. The white area is like the quick on your fingers. IF this is punctured it will hurt the horse.

Trimming the wall is like clipping a fingernail. It does not hurt. The wall is the growing part of the horses foot, and it needs to be trimmed down so the horse will have a stable area to walk on.

IF shod properly, the frog will be trimmed and kept neat. A ragged frog will be to the horse what a hang nail would be to a person. Please keep the frog clean of stones, and do not cut deeply into it if you trim it as it will be extremely painful.

Understand this is the minimal of information you would need to care for your Equine alone. Please consult your farrier for more information.

If you notice your horses shoe is loose, it is ok to pull the shoe off yourself. You may want to get someone to show you how to be sure you do not take off part of the ecessary wall of the foot in the process. Always remember to clip off any nail showing thru the wall of the shoe first. Then, pull against the shoe not the horses hoof when removing a shoe.