Foals hooves

Question
When should I have my foal's hooves trimmed for the first time?

Answer
Hello Samantha,
Thank you for your question. I am in no ways an expert on foals so all I can give you is what is recommended for foals in the literature.
The most important thing is that you start handling your foal's feet every day and teach him/her to stand (not tied, just stand in hand by mom) and have all 4 feet lifted and messed with. Without this basis, it will be close to impossible for even the most competent farrier to trim feet plus the foal with end up with a very traumatic experience and you certainly don't want that. Trimming should be fun :-)
It is recommended that by no later than 4 weeks after birth the foal's hooves and conformation get evaluated by a competent farrier/vet who is experienced with foal hoof care. This is because if there are any conformational issues, many of these can be corrected with corrective foal farriery and glue on shoes. This is a critical time in your foal's life and later soundness so I would look around for a competent person(s) and invest in a thourough consult and evaluation plus then a recommended trimming/follow-up plan. Time, effort and money invested in early COMPETENT foal foot care will certainly pay off later.
So, long answer to your question....by 4 weeks a farrier should have seen your foal's feet.

Hope this was helpful!

Christine