For pasture horses such as my own a good farrier schedule is 8-12 weeks. This depends on the nutrient content of the pasture (it has more sugars, and thus creates more hoof growth in the spring), what the horse eats otherwise, and how much the horse wears down its hooves. Nice sandy arenas and deeply bedded stalls are nice for ourselves and for the work that we ask our horses to do; they’re not so good for wearing down hooves.
The other issue is conformation. Although you wouldn’t know it to look at her, my senior mare was born with pretty crooked legs. Like her human mom, she “toes out” a bit when she walks and this also produces uneven hoof growth.
I live far enough out that many farriers in the area won’t travel this far to see me. And while I do have a hoof rasp and could probably do a bit of work, I also know how important hoof angles are and I didn’t want to mess anything up. Plus, the fact that my mare toes out also means she does need a professional’s touch from the farrier.
I finally was able to get a farrier here and Fortune got her “pedicure”. She moves and looks a lot better and we’re back on an 8-12 week schedule after things got a little off-kilter after my mother’s death last fall. So here we go. It’s all good, and I once again feel like a good horse mom.
