What one shoeing entry should capture
A useful entry takes under a minute: date, farrier's name, work done — new set, reset, fronts, backs, trim only — shoe type and size, studs or pads if fitted, and the balance or corrective note, such as raised heels, rolled toes, or a bar shoe on the left hind. Finish with how the feet looked before work began: toe length, heel height, any flaring, cracks, thrush, or a bruised sole. That before note is the part most logs skip and the part that matters most two cycles later.
Tracking growth between visits
Hoof growth is the variable that decides whether your cycle length is right. At the midpoint of each cycle, run a hand over each shoe for looseness, look for the toe outgrowing the shoe, and note the gap between shoe and heel. Record it in one line: week three, shoes tight, toe long, heels under-running. Horses vary — a horse in hard work on abrasive ground wears metal faster than he grows hoof, while a rested horse on soft ground may grow out of a set while the shoes still look new. Your log, not the calendar, should set the booking rhythm.
Spotting patterns across cycles
Read three or four entries together and the log starts answering questions. Recurring cracks in the same quarter point to a balance issue worth raising with the farrier before the next set. One foot always growing faster suggests uneven loading, which belongs in a conversation with the vet as well. Seasonal patterns appear too — feet that crumble every summer in dry weather, or soften and spread in a wet winter on clay — and knowing them lets you book longer or shorter cycles ahead of the season rather than reacting to a lost shoe.
Photos that make the log honest
A quick photo of each hoof from the front and side, taken on the day of shoeing and again mid-cycle, shows growth and angle change more truthfully than memory. Keep the stance consistent — horse standing square on level ground, camera at the same height — so the comparison is real. Photos also protect you in disputes about when a crack appeared, and they give a new farrier a year's hoof history at a glance.
Working with your farrier
Share the log rather than guarding it: farriers plan better when they can see growth notes and mid-cycle observations instead of relying on the owner's summary in the yard. Note agreed changes — moving to five-week cycles through summer — in the entry so both sides work from the same plan, and record who suggested a shoeing change and why. Over a year, the log becomes the shared memory of the horse's feet. Those farrier entries carry more weight alongside the rest of the hoof story, and KinsLe's Pet Passport keeps shoeing records with your horse's vet history in one packet for farrier and vet visits alike.