How long does it take to grow out imbalances?
The amount of time the hoof wall takes to grow from the coronet down to the ground is known as a hoof growth cycle or HGC. An HCG can take a horse anywhere from about 6 months give or take to about a year give or take. This timeframe really varies from horse to horse and other environmental factors such as time of year, lifestyle, diet, amount of exercise, whether there are other bodily issues such as chiropractic, muscular, conformation or even dental issues. Common flares can take as little as 1 or two trims or up to a HCG to be removed but deformities such as a laminitic hoof with wall separation higher up on the foot, pidgeon toes, club foot and severe under-run heels could take many more than one HCG to be corrected.
