Wild horses maintain their hooves mainly through constant movement over tough, varied ground, which wears the hoof down as fast as it grows, plus natural selection that favors animals with strong, well‑shaped feet.

How wild hooves stay trimmed

  • Wild horses walk and trot many miles every day (often dozens) in search of food and water and to avoid predators, so their hooves are continually worn down like nails on a rough file.
  • They live on abrasive terrain—rock, hard‑packed dirt, sand, dry grass—that naturally grinds and smooths the hoof wall and sole.
  • Hooves grow all the time, but in the wild the growth is balanced by this constant wear, so they rarely become long and curled the way a stalled horse’s hooves might.
  • Over many generations, horses with weak or badly shaped hooves are less likely to survive, so wild populations tend to have compact, tough, rounded hooves that cope well with the environment.
  • Their lifestyle—constant movement, lean natural forage, and often drier climates—also reduces problems linked to standing in wet, dirty stalls, such as thrush and some infections.

Why domestic horses are different

  • Domestic horses usually move far less and often live on softer footing, so their hooves don’t wear down enough on their own and need regular trimming every 6–8 weeks.
  • Being ridden on artificial surfaces and carrying riders can create different wear patterns, so humans use trimming and sometimes shoes to keep hooves balanced and protect them.

In forum discussions, people often sum it up as: “Nature is the farrier for wild horses, but once we change their lifestyle, we have to take over the job.”

Tiny story to picture it

Imagine a mustang herd crossing dry plains and rocky washes all day: every step across gravel and hardpan shaves off a fraction of hoof, so by the time they’ve traveled 20–30 miles, they’ve “self‑trimmed” without ever standing still for a hoof pick.

TL;DR: Wild horses keep their hooves in check because they move huge distances over rough, abrasive terrain, and over time only those with naturally strong, efficient hooves thrive—so their feet stay short, tough, and functional without human trimming.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.