Keeping Those Horse Hooves Healthy

Keeping those Horse Hooves Healthy

Have you ever taken a good hard look at your horse's hooves? Have you educated yourself on the hoof and what it is comprised of? Are your horses hooves chipped, cracked, and splitting at the sides? The hoof is too often an over-looked part of the horse. In cold climates of the United States, it is more common than one would think. Out of sight, out of mind. It isn't really that hard keeping those horse hooves healthy.

If your horse's hooves look as described, shame on you. You need to make an appointment with a farrier. Cracked and splitting hooves can often lead to much more serious problems. Permanent lameness can occur when you are not keeping those horse hooves healthy.

Prevention is key. Your farrier will come out, examine your horse's hooves, and do any necessary trimming. If your horse is really bad, it may take a couple visits and a couple of trimmings to get his hooves in order. Some horses will stand for all this nonsense and never give it a second thought. Others, well, they are a different story. Regardless, you need to make sure you're keeping those horse hooves healthy through regular trimmings. Most farriers will carry an appointment book and will automatically set your next appointment for 8 weeks out. A good farrier will call you a week or two before your next trimming and confirm it with you.

Some areas require moisturizers for a horse's hooves. In the southwestern regions of the U.S., this is more prevalent. The dry conditions and hard ground may make it impossible to make keeping those horse hooves healthy, regardless of what you do. There are many commercial hoof moisturizers on the market, and everyone has his or her own opinion of which is best. Try a couple different varieties and use the one you like best. Some people simply put regular shortening or Vaseline on the coronet band to aid in getting moisture to the hoof.

Some horses are more prone to hoof related problems, such as splitting and cracking. The breed of horse and the daily conditions he's exposed to can be contributing factors as well. Remember, no hoof, no horse. It's very true.

The hoof has six primary components:

The frog is the "˜shock absorber' of the hoof. It is triangular in shape and is located between the horse's heels on the underside of the hoof.

The hoof wall is the outside covering of the hoof, and is much like your fingernail

The periople is the enamel-type covering on the outside of the hoof wall, and helps protect the hoof.

The sole is the surface of the hoof and helps protect the hoof as well.

The white line is essentially the quick of the hoof.

In keeping those horse hooves healthy, diet will be a factor as well. Some horses need more supplements to maintain good hooves.

If you live in a rocky area, you may have to shoe your horse to keep his hooves healthy.

On the other hand, if you live in a moist area, you probably will not have to shoe your horse. Too many times my horse has lost shoes in my swamp. He does not get the work that requires shoes. What works for one horse may not work the same for he other horses on your farm.

Some things to watch for with your horse's hooves too are abbesses and founder. These can come on rapidly, or in mild cases, may take weeks or even months to show themselves. Any horse that rests his front hoof or hooves needs to be tended to by a vet immediately. Horses do not normally behave this way. If your horse rocks his weight back and forth from front to rear, you should have him examined. In severe cases of founder, the coffin bone inside the hoof will rotate so much that it will push through the sole of the hoof resulting in death. Your horse will bleed to death through his hoof.

It isn't that hard to keep a watchful eye on your equine friend. Without keeping those horse hooves healthy, you won't have a horse. In the case of horse hooves, prevention is the best medicine.