Everything You Need To Know About Horses

Hoof Care

Many horses develop multiple splits around the bottom of the hoof wall, especially in the summer, and it has been suggested that damage to the periople can lead to drying of the hoof wall, making it prone to cracking. Add to this, long toes and loose shoes and the cracking will become worse.

Once the horse develops poor quality hoof horn, the underlying tissues are not adequately protected and can be bruised, resulting in blood leaking into the horn, further weakening it. Apart from those products purely designed to improve the appearance of the hoof, hoof oils and creams claim to condition the hoof wall.

Some external hoof care dressings aim to waterproof the hoof wall to protect against the damp in much the same way that we apply barrier creams to out hands. They are also said to counter brittleness and contracted feet. Modern opinion is that they are mainly cosmetic and may actually upset the normal movement of moisture in and out of the hoof.

Moisturing creams and oils aim to regulate the moisture balance of the hoof. Horse’s hooves can lose moisture to dry ground, bedding and when there is heat in the feet. The idea is that these protect the hoof from the extremes of outside influences while allowing the hoof to breathe naturally. The hoof also needs protection from the effects of standing in dung and urine soaked bedding, ammonia and urea given off by excreta is a major cause of soft hoof walls and soles.

Some hoof preparations recognise that the horse evolved in arid conditions where the hooves would have been hard and dry and aim to harden and condition soft and brittle horn. Natural dry horn may break up when subjected to shoeing, however, in some countries horses are just as likely to have waterlogged soft horn as dry and brittle horn.