Hoof Care
No hoof no horse, the old fashioned phase is accurate. Hooves require a fair amount of attention from any horse owner for proper care, and also the attention of a farrier every four to six weeks, depending on the condition and strength of your horse's hooves.
Horses Hooves
The hoof grows from the coronary band, or coronet, downwards and slopes outward to form a broken circle shape at the base. This is simple for balance. Heavy horses have larger hooves for this very reason, so their weight is spread over a larger area.
The underside of the hoof is concave to allow support, and the frog assists with this, acting as a kind of shock absorber. The frog is rubbery, and it minimizes the chance of the horse slipping on less than desirable surfaces.
Conformation of the hoof is very important. Horses who have boxy feet can have associated joint and movement problems. Movement is the horse's freedom, a lame horse can't work, move freely or enjoy a good quality of life. It's surprisingly easy for a horse to become lame, a small bruise in the sole of the hoof can be enough to make a horse sore for weeks.
Hoof Care is vital for the health of your horse !. Hooves also come in two colours, a dark brown or black, and a cream. Cream coloured hooves are typically thought to be softer, and darker hooves slightly stronger.
Horses with socks will generally have creamy hooves on the legs with markings. There are also some horses with a mixed horn colour, a combination of the two. Horses hind hooves are also a slightly different shape from the front hooves, the hind hooves tend to be more narrow, and so require different shaped shoes.
Horses are shod for added protection, for ease of care, and to keep the hooves in good condition and free from wear until the next trim is required.
Shoes can also be used to help grip, small screws known as studs can be screwed in to some horseshoes to allow for added grip in muddy conditions.
Hoof Problems
Trimming helps keep the hooves in good order, and allows your farrier to check for any problems that might develop. If your horse suddenly goes lame, there is a 99% chance that the problem is in the hoof, stones can easily be lodged in the sole, or under a horse shoe. It's important to pick out your horse's hooves every time you're going to ride, and after every ride.
If your horse has serious hoof problems or a mystery lameness, it's possible that your farrier may be able to offer you a solution through corrective shoeing, depending on the problem.
Hoof Abscess
The horse will be clearly in pain when the spot is pressed firmly. After the abscess is drained, the hoof must be wrapped to ensure no infection can enter the area. Abscesses can take weeks to heal, and remember that prevention is better than cure, you may not always be able to prevent a problem, but the more care you take, the less problems you'll have.
Hoof Care
The weight of the horse is spread out on the four legs (obviously !) but weight is channelled through the bones in the leg, straight to the hoof, consequently putting a lot of strain on the hooves themselves.
The weight is kept from the hoof wall
by the laminae, and these areas, including the navicular bone can be prone to extra and abnormal stresses.
The laminae is simply made of interlocking bone and hoof, with blood vessels running through it. It is important to watch lameness in older horses in particular to ensure that the problems aren't irreverisble once they're discovered.
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