How to help your horse have healthy hooves

Horses who are kept in stalls should have their feet cleaned every day. Photo by Dusty Perin©

Sometimes it seems the answer can be a puzzle. Advice is plentiful, yet it can be contradicting.

What is a horse owner to do? That old saying whispers in your head, 'No hooves, no horse,' and you love your steed. He's your friend. You've been through a lot together.

"Keeping your horse's hooves healthy has to do with a few things." Says Steve Raub; an Oklahoma Farrier College graduate who works with a variety of equines every day.

First, to better understand, let's take a look at the anatomy of the hoof.

The Hoof is made up of six main structures.
1. These are the extensions of the hoof wall which extends from the buttress of the heel and parallel to the side of the frog.
2. Frog - The frog is the triangle shaped projection located between the heels. The frog helps dissipate concussion (along with the foot expansion).
3. Hoof Wall - The hoof wall is the outside covering of the hoof. This varies in thickness from heel to toe.
4. Periople - The periople helps to seal in moisture. It is the varnish like covering of the hoof wall that helps protect the hoof.
5. Sole - The sole covers the ground surface of the foot and protects the inside of the hoof.
6. White Line - The white line is the outer portion of the laminae system. It is made up of interlocking laminae.
An interview with farrier Steve Raub:
Question: What are some ways to keep your horse's hooves healthy?
Answer: "How and what you feed your horse. Each horse may require a different diet. Think about the amount of activity, along with the horse's breed, and factors such as the seasons. These all play into what and how much a horse should eat. Some horses may require more grain, some none at all or very little. Some need supplements such as biotin and maybe other minerals."

Question: What are a few signs that your horse's hooves are healthy?
Answer: "Look for cracks, chipping, how the hoof is growing. Is it growing down as it should be or is it flaring out with constant cracks and chips? Watch the hoof wall. This will tell you.

As far as underneath, usually there won't be as much problem here if your hoof wall is good. If it is good, there won't be as much pressure on the sole where there will be more weight. If the hoof wall is not so good, there will be more bruises to the sole, cuts, puncture wounds, and so on. A good hoof wall will keep the sole off the ground more which results in less problems to the sole.

The biggest problems I find with horses in the Northeast, is with the hoof flaring out. If a horse tends to toe out or in, and there are flares, even in the heel (the quarter area), it is best to try and get the pressure off. So, it would be a good idea to have a farrier work on this.

Farriers, or someone, who knows about how to trim a hoof correctly, will work on getting this higher area back down. The pressure of the horse's weight needs to be on the whole area and not on the heels, toes or sides."

Question: What are some other things to keep in mind?
Answer: "Pay attention to the terrain. If you have a lot of rocks in your pasture and/or you ride your horse often in a rocky area; you may need to shoe your horse. Someone else who keeps his horse in a soft pasture and/or rides in soft grassy area may not need shoes at all. Most of the time it is better for a hoof if it doesn't have a shoe. What works for one horse, may not work for another."

Question: What are some problems to watch for?
Answer: "For one thing, if you ever see your horse 'stretched out,' that is definitely a problem. That could mean founder or laminitis. Stiffness too. If you see this in your horse, the first thing you should do is to check his feet for heat."

Other signs that something is wrong:
1. Abscess (hoof is warm to touch and horse is severely lame).

2. Corn (a discolored spot/spots, especially in the angle of the bars).

3. Dished Hoof (irregular, inward curvature of the hoof face).

4. Horizontal Cracks (cracks in the wall which run parallel to the coronary band).

5. Laminitic Rings (horizontal rings).

6. Ripples (asymmetric ridges in the hoof wall).

7. Seedy Toe (loss of lamellar attachments between the hoof wall and coffin bone at the toe).

8. Sheared Heels (bulb of heel is driven upward compared to the rest).

9. Thin, Shelly, Hoof-Walls (cracked or brittle hoof walls, too small or separated white line).

10. Thrush (black to gray discharge and foul stench you may notice when picking out a horse's hooves)

Question: Which climate is better for a horse's hooves, a dry one, a wet one or a mix?
Answer: "I have found differences in hooves just in this area alone." There have been extensive studies done on this. One study was done on Mustangs. They found that the hooves varied according to climate. Horses in the desert had different hooves than ones living in wetter areas.

Researcher David Duckett, FWCF, feels that a three-dimensional "balance" needs to be in effect for a horse's hoof. Duckett feels that there should be shortening of the distance from the point of the frog to the toe. "This would cause a rocking and rolling of the toe on feet and shoes and give the foot a simple break-over mechanism." He says it is a lot like rounding the corners on a block of wood to make it roll more easily.

He also feels that many farriers have been taught that sole pressure is bad, but now they are hearing that it is good. This is still a controversy today.

Question: What are some of the worst things one could do to effect the health of their horse's hooves?
Answer: "Keep these thoughts in mind:
1. over-feed or under-feed.
2. Ignore a problem
3. Not giving the horse enough exercise
4. Not keeping the horse in general good health."

Question: When is it better to put shoes on a horse and when is it not?
Answer: "I find that here in Western New York, that about the middle of March through about the beginning of November, for average trail-horses, that they generally don't need shoes. Some horses need them for a problem with the hoof, some need them because they are used almost every day, such as in racing, working a horse often in an indoor arena, or special showing, etc..., but for general back-yard horses, no. This is because snow tends to ball up on their feet and shoe."

Question: There are opposing opinions when it comes to cleaning your horse's hooves every day. Is it necessary or not?
Answer: "In my opinion, it is not necessary if they are turned out to the pasture often. When a horse is outside he is moving around. He's running, rolling, and playing with the other horses. The dirt and other material is likely to fall out. He's also on the grass, which is better for his hooves anyway.

On the other-hand, if your horse is inside a stall all day, then I think cleaning them every day is necessary."

Question: Is there a difference in hoof care for different seasons?
Answer: "Not really. It depends on the situation. Normally, I would say no. A horse still needs his hooves trimmed, kept rounded, and leveled.

In the spring, if it's real muddy where you are, it may be a good idea to put a moisturizing sealant on the hoof. Many people still believe a lot of mud is good for hooves, but when a horse goes in a dry stall, back outside into the mud, then back into a dry stall again, this can cause damage. It causes the hoof to dry out, start to spread and flare. This is when you see cracking and splitting."

In completing the conversation with Steve Raub, he concluded that a few of the most important things a person can do for their horse's hoof health is to keep their horse healthy, feed them for health, keep their horse's hooves trimmed, and/or get on a regular schedule with a farrier. He added, "Just pay attention to what is going on with your horse and his hooves."

A Few Thoughts On Healthy Hooves:
A horse's hoof is quite a marvel at adaptation. They change shape according to their environment. The hoof is made up of bones, ligaments, tendons, elastic structures, blood vessels and nerves. To help your horse maintain or arrive at healthy hooves keep these thoughts in mind:

1. Warm temperatures often accelerate hoof growth. Your horse may do well on a six-week schedule in the winter; four-week intervals may promote better hoof health during the summer months.

2. You may want to check with your farrier or vet to see if your horse needs biotin. If your horse's hooves constantly crack and/or chip, this supplement may make a difference. It improves the hoof's growth, durability and elasticity. Look for biotin that contains amino acids, methionine, and linsine. These are reported to increase biotin's effectiveness.

3. You may need to apply a hoof dressing. This is especially true if your horse lives in an arid climate and stands on sandy soil or in wood shavings. These pull moisture out of the hoof.

4. Avoid excessive use of hoof colorings. They tend to dry out the hoof.

5. Provide adequate nutrition and exercise for proper hoof growth.

6. Clean the hoof frequently with a hoof pick. Pull the pick from the heel to the toe (not from toe to heel). This is to avoid damage to the frog and heel.

7. Keep your horses from standing in mud or wet conditions for long periods. Some claim a hoof dressing applied to the coronet daily helps; yet this takes time to correct and it only aides in new growth.

8. For an old Native American way, try taking the whites of eggs and rub them into the hoof where the hair and hoof come together, twice a day. Native Americans believed this helped to promote healthy growth of their horse's hoof, helped it to grow faster, and also helped the hoof to be more elastic and glossy.

9. Another Native American way from long ago was to mix equal parts of alcohol, turpentine, coal oil, cajaput oil (East Indian tree {Melaleuca leucadendron} of the myrtle family that yields a pungent medicinal oil) and aqua ammonia and apply it to the affected part for curbs, ring-bones, sprains, and swellings. This was applied twice a day, and kept bottled and corked, along with keeping it away from fires because it was flammable.

10. Horses that live in a more natural environment (walking and grazing, etcŠ) seem to have better hooves than those which are confined. This is because the circulation in the confined horse isn't as good as the one who is receiving exercise.

11. It is better for a horse's hoof to be left unshod if possible. If you notice though that your horse shows signs of being lame, that the hoof-wall begins to chip and/or split, shoes may be needed.

12. Hooves show approximately one year's worth of growth. You can tell a lot about his history by examining his hoof.

13. Horses confined to quarters with mucky footing need frequent cleaning, but horses on clean earth seem to enjoy protection from the mudpack in their feet.

14. The shape of each of your horse's hooves tells the way she lands on her limbs. If your horse is barefoot, examine how she tends to wear the ground surface of each hoof. Is there one side that is worn down more? The best you can hope for ideally, is that she distributes her weight equally across the weight-bearing parts of her hoof.

15. Vitamin A is an important part of your horse's nutrition. It is found in green pastures, good hay, and relates to the quality of the hoof. If your horse isn't getting enough you'll see dramatic rings and convolutions in the hoof wall.

16. Don't leave your horse to stand in urine. This is one of the worst things to do. It destroys his hoof wall because urine contains ammonia.

Feeding for Healthy Hooves:
Nutrition is a large factor. Just as people's health can be shown through their hair and fingernails, it is so for horses.

If you have kept your horse's activity level reasonable, provided a safe environment, kept his other mechanical needs met, and his hooves are still not in the best of condition, it is time to take a look at what he's eating and/or not eating. It could be a genetic problem, but consider his nutrition needs beforehand.

Some people claim that wormers make a difference in their horse's hoof quality. This may be due to the fact that the horse is receiving the impact of what he's eating and not loosing it to parasites.

Check your horse's frogs for the color yellow. If it has this hue, then she may have a selenium deficiency. This deficiency seems to effect the composition and color of the frog.

Remember, though, that too much selenium can be bad. It can cause a horse to slough his hoof and for them to become brittle. If you and your farrier and/or veterinarian decide that a supplement is to be given to your horse, you should see improvement in about six to eight weeks around the coronary band.

Resources Cited/Bibliography:
A special thanks to Steve Raub for the interview. He shared a multitude of helpful tips and information, and is one of the nicest people and the best farrier I've ever dealt with. Steve Raub is a graduate of the 'Oklahoma Farrier College.' He works mostly in the Western New York area on a variety of horses and other equine. He has spent an extensive amount of his life with and around horses along with a few years of riding bulls and horses in rodeos.
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