If you’re a horse owner, you most likely have heard the saying “no hoof, no horse”. This may be an old saying but it couldn’t be more true. The hooves are the most important part of their body that owners need to make sure is taken care of. Not all horses have perfect hooves, but we can take some measures to help prevent or treat common problems.
Maintenance
Your horse's hooves need to be cleaned out daily, I can’t stress this enough! Many people don’t clean out their horse's hooves every day, and this can lead to complications. By using a hoof pick, (I love using a hoof pick with brush), you can clean the sides of the frog and the white line. This helps keep mud and manure out and prevents any bacteria from forming.
Not only do horses need their hooves cleaned daily, but it is very important to have regular trimmings. Horses need their hooves trimmed every 4-8 weeks, it depends on the horse and how much hoof growth there is. Horses’ hooves grow quicker in the spring and summer months, and the growth slows down in the winter months. Having your horses’ hooves trimmed regularly can prevent problems like cracks and white line disease.
Diet
Diet is so important when it comes to hoof care. If your horse doesn’t have a balanced diet, then the hooves can get too much of one nutrient or too less of a nutrient. Hooves that have an imbalance of vitamin A, for example, can have a flaky appearance. If you like to dig deeper and learn more about your horses’ hooves, I highly recommend The Essential Hoof book. This book has everything you could know about hoof care! You can also check out my Basic Hoof Care Guide here.
To make sure your horse is getting proper hoof nutrition, you can feed a supplement. For example, a horse that has a pasture/hay only diet can eat a supplement such as the Farrier’s Formula Double Strength. This supplement, made by Life Data Labs ensures that your horse will have a balanced diet and healthy hoof growth.
I also recommend the Farrier’s Formula Double Strength Plus Joint supplement if you want joint and hoof support for your horse. When looking at hoof supplements, you want to look at how much biotin is in the supplement. Studies show that if a horse is fed at least 15-20mg of biotin per day will have good hoof health. Biotin helps the horse’s hooves grow quicker and be stronger, therefore preventing cracking.
Environment
As much as we all would like to, we can’t control the weather. Rainy and muddy conditions can cause problems for your horses’ hooves. This is why you need to have a dry place for your horse to be out of the mud and rain. For example, if your horse was to stand in deep mud and manure, bacteria from that can get into your horse’s hoof and cause thrush. If you don’t have a clean dry environment for your horse, then you need to make sure to pick out the hooves daily to prevent thrush from occurring.
If your horse has a small crack in its hoof that can’t be resolved by a hoof trimming, I highly recommend using Life Data Labs hoof clay to protect the hoof from any bacteria entering. I love this clay, and it has helped a small crack in my horse’s hoof from getting any worse. I feel comfortable with my horse out in a wet pasture when this clay is in the hoof crack.
The dry ground can also be just as bad as the wet. If you live in a place where there are droughts for long periods of time, your horses’ hooves can get dry and brittle and start to crack. This is when it’s helpful to use a hoof conditioner. Using a hoof conditioner helps the moisture balance in the hoof when it’s really dry. The coniditioner also helps bring moisture to the dry hooves and therefore prevents more cracking from occurring.
When using a hoof coniditioner, you want to make sure to not use it too much. Using this too much can make your horses’ hooves too soft and could open the door to more problems. You also want to make sure you use a coniditioner that still allows the hoof to breathe naturally. I prefer Farrier's Finish as it is natural and long-lasting on the hooves.
Conclusion
By taking some steps to care for your horses’ hooves and prevent common problems, your horses’ hooves will be healthy. At the end of the day, it all comes down to daily maintenance, trimmings, and nutrition. We all love our horses, so we want to make sure that their foundation is happy and healthy.
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