A Frequently Asked Question

"How do you make a healthy hoof?"

Ask this of 20 different hoof care providers, and you are liable to get about, oh, maybe 60 or so different answers at a minimum.

Why the diversity? Much like with everything else with your horse, there IS no single answer to fit every single situation, with every single horse. There are similarities though, that we can cover today.

These basic similarities begin with internal health of the horse. If you do not have a healthy horse INSIDE, you will not have a healthy outside (or a healthy hoof.) Start with a talk with your vet, to set up a good de-worming schedule, suited to your geographic location, the age of your horse, and his job(s). Parasite control is crucial to making a healthy horse on the inside. While you are at it, check their teeth too. Dental issues are at the root of a lot of issues with horse health and behavior.

Next, look over your feeding program. Evaluate it with your vet, and or county extension agent.

Third is my favorite: Timely, Routine Hoof Care, provided by a well trained, highly skilled service provider.

We are often asked "Does my horse need a hoof supplement?" 99% of the time, no, they do not. Save your money, and get some Really Good Fly Spray instead. It will make more of a difference for your horse AND his hooves, as it will help prevent him from stomping endlessly at the flies on his legs, creating extra concussion on the hooves, and joints.

Is there a hoof supplement we prefer? No, not so much. In the rare cases we do need one, I advise people to seek out one with high biotin levels, and a minimum of everything else. Again- if you grain your horse, check your feed labels to make sure you will not be overloading your horse on a supplement.

If no supplements, what can we do to help create/ maintain a healthy hoof?

EXERCISE.

As I have stated here before (many times, I am sure,) the hoof is NOT a solid unit like a block of wood. Inside that hoof wall are blood vessels, tendons, cartilage, bones, and softer tissue. Like anything else, if you do not use those pieces, they loose tone, strength, and flexibility. The digital cushion can and does turn from a tough, fibrous mass, to a light weight "flabby" gelatinous mess that can in no way shape or form provide the support needed.

If you don't have a healthy INSIDE, you will not have a healthy OUTSIDE.

We are not going to get into the Great Debate in this post, (The Great Debate being: Shoes -VS- Barefoot,) that is a subject that can span months, get heated, and frankly, attracts a lot of strange viewpoints.

Time is our friend when dealing with hoof issues. You've heard the saying "Time heals all wounds", right? Did you ever stop long enough to really think about that? Time does amazing things to heal bodies and their appendages. Turn out, good hay, grooming, fussing, worming, and routine skilled trimming can make a HUGE difference in the overall health of your horse along with his hooves.

Oh- wait a moment.

You can't really have a healthy hoof, if you don't have a healthy horse, right? Right.

In a nutshell folks, work overall on getting the entire horse healthy, provide 24 / 7 turnout if at all possible, good quality hay, routine parasite control, and proper hoof care. Your entire horse will get healthier, and so will his hooves.