Cheat Sheet for Hoof Health

Three indicators of hoof health:

1. PLAY HOOF PEEK-A-BOO: With the hoof on the ground, cover everything but the top inch under the coronet with your hand. The top inch shows how the hoof wants to grow. Take your hand away. There should not be a surprise!

2. TAKE THE TOE TEST: On the bottom of a clean hoof, draw a line across the widest part of the foot (also where the bars terminate) and across the very back of the frog material. Draw a parallel line across the toe region. The lines at the toe and back of the frog should be about the same distance from the middle line.

3. ASSESS FROG FUNCTION: The frog should be one, tough unit, with a valley in the middle. DEEP CENTRAL CLEFT=DEEP THRUSH. Generally shedding should be minor; dramatic frog shedding can indicate that your horse’s callus is being eaten away by thrush, especially if the new frog underneath seems pale, sickly, or underdeveloped.

RED ALERT: Prominent growth rings, flared toes and growth rings that are farther apart at the heels than at the toe can be indications of laminitis.

Four things you can do to promote hoof health:

1. KEEP YOUR HORSE FIT NOT FAT! For many horses, this is not only the difference between healthy and unhealthy hooves, THIS IS LIFE AND DEATH. Feed the minimum amount to keep your horse’s weight, and exercise him as much as you and he can. DO make sure your horse is getting appropriate minerals; DO test your hay and balance to that (Balanced Equine Nutrition will formulate a supplement based on your hay sample: http://www.balancedequinenutrition.com/). Recommended products: California Trace, Grand Hoof, Focus Hoof. Avoid products with Iron, Manganese, and Potassium because these tend to be high in our area and block absorption of other minerals (Copper, Zinc and Selenium are usually deficient).

2. TREAT FOR THRUSH! If it warns you not to get it on your skin, DO NOT USE IT ON A THRUSH INFECTION, this is an infected wound on your horse’s foot and SENSITIVE. Product recommendations: White Lightning, CleanTrax, No Thrush, Thrush Off, Huuf Magic, Pete’s Goo, Silvetrasol, baby powder, Desitin as a preventative. Probe your horse’s frog every time you clean the foot, especially in the center, and remove any shedding material with scissors or a hoof knife. **NOTE: Thrush infections HURT, BE CAREFUL as your horse may react violently to deep probing of the central cleft. During muddy seasons weekly or anytime there is anything deep or black or smelly, treat with a natural topical as a preventative. Rotate products to avoid resistant bacteria.

3. MAINTAIN A SHORT SHOEING/TRIMMING CYCLE! Besides diet, the overwhelming cause of hoof deformity in domestic horses is overgrowth. This is even more important in shod horses because you are taking away the horse’s ability to wear his hooves himself, but some of the worst feet I have seen come from neglected barefoot horses out in wet, green pasture. Your horse’s genes are hardwired to think he is moving 20 miles a day over rough ground!

4. ENSURE ADEQUATE HOOF PROTECTION! Whether that is horseshoes, hoof boots, or thick soles, walls and frogs, don’t ask your horse to perform over terrain without suitable protection on his feet. Not only is this cruel and damaging to the internal structures, but improper movement perpetuates unhealthy hooves. For advice on what his hooves are capable of, check with your farrier, your trimmer… or your horse!