This blog post was written by: HolyCow
Facts about hooves
No Hoof, No Horse! Hooves are an important part of a horse, and taking proper care of them is important.
Did you already know the following facts?
1. Hoof colour often depends on the coat colour above the hoof!
Horses with white leg markings often have light-coloured hooves, and horses without leg markings often have dark-coloured hooves. And horses whose leg markings do not go around the whole leg often have both light and dark parts on the hoof. In addition, Appaloosas often have striped hooves!
2. Horse hooves are made of the same material as our hair.
Horse hooves are made of layers of keratin. Keratin is also found in people's nails, and our hair!
3. The frog is not supposed to hurt.
Most horse girls have heard this before: You absolutely must not touch the frog with the hoof scraper, as this is sensitive and you will hurt the horse. This story is reinforced by a large collection of horse games, where in the mini-game ‘pick out your horse's hoofs’, you are getting kicked to pieces as soon as you accidentally touch the frog.
Then, at the equestrian centre, the farrier comes along with his knife and... he cuts off a piece of the frog. Wait, what?
Even though there is living tissue underneath, and it's not very nice when everyone is constantly scraping that part with the hoof pick, the frog itself should not be that sensitive. This is often a sign of a hoof condition, such as thrush.
4. The front and rear hooves differ in shape.
The front hooves are rounder than the back hooves. Most of a horse's weight is on the forehand, so the front hooves are a bit rounder to accommodate that extra weight.
5. Navicular disease is quite complicated
It does not (just) affect the navicular bone, but mostly around it. The whole navicular apparatus - which consists of the bone but also ligaments, tendons and more - plays a role. Subtle changes on x-rays of the navicular bone do not always correspond to clinical signs of navicular disease, while navicular disease can also exist without any signs on the x-rays.
What facts about hooves do you know?