Facts about hooves - My Horsez

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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?

Thinks-smart says:

Thinks-smart

A while ago I did an internship with a farrier, very interesting. Did you know that horseshoes are not necessary in most cases? He also explained that every horse has a different hoof structure. One horse has harder hooves than the other. Most people think that shoes look nice. Only they do not know that they can also cause a lot of damage. I have also seen pictures of horses' hooves that were completely ruined by the shoes.

RabidWolves says:

RabidWolves

Quote Thinks-smart

As a farrier, I agree with this 100%. Not every horse needs shoes, while some might. Some horses are so terrible about pulling shoes, that they destroy their foot while pulling it off. And it's not just the hoof structure we must look at when trimming (or shoeing) horses. We have to look at the entire horse. The leg structure and how the horse stands can tell us a lot about how the horse's hooves are impacting them and their overall comfort.

Quirinal says:

Quirinal

Quote RabidWolves

Quote Thinks-smart

Any thoughts about hoof boots? Are there any dangers associated with those or are they relatively harmless as they're not 'permanently' fixed to the horse itself?

Maki says:

Maki

My horse was always barefoot. He had no need for shoes so he didnt have them

HolyCow says:

HolyCow

It's true that shoes should not be used the same way anymore! I think its important to realise that with scientific research, there can always be some new information that changes how we traditionally care for our horses. It wasn't that long ago that shoes were considered a basic need to prevent a horses hooves from wearing out on the hard roads. Nowadays we know that shoes impair hoof function, most horses don't wear out their hooves fast enough to justify using shoes, and thus they should definitely not be standard. This is taught in most modern vet schools and farrier courses. It can however take a while for this new information to reach all horsepeople, both amateurs ánd professionals.

However, I'm still a fan of shoes, just not on évery horse! Although rare, there are definitely horses working on terrains where shoes have their advantages, especially with working horses. Most importantly: In certain orthopedic problems, special shoes can work like magic! I will say tho, medical shoes need a farrier who is specialised in this, or at least a farrier thats keen on working together with such a specialist to make sure it goes well!

To know whats best for your horse, better to talk to a vet (preferably one that takes interest in equine orthopedics) and/or a good farrier with adequate experience in both barefoot horses and shoes.

RabidWolves says:

RabidWolves

Quote Quirinal

Quote RabidWolves

Quote Thinks-smart

Any thoughts about hoof boots? Are there any dangers associated with those or are they relatively harmless as they're not 'permanently' fixed to the horse itself?
↳ Go to the original forum post.

I love hoof boots. If sized correctly, they are a great option for extra protection without the need for shoes. They are also removable so they horse does not need to wear them 24/7.

[Update 05-01-2025 18:34]
Quote HolyCow

Exactly! Not every horse can be barefoot, just like not every horse needs shoes! I have seen some cases where a shoe was needed for specific problems. (I'm still working on one.) Without the shoes, the horses were painful and just not happy overall.

Weberly says:

Weberly

My horse had an abcess inhis right front hoof. Our vet suggested and did cut half of his hoof off for it to heal. Therefore we had to treat it and pack it with epson salt daily. He lost so much weight. He was a bag of bones in our front yard. He finally grew another hoof but it was clubbed. He had some age on him when treatment began. He never fully recovered from that procedure mentally or physically. He lived about 10 more years. I was able to ride him some and took him toa few rodeos and preformed, but his hoof was about 3 inches taller than the other one. Very ackward gate for both of us.

EloQuence says:

EloQuence

My Shetland always stand barefoot

no shoes!! No thanks!!

(i find them cute, its the only reason i don't like it he doesn't have shoe's. Because i would like to keep a pair of his shoe's after the wears them completely off)

I goes about once in 1 or 2 weeks on the street with his sulky. A natural hoof trimming

I just need to call my farrier 1 time in a year :') and he always says the same: i don't have many work on your horse his feet 🙈

I like it that way :') and my horse as well 😂

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