Many people have questions and concerns about their horse's hoof health. One major problem that we see is that people don't really know what a healthy foot looks like. Often times a horse owner knows 'something doesn't seem right' but he or she doesn't know how to articulate what is wrong.
The solution is to study horse's feet in order to train your eye. You need to learn what good healthy feet look like as well as what unhealthy feet look like. Sometimes unhealthy is pretty obvious. But more often than not there is a fuzzy place where the foot is heading in the wrong direction but just how wrong may not become clear for years to come.
For example, this jumper has been chronically lame for some time but the owner never attributed it to his own shoeing job. Other than the fact that the foot is breaking up, now many would attribute the horse's lameness to his feet? The problems are obvious though to a trained eye. This horse is now barefoot... and sound.
Here's a short list of key points to look for in a naturally healthy hoof
- The walls are smooth and straight (no horizontal grooves).
- The coronet band slopes down at the heel and upwards at the toe.
- The weight bearing portion of the hoof should line up under the bony structure of the leg.
- The frog is thick and wide at the heel.
- The horse, in motion, lands on his heels first
It is all just a matter of knowledge. The more you learn, the more information you expose yourself to, the more you have to offer your horse when it comes to his long term health and well being.
Our goal is to help owners along on this exciting journey.
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