Hoof
Problems
Generally most of the hoof problems stem from any of
the following:
Premature shoeing
Incorrect
trimming
Thrush/Frog infections
Metabolic Syndrome, Laminitis & Founder
Navicular Syndrome
Premature shoeing
Most hoof problems start when a young horse is
shod, often at the age of two, before his hooves are
fully mature. It prevents the hoof structures to
reach their full potential and in many cases leads
to equine foot binding (= using shoes that are too
small), which increases the risk for the horse to
develop hoof pathologies later in life.
Incorrect trimming
- Leaving heels and toes too long
- Creating medio-lateral imbalances
- Creating heel contraction by leaving heels
too long and using shoes that are too small
- Trimming too much sole and frog
Incorrect
Trim
Toe landing stresses coffin bone
& hoof wall unnaturally
Long heels and upright pastern =
loss of shock absorption = increased
risk for ringbone and arthritis
Contracted frogs and heels =
increased risk for navicular
syndrome due to decreased space
around navicular bone
Forward toe & heel syndrome (underslung)
common
Bars are squeezed into a curve
|
Common "Box foot" trim |
Correct Trim
- Short heels = comfortable &
correct heel first landing
- Coffin bone (CB) will be
"ground-parallel" (level) upon
impact
- Sloped pastern = good shock
absorption
- Heel bulbs are wide apart for
max. shock dissipation
- Heels meet the corners of the
frog
- Straight bars = strong heel
structure
|
Natural "Triangle foot" as worn by
wild horses |
More articles on hoof form:
Look at Those Hooves! - Dr. Teskey
Pete Ramey Articles on Hoof Care
Hoof Anatomy - Dr. John The Vet
Thrush/Frog infections
Often a wet or dirty environment is blamed for
such infections, yet the infections are more often
seen seen in horses live in immaculate, dry stables
and get the best diets. This condition is probably
more likely caused by a diet that is too high in sugars
and starches (non-structural carbs) for an individual horse,
since this is what all horses with frog infections
tend to have in common - too many NSCs. A with too
many NSCs tends to weaken the tissues, making them more
prone
to infections. Incorrect trimming, lack of movement and shoeing
frequently exacerbates this problem, by taking away frog
stimulation that keeps frogs healthy.
Infected frogs can be VERY painful and need
to be treated. The infection is not always obvious
and is often missed and existing soreness attributed
to something else. If the frog has a deep sulcus
crack in the back at the heels and the horse
flinches upon investigation with a hoof pick, or
worse starts bleeding, the frog is seriously
infected and needs treatment ASAP.
Best
treatment options are Clean Trax or White Lightning
or the formula Pete Ramey recommends on his website.
Pete Ramey - Frog Management
Metabolic Syndrome, Laminitis & Founder
Most horses are overfed and under-exercised. Not
commonly known is the fact that many horses are
affected by a diet that is too high in
non-structural carbs (sugars and starches) for what they can tolerate. If
you see any of the following warning signs in
hooves, the diet needs to be addressed:
- Tender feet
- Thin soles & hoof walls
- White line separation or disease
- Ripples and/or red lines growing down the
hoofwall (sign of consistent compromise of
hoofwall to laminae connection)
- Frequent thrush problems
- Ratty looking frogs and/or with deep central
frog clefts
- Dropped soles (loss of sole concavity)
- Excessive toe growth (toe flare) with
underslung heels
- Softer hoofwall and sole
- General excessive chipping, cracking and
flaring (not trim related)
- Easy bruising and abscessing
- Poor wound healing
If these warning signs are
ignored, the horse often develops full blown
laminitis (= inflammation of the laminae), and
worse founder (= coffin bone rotation). Please
note that not all horses have to experience a grain
or lush pasture overload to develop laminitis or
founder! The damage is often accumulative until
the horse reaches a point where a proverbial last
straw pushes them over the edge. If the laminitis is
not caught early enough and treated, the horse will
generally founder (which means coffin bone
rotation).
Sometimes mechanical
stresses are blamed for the founder, but it is very
hard to achieve mechanical founder. The horse would
have had to work excessively on a hard surface to
experience this. However, incorrect hoof form (as in
high heels and long toes) can increase the
stresses on the already inflamed laminae and
exacerbate a possible coffin bone rotation, thanks
to the existing shearing forces it creates.
Cushings horses are more
prone to developing laminitis. It is vital that
those horses get the right support through diet,
trim, movement and medication as early as
possible. Please consult the
Equine Cushings
group for more valuable information on the
subject.
Also note that in some rarer cases the laminitis can
be also be caused by ingesting low amounts of toxic
plants! The horse never eats high enough levels
to experience true clinical poisoning symptoms, but
enough to cause varying degrees of laminitis. I
experienced such a case where I suspect bracken fern
caused the problems.
These cases are hard to catch, until one sees a
horse eat part of an offending pant. If hooves do
not seem to improve enough, despite correct trim,
diet management and movement, consider this as a
possibility, no matter how far fetched it may seem!
Further reading on laminitis & founder:
Laminitis - Pete Ramey
Hooves in Trouble - Dr. Teskey
Equine Laminitis Studies - Dr.John The Vet
Navicular Syndrome
Horses with navicular syndrome usually have the
following in common:
- High Heels
- Hoof contraction
- Deformed hoof capsule
- Toe loading
MRIs have shown that
there's a considerable amount soft tissue irritation
around the navicular bone in horses with this
syndrome. It is now also believed that this
irritation comes before the navicular bone is
actually affected.
I am now convinced that
navicular syndrome is much like carpal tunnel
syndrome in humans. It is created by an
"ergonomically" incorrect hoof form that
unnecessarily irritates the soft tissue structures
around the navicular bone.
Reduction and elimination
of symptoms are usually seen as soon as the hoof
form becomes more "bio-mechanically" correct for an
individual horse (meaning that no one form is
correct for all horses - each horse must be treated
as an individual and trim & management adjusted to
its needs).
Quote:
All horses
with heel or navicular troubles can be seen to
have deformed hooves to some degree…these
deformities arise through improper hoof care and
lack of exercise. (See Figures 1 and 2). To
honestly heal these horses instead of
covering up the symptoms of heel pain, we must
provide for a more ideal hoof form
through humane trimming that slowly
changes the hoof shape, allowing the
frog and rear of the hoof to comfortably engage
the ground. Once these horses begin to land
correctly, the once-atrophied and painful
structures such as the digital cushion, lateral
cartilages and impar ligament regain strength
and usefulness and are no longer a source of
pain for the horse. So straightforward is the
basic premise behind this treatment that I have
yet to have a horse fail to improve to some
degree--most are back in the show ring, on the
trail or back in competition.
Hooves In Trouble - DR. Teskey
(Note - deep seated frog
infections are often misdiagnosed as navicular
syndrome)
