© Kimberly Meenen
Unlike your favorite car, a horse cannot be put up on blocks and stored for the winter. The hard, frozen winter ground can cause severely broken hoof walls which may require one or more special shoeings in the spring. This can be costly and delay spring conditioning programs.
The best way to prevent winter problems is to provide your horse with proper hoof care, according to Dr. R. D. Scoggins, Equine Extension veterinarian at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at Urbane. "Horses need a regular hoof care program throughout the year to maintain soundness and longevity."
"Over one-half of all lameness cases occur in the feet," he says. "The old axiom 'no foot no horse' is as true today as it was in the past."
The horse's hoof is a complex structure made up of bone, cartilage, joint surfaces, and sensitive and insensitive laminae which work like velcro to hold the hoof on, he explains.
The hoof and its structures work together to absorb concussion, provide support, traction and rebound to help the horse move. A horses hoof functions best when it is unshod on a grass turf surface, says Dr. Scoggins.
So why use shoes? Shoes protect the hoof from man-made environments and help enhance some of the horse's physical activity. Also, some horses have such severely flat or misshapen hooves that shoeing is necessary to maintain a useful horse.
Because all horses do not grow the same kind of hoof or perform the same kind work, shoes and shoeing schedules will vary from animal to animal. For most normal working horses, shoeing and resetting should occur every six to eight weeks. This allows maintenance of normal angles, and prevents hooves from growing too long and becoming unbalanced. Some high performance horses will need to have their shoes reset more frequently. Your farrier and veterinarian can help determine what type shoeing schedule is best for your horse.
Many non-show or non-race horses may not need shoes. "In fact, if the horse is not routinely ridden, trimming on a regular basis may be all that is needed," he says. (This is certainly true for drafters working in a small farm situation, i.e., not pounding surface roads.)
Just as hard, frozen ground can cause problems, wet, muddy conditions can cause problems for shoes or pads. Mud creates a suction action as well as moisture. These two factors soften the hoof wall and can cause shoes to pull off.
In addition to pulled shoes and broken hooves, muddy conditions can also cause infections. Infections can occur on the bottom of the hoof (thrush) and around the skin and the pastern area (scratches). Owners should regularly clean out the bottom of the hooves plus the pastern area to prevent or detect these infections early.
Serious hoof and leg defects need immediate attention. Some may require splints or even surgery. If abnormalities are allowed to persist, it may not be possible to correct them.
Neglecting a horse's hooves will only prolong the potential recovery period and lessen the chances of total success. It's easier to implement a regular hoof care program than trying to bring an unsound animal back into condition, concludes Dr. Scoggins.
Reprinted with permission from The Draft Horse Journal.
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