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Written by Cyber Farrier

Category: Dictionary

HALF KEG OF SHOES: 50 pounds of shoes. From the days when horseshoes were sold in small wooden kegs that contained 100 pounds of shoes.
HAND: A unit of measure equal to 4 inches, used to measure the height of a horse at the highest point of the withers. The number of whole hands is properly followed by a hyphen, then the remaining height in inches. Thus a horse who measures 5 feet and two inches at the withers would be designated "15-2 hands". This is sometimes written with a decimal point replacing the hyphen, which is inadvisable because the decimal point is, on some rare occasions, used to designate following tenths. Hence the 15-2 hand horse might also be designated either "15.2 hands" or "15.5 hands".
HARDIE: A cut or shaping tools, fitting into a square hole (the Hardie Hole) on the face of the anvil.
HARDIE HOLE: A square hole on the face of the anvil into which are inserted various tools known as Hardies.
HAY-BUDDEN: U.S. brand of forged anvils from 1893 through 1927.
HEEL CALK: A projection forged from or welded onto the ground side of the heel of a horseshoe. Heel calks provide braking traction as the hoof lands, but no grip at breakover.
HEIGHT: Measured in hands at the high point of the withers; one hand equals 4 inches.
HELLER: Brand of farrier tools from 1836 to around 1965.
HINNY: Offspring of a stallion and a jenny.
HISTOLOGY: Study of the microscopic structure of tissues.
HOOF: [Anglo-Saxon hof]: The equine foot, includes the coronary band and all parts distal. Sometimes refers to only the horny parts of the foot. (NOTE: the prefix horny may or may not be used when speaking of the external hoof structures).
HOOF ANGLE: The angle at which the dorsal line of the hoof intersects with the plane of its solar surface. Hoof angle can be measured with a tool called a hoof gauge or hoof protractor. a.k.a: Toe angle.
HOOF CANCER: See: Canker.
HOOF CAPSULE: The insensitive, outer elements of the hoof which function as a "wrapper," encapsulating and protecting the sensitive elements of the hoof. Although the term would generally apply to the hoof wall, it could also be inclusive of all the exfoliating elements: the sole, the frog, and the periople.
HOOF GAUGE: Is a tool used for determining the angle of the horse's foot.
HOOF HEAD: The enlargement where the hoof joins the digit at the coronary region and above.
HOOF HORN: The tough, insensitive parts of the hoof, such as the wall, are made of horn. The wall is composed of fibers which grow downward from the coronary band called tubular horn. These are cemented together by intertubular horn. The approximate moisture content of hoof horn is 25% for the wall, 33% for the sole, and 50% for the frog.
HOOF KNIFE: Used for cutting excess horn from the sole of the hoof.
HOOF NIPPERS: A tool used only for removing excess hoof wall.
HOOF RASP: Used to remove excess hoof wall.
HOOF RINGS: Roughly horizontal distortions on the hoof wall which may be caused by changes in diet, environment, season, or by illness. Uneven hoof rings may indicate that the horse has been foundered. a.k.a: Growth rings; fever rings.
HOOF SEALANT: Any of a number of artificial varnishes which reduce the transfer of moisture between the hoof and the environment.
HOOF SIZE: Corresponds to machine-made shoe size or steel length to cover hoof wall with a 3/4 inch web shoe.
HOOF TESTER: Is a device used to locate lameness or trouble areas in the horse's hoof.
HOOF WALL: A horse’s hoof can be divided into five areas: the wall, the sole, the frog, the periople, and the white line. Hoof growth occurs by cell division of the horn-producing cell layer (stratum germinativum) of the sensitive structures. The hoof wall bears the majority of the horse’s weight and is the most subject to trauma. The hoof wall is visible when the horse is standing..
HOOFBOUND: See: Contracted hoof.
HORNY FROG: Is a rubbery-like cushion found in the back of the hoof.
HORSE MULE: Castrated male mule.
HORSE NAIL: See: Nail, horseshoe.
HORSESHOE: (1) A device affixed to the equine hoof to protect it from wear and damage, provide support, and/or alter its traction characteristics. Most modern horseshoes are made of steel or aluminum and affixed with nails driven through the hoof horn, but there are some types which are made of other materials and attached in other ways. (2) Anything possessing a shape reminiscent of a conventional horseshoe.
HORSESHOER: Any person who applies horseshoes to horses' hooves. This term does not imply any particular level of skill, and may refer to a very good farrier, an incompetent hack, or anyone in between.
HOT FITTING: Often, but not always, done when hot shoeing; holding a hot shoe against the prepared bottom of the hoof until it scorches it sufficiently to indicate high spots of horn which need to be removed to make the surface of the hoof level. This fitting can be done cold by close observation but requires more skill.
HOT NAIL: See: Close nail; Quick.
HOT SET: To briefly press a hot horseshoe against the bottom of a horse's hoof. This is traditionally done as an aid to leveling the hoof and shoe, and to burn clips into the hoof wall. Hot setting has also been recommended as a way to kill surface germs and to seal the perimeter of the sole. Aka: Hot fitting.
HOT SHOEING: Horseshoeing with the aid of a forge. May involve fabricating the horseshoes from barstock and/or hot setting.
HYALINE: Glassy or transparent. Particularly the substance which covers the ends of bone at a joint.
HYPERTROPHY: Increase in tissue volume resulting from the enlargement of existing cells.
HYPOTHESIS: An educated guess that seems to fit the available evidence. See also: Scientific process.

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