Horse Hoof Information:

The Amazing Horse Hoof

* I have linked all pictures on this page, so click on any picture for more information *

The hoof is simply amazing that is does so much, is so important and without it the horse does not live. This is why the old saying "No Hoof - No Horse", has been around for years. Taking care of and understanding the hoof is paramount to good horsemanship and caring for your horse. I am not a farrier or a horse shoer, but I know the importance of taking care of a horse's feet. I am putting this page together to help educate you on the hoof.

---

The picture below shows the flexing, movement and how blood flow occurs with a bare foot hoof. A shod hoof cannot move like this, cannot grow or develop strength. How can anyone not see the damage nails and shoes do to a hoof?

The picture above is a great example of the working hoof and how it supports weight and flexes as a horse walks and moves and how this action increases blood flow and keeps the hoof healthy. Which is why stalling (putting a horse in a stall) is very unhealthy for the horse and causes lots of hoof and leg problems.

The picture below will take you to a youtube video that shows an actual horse hoof that has been removed and shows the flexing and blood flow of the hoof. **Graphic Images** The video is excellent to show what happens every time a horse takes a step. This also shows how a horse shoe stops this flexing action and does the hoof harm, yet people are still stuck on putting shoes on horses. Although the video is not in English, they are worth watching.

My Horse Anatomy Page has many more photos of the hoof so go there for more photos.

---

Proof Positive Why Shoes Are Bad for Horses:

In the picture below you see a thermograph photo of a horse, which shows blood flow, heat and circulation of the legs and hooves. YOU guess what foot has a shoe and which three do not have shoes? The photo is linked to a web page with the following quote: "The single most convincing thing for me was to see a thermograph of a horse's feet--three of which were without shoes and one which was shod. Note the shod foot has virtually no blood circulation. I will NEVER put shoes on my horse again."

---

Here is a good article and explanation of the hoof called Guided Tour - Horse Hoof Anatomy". This has good information and pictures about the horse's hoof.

The picture below is a horse hoof and leg cut in half with parts labeled. If you click on the picture it will open a pdf file on Hoof Care, it is a large file and may take a while to download, but worth the read.

The Hoof Suspensory System:

In the photo below you will more of the complex support system for the horse's leg and hoof. Clicking on the photo will take you a good site with lots of good information about the hoof.

Understanding Hoof Care:

Like many things in horses, "it is a process and not an event", so trying to fix a hoof or correct a horse in one trimming just makes matters worse. It takes a full year, thereabout, for a hoof to grow out completely. Another old horse saying is "the hoof you care for today - is the hoof you will ride on in a year". This means that when horses are neglected and are not given proper hoof care, it cannot be fixed in one or two trimmings. It takes time and "if you take the time it takes - it will take less time". So I see and hear people and Farriers claim to fix a hoof in one trim, it just ain't so and can't be done. You can start in the right direction, you can relieve pain, balance the hoof, start the repair process, but no hoof is fixed or made perfect in one trimming.

However, you can ruin a hoof in one trimming very easily. Which is why it is so important that you understand the mechanics of the hoof and know how it works, so you don't buy into that foolishness that is being repeated throughout the horse world, mainly by people that don't know and people "that have owned horses their entire life". Two horse sayings that fit here: "If you take the time it takes, it will take less time" and "The slow way is the fast way with horses".

Reference Glue on Shoes:

This is a new thing and is better than nailing metal shoes to the hoof wall and punching holes in the hoof wall with nails, which compromises the hoof wall, punctures the sealed hoof wall and subjects the Horse hoof to infection, abscess or bacteria. The next time you see a farrier take off an old shoe from a horse, pay close attention to hoof. Look at how the wall is dead about the nails, look at the rotting type action that occurs about the nails and where the metal shoe has restricted growth and blood flow. If you look closely it is very easy to see how unhealthy the hoof is because of the shoe. However, with a fresh trim, some nipper work, some file work and a shinny shoe, the hoof looks all pretty again. What people don't see it the rotting and damage just starts over until the next change of shoes.

Shoes and nails still restricts the natural flexing, expanding and contraction of the hoof. It still puts unnecessary pressure on the hoof wall and still puts unnatural pressure on the hoof and still makes the hoof weaker in the long term, since it does not allow for natural and normal growth, blood flow and strength. So once again, trying to do something to improve or help a horse still goes against the natural growth and hoof development and ends up doing more damage than letting Mother Nature do what it does best. Barefoot is best.

---

"Horse Shoes Are Bad For Horses"

Basic hoof care is not that hard, but it takes time. So trying to rush it or force it only makes it take longer. Like most things with horses, "the slow way is the fast way". So just picking the feet regularly really is a great way to prevent and spot problems. Picking the feet does many things that people don't see. It teaches a horse to have his feet handled, it forces you to spend time with your horse, it develops muscles in your back which will help your riding, it shows dominance over the horse since you move his feet up and down and take away his ability to flee or run and most importantly it trains your EYE.

Training your eye is a process not an event. It takes years of seeing good and bad hooves to know what is normal and what is not. A trained eye is something that needs to be constantly refreshed. The eye is trained over years and years of looking at good and bad hooves, seeing hooves daily helps you know what looks normal and what looks odd or out of place. This is how the eye gets trained. Which is why the misconception is alive and well that horse shoes are good. Since many use shoes and have always seen shoes on horses, they think that is normal. It is not and it is not good for the horse. I am linking lots of hoof sites to this page. Visit these sites and view all the pictures of good and bad hooves, train your eye to you know what you are seeing and what to look for. This is not something people naturally have or comes without work they have to learn it. If you just look at your horse's feet you will never understand the hoof. It takes 1000's of hooves to start being able to recognize good from bad. Some hoof chips are insignificant others are very critical, knowing the difference can save your horse lots of problems. So invest time viewing and reading all you can about the hoof. Watch farriers work on feet, ask questions, notice the hoof before the trim and after the trim. This like most all things with horses, is not easy and is not fast. If you invest on the front end you will save much more time and effort later and it will be better for your horse.

Another common misconception out there is that all hooves should look the same. This is not true all hooves are rarely the exact same. Each hoof can be a little different, trimming all hooves the same can cause problems. If a farrier or horse shoer is making your horse's hooves look the same, then he is not doing your horse or you any favors. There are certain aspects of a hoof that mainly deal with "balance". Balance in many ways, but absolute uniformity is not the same as a well balanced hoof. If you view the links I have place on the pictures and at the bottom of this page you will start to see what balance is and will hear this common theme from horse hoof experts.

My Advice for Basic Hoof Care

If I had to tell someone in 50 words or less how to care for a horse's hooves here is what I say and what I believe. Pick the feet daily, spray a bleach mix once a week, learn how to use a rasp (file) so you can do a light "mustang roll" once every two weeks on your horse's feet, round off and smooth out chips and cracks until your Farrier or trimmer comes out, watch your Farrier trim your horse(s), learn what the hoof looks like before the trim and after the trim, ask questions from your Farrier, be involved and study what your horse's feet look like after their trim and if you trim yourself "less is more", always trim less, you will not do damage or harm if you remove too little, you WILL do damage if you remove too much. My basic rules for hoof trimming is, the sole and hoof wall should be about the same level. I don't trim or remove sole unless I see a lump or really uneven spot, otherwise I let the natural removal take place as the hoof flexes and is walked on. I roll the edges of the hoof wall to make it stronger and help prevent cracks and chips. I rasp the hoof once every two weeks to remove small amounts of growth, chips or flares. I take off the bars but I do not take them too low - about even with the sole but better a little higher than sole then too low. Length of the hoof is not the main issue, level, balanced and hoof wall and sole as one is key for me.

Some do's and don'ts when it comes to Hoof Care / Maintenance:

Don't over use conditioners and hoof dressings. Using these products too much interferes with the natural hoof development, it can make the hoof soft causing more damage, chipping and soreness. Don't remove too much when filing with a rasp. Don't use trimmers (nippers) this makes it too easy to remove too much hoof wall and if you are caring for the feet regularly, then you will not need nippers and a light rasping once a week or every two weeks will keep the hoof stable and will not create large changes in the hoof, like what happens when you just have your horse's feet trimmed once every six or eight weeks. Keep a bleach mix (3/4 water - 1/4 bleach) in a spray bottle and spray in the hoof (frog area) after you pick the feet, about once every week or so. Do not do this everyday unless you smell a foul odor coming from the frog area when you pick the feet. If a foul odor is present, you can use this bleach every day but do not use it for over 4 or 5 days in a row since it will kill good bacteria if used too much or too often. And lastly NO SHOES. Shoes are bad for horses, transfer pounding and shock waves up the hoof, bones, tendons and legs. Shoes stop the natural movement and expansion of the hoof. In the picture below you can see the horse move naturally with NO SHOES. Nailing a non-movable metal shoe to a hoof stops and prevents this natural and needed movement. This movement is needed for blood flow and to keep a hoof healthy. Notice the hoof flexes many ways (front to back, side to side and flat), all stopped by shoes.

If you are switching to barefoot from shoes, give it time. The horse may be a little sore at first. Too many people want to say they tried barefoot and they took shoes off for one month and the horse was sore, so they went back to shoes. This is typical horse people wanting everything too fast and always in a hurry. It takes a hoof a full year to grow out, after years of putting nails and metal on the hoof and after all these years of screwing up the hoof, people want the hoof to adjust overnight to barefoot. "The slow way is the fast way", give it time. Lots of things to consider when going from shoes to barefoot.

Things that could matter are time of year, type of ground, how the horse is kept (stall or pasture), how the horse is used or ridden, how bad the hooves are, how the farrier took off shoes, how the farrier trimmed the horse and many other factors. So don't expect overnight results and plan to have a few problems for a year until the hoof has had time to adjust to a natural hoof. Another thing is if your farrier wants or tells you that your horse needs shoes, don't have them trim your horse barefoot, they can make the horse lame and sore so they can be right and then tell you that "they told you so" and then they get to convince you that your horse needs shoes or has bad feet. Expect your horse to get sore and may limp a little, that is normally. If you break your leg and get your cast off, you will still limp. The hoof may get sore after a ride since the hoof has never supported your weight or his weight without shoes, this will strain the hoof at first until it has time to grow and get strong. Don't take the shoes off, ride like you normally do, run the crap out of your horse, jump your and all the others that are hard on horses feet and legs and expect everything to be normal and great two weeks after you remove the shoes. Impatient people always want the easy and fast way, so they make excuses that their horse NEEDS shoes since it is easier for them. Selfishness and not putting the horse first is all that really means!

Good Hoof Sites:

Here is some good pictures of healthy hooves

This site has a lot of selling and pushing items (not endorsing any products), but has good pictures of good and bad hooves

Here is some good pictures of hooves before and after trims

Here is a nice reprot that explains the importance of Breakover and heal verses toe landing.

Here is a great article on proper hoof care and how bad shoes are. In this article it states that "Studies showed that the impact force a shod hoof receives on hard ground is 10-33 times that of an unshod hoof. The vibrations set up in the hoof by the vibration of the metal shoe is approximately 800 Hz, compared to "only" 150 Hz with a rubber shoe." That is just the horse, then add the weight of gear, people, running and jumping and people wonder we have so many lame horses.

Here is an article on transitioning from shoes to barefoot. There is a great explanation that says "THE REASON FOR THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AFTER REMOVING THE SHOES IS THE HEALING OF A DEFORMED HOOF, ALTERED FROM ITS NATURAL, PHYSIOLOGICALLY SOUND SHAPE."

Things to consider if you are planning on going barefoot or getting rid of shoes.

Here is a lot of good photos of the hoof before and after barefoot trimming.