What is the most important part of the horse? The FEET. There is an old saying – No feet No horse. So true! Every one should take more notice of the horse’s feet. Take a moment and really look at the Foot. Here are just a few things that I think you should be paying attention to:
Pay attention to how they stand and walk. Are they landing with a level foot? A horse that lands on one side of the hoof more then the other will tend to have less hoof growth on that side verses the other. How is the foot placement? Are the feet uniform? Once in a while you will find that horse that has odd shaped hooves but for the most part the feet should be uniform.
To me, the most important part of the hoof is the Frog. The Frog is what pumps the blood though the hoof. If the frog is not touching the ground, you run the risk of having less blood flow in the hoof . No blood flow to any part of the body can create big problems.
When I am analyzing the hoof, I like to lay a hoof pick along the center of the frog. This should be the center of the hoof. What you see on one side of the pick you should see on the other side – a mirrored effect. If your horse has shoes on, the pick should line up with the center of the shoe. If not, then some thing is not right.
Look at the shoes. If the shoe is touching the frog, the frog will move away from the shoe and can lead to contradicted heals.
Stand the horse on flat ground. Now look from the front. The cornet band should be level, not low on one side and high on the other.
Look above the hoof between the hoof and fetlock. What do you see? Is the horse bearing more weight on one side or the other? If so, there is a problem.
Stand behind the horse and look at his heels. Again this should be the same.
The foot is the foundation and if the foundation has problems, then odds are eventually you will have bigger problems up higher. You are always going to have horse that is just different or the horse that has some injury that has affected hoof growth. But for the most part you want them to have level hooves. Don’t be afraid to talk to your farrier and ask questions. Now I am not telling you to tell them there is something wrong. But learn to communicate and ask them why. You will get a better understanding of what is going on.
Everything I have written is my opinion and you will always find some one that disagrees. But I hope this gets you to start paying more attention to your horse’s hooves and a better understanding of how important the hoofs are.
To learn more about Troy and Brandenburg Equine Therapy please click here
ha ….come for a visit only. Well done!
Nice Post. It’s really a very good article. I noticed all your important points. Thanks
I do agree with all of the ideas you’ve offered for your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too brief for beginners. Could you please lengthen them a little from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.