In addition to having the correct horse tack you will also discover that hoof care is a crucial part of looking after your horses health. It’s advisable to inspect your horses hooves each day, and at least two times each week. By doing this you should become very familiar with what is usual and what is not, and will be able to to spot any issues that may be beginning.
Using this simple checklist will hopefully aid you in your grooming practices.
1. Approaching your horse ensure the symmetry is releatively close, however they do not have to be exactly equal, but very close to being the same size and form.
2. Look carefully for defects in the hoof wall and coronary band. Pick up the hoof, run your palm over the exterior of the wall to pickup any defects. Use the same technique for the coronary band and then squeeze it gently. Applying these two procedures will also highlight soft spots and water bearing areas.
3. Inspect the sole. Examine the colour of every hoof. Ideally they should be the same in colour. A clearly delineated dark spot will indicate a bruise or puncture wound.
4. Look at and compare the frogs. The two front hooves should be of similar proportions and shape, the same applies to the rear hooves. Try and softly depress each frog using your hoof pick, in most areas, with the exception of desert areas, they should be slightly spongy.
5. If shod, grasp the shoe and see if it wiggles. Look for missing clinches, if loose you might opt to remove it in case your horse loses it on its own and possibly takes a chunk of hoof with it.
If you keep a good close eye on each hoof, you can avoid a lot of issues by noticing the issue before it’s too late.
We recomend you include into your routiene a couple of quick steps. Use your pick from heel to toe. If packed tightly you may need to loosen it up a touch before it is taken off. Once the blockage is taken out, examine all the parts of the hoof and make sure that there isn’t a bad odour as this is usually a clear cut indicator of thrush. also make sure there aren’t any pebbles or stones embedded anywhere, even underneath the shoe.
Your horses hooves should display a natural gloss on the hoof wall.
If you find a smooth level surface with no cracks, circles, dishes, flares and a concave sole that meets the horseshoe, then you can be positive that your horses hooves are in good health.
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