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One Horse Four HoovesHorses come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. Horses hooves do, too. The time to think about a horse's feet should be well before you make the decision to bring it home. If there is one thing about purchasing a horse that should not be compromised during the decision making process, it is the condition of its feet. Unless you have the expertise, time, money and determination to see the job through, you do not want to bring a horse home that has anything wrong with its feet that a simple trim will not fix. Most hoof problems are not instant overnight affairs. They occur over a period of time that may, at best, require the same amount of time to fix. More often than not, what looked like a simple problem, before it becomes yours, will prove to be more than just, "Oh, he stands like that because he's a little long. Your farrier can fix that right up. No problem." First and foremost, you have to see the hoof in its natural state. That means no paint, no hoof coloring, dressings, solutions or patches that in any way distort the true condition of the hoof. There are any number of products on the market that allow a hoof to appear to be in perfect shape, when in fact it is not. There are many legitimate reasons to use these products, however, a side effect of their use may result in the giving of a false impression as to the quality of a hoof. Committing to the care of a horse requires a major investment, emotionally, financially and involves large blocks of your time. If the feet aren't right at the start, the finish could come sooner than you think. Trust your instincts and if you are still unsure, get a second, third or fourth opinion. This is one avoidable mistake that can cost you dearly for the life of the horse. Nobody is perfect. The same can be said of horses and their feet. It is nice when a horse has matching front and hind hoof pairs . but it is not absolutely necessary in the making of a great horse. Matching hooves look nice. They don't draw attention to themselves and they give credence to the impression of a well-balanced horse. All it means when you look at a horse whose feet don't match is that you probably ought to take a closer look. Try to determine if the discrepancy between the feet is one that is causing problems now, or apt to become a problem further down the road. The problem may be man-made and something easily corrected or it may simply be a matter of that's just the feet this horse was given and there is no problem. The important thing to remember is, if there is not a problem . don't fix it. If a horse's feet do not follow a perfectly straight flight path, before you try to correct a perceived imperfection, be sure the reason for the correction is to benefit the horse. If a horse is not causing harm to itself or the its rider or presenting a danger to itself or rider, then serious thought should be given for the reason in forcing such a change. Any decision to deviate from a balanced trim should be undertaken with the full understanding that following this path may have dire consequences for the horse in the long run. Not all hooves are created equal. Large, small, narrow, wide, long or short, there is no one size fits all when it comes to horses and their hooves. There is a difference between a mismatched hoof and a misshapen one. A mismatched pair of feet, with one larger or wider or steeper for example, may indicate a failure by the farrier, be the result of an injury or simply a reaction to a horse's natural conformation. It is important enough to repeat, that unless the cause of the difference is known and/or creating a harmful or dangerous situation to the horse or rider, any change should be considered only when the consequences have been thoroughly explored. A misshapen hoof is usually the result of an injury, neglect, or poor farrier practices. While it is possible for a hoof to return to its original shape over time, it is equally possible that to a certain degree, the distortion will never entirely disappear. Serious alterations in the natural shape of the hoof tend to indicate a structural shift by some or all of the internal elements that make up the hoof. Understanding what changes may have occurred usually involves x-rays and someone with the ability to read them. Those mysterious rings that appear on the hoof always seem to just show up one day. The vast majority of the time they are simply historical indicators of past events in a horse's life rather than harbingers of doom. Rings that are wavy in appearance or those that slope toward the ground at the heels may be cause for concern. Sometimes, but not always, these rings can be associated with founder, especially rings that slope and are widest apart at the heels. Other causes for wavy lines can be thrush, various yeast infections of the hoof, ring bone, side bone, abscesses of the hoof and uneven weight distribution. Horizontal cracks are another of those things that seem to just magically appear out of nowhere. It has been my experience that a horizontal crack (one running sideways on a hoof) usually appears after the root cause of the event has reached its peak and therefore rarely poses any further threat. The main concern with this type of crack is that it moves down the hoof as the hoof wall grows out and it may pose a problem when it approaches the bottom of the hoof. In some cases, it may interfere with the nailing on of a horseshoe, or be so large as to cause a real weakness in the overall structure of the hoof wall (barefoot or shod) requiring the attention of a farrier before it chips or breaks off creating a more serious situation. Vertical cracks in the hoof wall, whether at the toe, quarter or heel of the hoof, are usually a pretty good indication of an unsatisfactory hoof care program. However, it must be noted that some injuries to the hoof may result in a weakness to the wall itself that will easily transform into a crack should the weakened area experience stress beyond its load bearing limitations. The best preventive measure that can be taken to avoid vertical cracks is a solid hoof care program. This means regular trimmings based upon the individual horse's needs. Not every horse needs to be trimmed on a six-week schedule just as not every horse can wait eight weeks before being long overdue for a trim. Of course, timely trimmings mean nothing if they are not done correctly. This is where you as the horse owner have to step in to insure the horse gets the quality care he or she deserves and in fact, requires in order to remain healthy and sound. Finding a farrier that keeps your horse sound may be one of the most difficult aspects of owning a horse. Short of learning to take care of your horse's feet yourself, which more and more horse owners are learning to do, choosing who to let work on your horse will have a great influence on the quality and length of your horse's life. The question of whether or not to disqualify a horse from consideration because of white feet is more a matter of personal choice than scientific reason. There are hard white hooves and soft black hooves. A lot of the time, either condition can be easily attributed to climatic and/or ground surface conditions. One thing you will see on a white hoof more often than on a black one is those red spots (strawberries) indicating bruises. It would seem that this disparity is more the result of the bruises being more easily seen as red against white versus red on a black background, rather than white hooves bruising easier the black hooves. White or black, the important thing is that they be of good quality and fit the horse. Trimming a hoof to fit a preconceived notion of what it should be rather than trimming the hoof to a natural balance will more often than not result in a sore horse with a shortened lifespan. Trimming a horse should be to the benefit of the horse and no one else. Trimming a hoof strictly to look good rarely does the horse any good. A horse's feet have to support him for the rest of its life. We can make an enormous difference to the quality and length of that life through good hoof care. It is not simple. It is not easy. However, it is necessary. Moreover, the rewards are indescribable. Buz Riley - 2004 © Back To Buz Riley's Articles Home Page |
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