But there is so much more to a horses hoof then meets the eye.  The hoof plays a major role in the health of a horse.  We’ve all heard the saying No Hoof, No Horse.

And yet how many shows have you been to and seen minis with hooves, that while they are lovely and polished they are also of uneven length or trimmed at the wrong angel?  How many broodmares have you seen who rarely if ever have their hooves seen to?

Horses have evolved from the four-toed, dog like eohippus into the single toed animal we see today. Externally, evidence of the vanished toes remain - the chestnuts along the inside of the horse’s legs and ergot on the underside of the pastern joint are cartilage like protrusions - all that remain from Toes 2 and 3. 

What does a hoof really do?

The hooves have various jobs:

• They serve as the barrier between your horse and his germ-laden environment.
•  The serve as a shock absorber every time you horse takes a step.
• They help pump the blood back up the horses leg to his heart.

What IS a horses hoof?

The hoof is part of the horses biggest organ – the dermal tissue – also included in the dermal tissue is the skin, hair follicles, sweat and oil glands etc. 

Inside the Hoof

1. Cannon Bone 2. Long Pastern Bone 3. Short Pastern Bone 4. Sesamoid Bone 5. Navicular Bone 6. Pedal Bone

There are three bones inside the actual hoof. 
The longest is the short pastern bone (or second phalanx) that extends down from the long pastern bone in the horse’s leg. The largest bone within the hoof is the pedal or coffin bone (or third phalanx). Within this bone are many minuscule passageways for blood vessels and nerves. 
Beneath the junction of the short pastern bone and the coffin bone sits the small navicular bone. 
Several tendons and ligaments run down from the leg and attach to the bones within the foot. 

Surrounding these bones is the sensitive laminae. This is a layer of tissue that carries blood to all the components of the hoof. Beneath the sensitive laminae and bone structures sits the digital cushion. This is a rubbery pad of tissue that forms the heel of the hoof and helps absorb the shock as the horse’s hoof makes contact with the ground. 

The External Hoof

1. Frog 2. Angle of wall 3. Bar of Wall 4. Wall 5. White Line 6. Sole 7. Collateral Groove 8. Central groove of frog. 9. Coronet

The Wall (or horn)– 

• The Wall is made up of approximately 95% protein, like you own hair and skin. 

• The hoof wall does not contain blood vessels or nerves, it is quite hard and has no feeling. 

• It is broken into 3 parts for identification – the Toe, Quarter and Heel. 

• The periople surrounds the wall and protects the moisture within the hoof.

The white line - 

The margin where the wall and the horny laminae attach is called the white line.

• Farriers use this white line as a visual indication of how deep he can trim the hoof, and where to set in the nails for horseshoes.  

• If a horse suffers from Seedy Toe - it is an infection in the white line.

• The white line can be thought of in terms of velcro holding the wall to the rest of the hoof.

The Coronary Band or Coronet – Acts somewhat like the cuticle on our fingernail, it is a blood rich band that the hoof grows from, damage to this band will cause deformities in the hoof wall.

Sole – The sole is a thick but flexible padding of hard tissue used for protection of the bones in the hoof.  

Frog – the frog sits in the middle of the sole, originating from the heel of the hoof. Its like a small pump that helps circulate the horses blood each time it makes contact with the ground as the horse moves. The central groove of the frog also provides some grip as the horse moves.

Bars – The bars are located on the hoof wall at the back of the hoof and turn into the frog. They, along with the frog and wall are the weight supporting structures of the hoof.

After reading about the structure of the hoof and what each bit does, it becomes obvious that incorrect nutrition, incorrect or no trimming and poor management not only looks bad and has detrimental effects to the horses well being, it can also cause lameness temporary OR permanent structural damage such as bone rotation and tendon damage.

Tips for Healthy Hooves

The following will weaken hooves:

• Inappropriate diet

• Confinement—which also impairs circulation. 

• Ill-fitting tack and improper riding cause horses to move unnaturally, with short, restricted strides that put uneven pressure on hooves. 

Exercise promotes blood circulation, helps the horse wear down excess frog and bar on his hoof and keeps the hoof active thru contraction and expansion when the hoof first makes contact with the ground and then is raised for the next step.

There are small things you can do to also encourage movement in this time of drought – if your horses have little pick and hang around waiting to be hand fed, try spreading their hay over larger areas, this will encourage them to move from pile to pile as though grazing.

In stables soiled bedding should be removed at least twice daily. Ammonia from equine waste and decaying bedding is extremely destructive to hooves. 

Remembering the wall of the hoof is approximately 95% protein, it is not surprising that a nutritional problem will be evident in the hooves, as well as the horses skin and coat.

This is not the time to concentrate on a horses diet, however a few things to consider IF your hooves need help…

• If you have any hoof problems whatsoever, don't feed any kind of bran. Bran contains phytate, which is high in phosphorous. Phosphorous blocks absorption of calcium in the small intestine, creating a systemic calcium deficiency and undermining hoof health. 
• Biotin alone is not enough to correct poor horn quality in most cases, as it's only one of many nutrients needed by the adult horse. If you'd like to confirm that your horse is biotin-deficient, there's a relatively inexpensive blood test your veterinarian can perform for you. 
• Methionine, proline, glycine and glutamine are some of the major building blocks of healthy connective tissue, or collagen. Copper and vitamin C are also necessary, serving as catalysts in the formation of strong and healthy horn. 
• Essential fatty acids are necessary for a healthy, shiny coat, as well as the proper moisture maintenance and pliability of the hoof structure. 

·         Healthy hooves require zinc for the prevention of defective keratin, the tough material found in the outer layers of hoof and skin. If keratin is not properly formed, the hoof will be soft and brittle. 

Always be diligent when cleaning out your minis hooves, look for signs of thrush or seedy toe etc.

Before adding supplements to your horses diet, you should always talk to your vet to make sure it is the right course of action, incorrect feeding of mineral and other supplements can have many side effects.

One great side-effect of feeding to improve the hoof is that you can't improve the hoof without also improving the hair and skin of the horse too!

TRIMMING

It used to be thought that front and back hooves should be trimmed at a set angle to achieve the most from a trim. However it has since be recognised that each horse is an individual and that the best angle to trim each horse at is determined by the horses natural leg and hoof angles.

A good farrier will always leave you horse with even, correctly angled hooves, will be able to alter the trim in special circumstances such as dealing with Founder or Seedy Toe etc and will be able to inform you if the hoof is not as healthy as it should be.

If you do your own hooves, talk to vets and farriers and learn from their experience - learn to judge the correct angle - there ARE tools available to help you do this.  Always use good farrier tools and make sure you have an understanding of the special needs of minis hooves - esp in foals, as it is so easy to over trim a foals foot and cause what could be permanent damage.

Remember - if your minis feet are left too long or incorrectly trimmed it effects the whole of the horse - its tendons and ligaments will have extra stress put on them, the shock-absorbing abilities could be reduced - leading to more concussion and arthritis - and bloodflow through the hoof could be compromised.  Left un-treated for infections such as thrush and seedy toe will lead to long term problems and a lot of pain for your mini.... 

NO HOOF = NO HORSE.