Foot care is one of the most neglected horse management practices (Figure 1). Most lameness that impairs the useful-ness of a horse can be prevented by proper foot care and reasonable management
Foot care should be as routine as feeding and watering. It should include:
1. Routine cleaning
2. Periodic trimming
3. Corrections of minor imperfections
4. Treatment of foot diseases and injuries
Most foot care practices can be done by the average horse owner. It is. however. important to know when to seek the help of a professional, especially for corrective shoeing and disease treatment and control.
To understand proper care of a horse’s feet, first study and understand the structure of the foot and the functions of its various parts. The major parts of a horse’s foot are the hoof wall, coronet. sole. frog and the internal structures such as the bones, cartilages, tendons and connective tissue. Internal structures will be discussed briefly in this Fact sheet.
Hoof Wall:
The hoof wall is a homy substance made up of parallel fibres (Figure 2). It should be dense, straight, and free from rings (ridges) and cracks. Viewed from the side, the wall at the toe should be a continuation of the slope of the pastern.
Figure 2. The internal anatomy of the hoof.
The main functions of the wall are to:
1. Provide a weight-bearing surface not easily worn away
2. Protect the internal structure of the foot
3. Maintain moisture in the foot
Usually, the hoof wall is thicker at the toe than at the quarter and heel. The hoof wall is protected by the periople, a varnish-like coating that holds moisture in the hoof.
Coronet:
The coronet, or coronary band, is the source of growth for the hoof wall. It is directly above the hoof wall and is protected by a thick layer of skin and dense hair. A healthy foot will grow about 3/8 inch per month. A change in the rate of growth of the hoof can be caused by a change in the amount of exercise, the ration, the onslaught of illness.
and the general state of health and condition of the animal. Injury to the coronary band can result in irregular growth of the hoof wall and can develop into a permanently unsound hoof wall.
The hind feet may grow faster than the forefeet, and unshod feet may grow faster than shod feet. The feet of mares and geldings seem to grow faster than those of stallions.
Sole:
The sole of the foot is a homy substance that protects the sensitive inner portions of the foot. It should be firm, slightly concave and of uniform texture. The horse has no feeling at the exterior sole surface.
A flat-footed horse tends to receive more bruises and injures to the sole. Also, horses that have experienced founder and have developed a dropped sole are more easily bruised at the sole.
Frog:
The frog, located at the heel of the foot. forms a “V” into the centre of the sole (Figure 3). The frog is a spongy, flexible pad and IS also a weight-bearing surface. It is the intermediate organ between the plantar cushion and the source of pressure from the horse’s weight. The frog is differentiated from the sole of the foot by two lines called commissures.
The condition of the frog is generally a good indication of the health of the foot. Without proper flexibility, expansion and ground contact. the frog cannot perform its function in complementing the circulation of blood and the absorption of shock throughout the foot.
Internal Foot Structure:
To be able to provide proper foot care, first gain an understanding of some of the important internal parts of the foot and their functions. Coffin bone-provides the shape of the foot and the rigidity needed to bear weight. Plantar cushionexpands and contracts to absorb shock and pumps blood from the foot back towards the heart.
Navicular bone-serves as a fulcrum and bearing surface for the deep flexor tendon which is responsible for extension of the foot as it progresses through a stride.
Sensitive laminae-serve as a means of attachment for the hoof wall and the coffin bone and also as the main area of blood circulation within the foot.
Routine Foot Care:
Disease organisms concentrate where animals are con-fined, so cleanliness is important. Horses kept in a stall or small pen should have their feet picked or cleaned daily to reduce the risk of thrush. Thrush is the condition resulting from bacterial penetration into the frog and surrounding area.
The bacteria produce a foul odour and cause the frog to become soft and mushy. If allowed to go untreated, serious lameness can result and extensive treatment will be necessary.
Routine daily foot care means regular use of the hoof pick to clean the horse’s feet. A fine bristled wire brush is also useful for cleaning the sole. frog, and hoof wall. Take care not to damage the periople with too much pressure from the wire brush: the result would disturb the moisture balance of the foot.
Handling the Feet:
Learning and practicing safe handling of the horse’s feet are important steps in performing routine foot care. Horses should be taught early in life to yield their feet. Most horses are worked more from the left side than the right, so begin working with the left front foot.
Rub down the leg toward the foot with your right hand while your left hand is on the shoulder. Push off with your left hand if you need to move away. Squeeze the tendon to get the horse to yield the foot if it won’t do so otherwise. Move the hand in front of the canon of fetlock as the foot raises.
Position the foot firmly between your knees. If the horse struggles and wishes to regain its foot, let it do so. You can’t hold a front foot if the horse rears. Repeat the procedure until the horse learns to yield its feet willingly.
To lift a hind foot, keep one hand near the hip and go down the leg slowly with the other (Figure 4 and Figure 5). Work in close to the horse. Pull forward on the canon until the horse yield its foot.
If you feel tense muscles, go more slowly. Step promptly under the raised foot with the inside leg and pull the foot into your lap. Lock it in place with your elbow over the hock and your toes pointed towards each other. Hold the foot in this position so both hands are free to work.
Foot Cleaning:
When picking the foot, use a hoof pick and clean from the heel toward the toe, being especially careful to clean the commissures on each side of the frog and the cleft of the frog itself. Don’t attempt to open the heel excessively as this weakens the area and interferes with proper contraction and expansion of the heel.
After riding, clean the sole and check for gravel or other foreign objects that could be lodged in the natural depressions of the foot. A nail, gravel, stick, or other object can work into the foot and cause lameness of long duration. Objects have been known to exist in a horse’s foot for as long as a year before emerging at the heel or along the coronet When a foreign particle emerges at the coronary area. a sore. called a quittor, usually develops. This problem can easily lead to serious infection.
Maintaining Moisture in Feet:
Moisture in the horse’s feet helps to maintain flexibility and prevent cracking. Most of the moisture needed in a healthy and well-protected foot can come from within. Extremely wet conditions such as muddy lots or wet stalls promote rapid drying of the feet: the natural oils and protective films of the foot are eroded from constant contact with external moisture.
Large horses with small feet commonly have hoof dryness problems. One way to maintain proper moisture in the foot is to regularly apply a good hoof dressing containing some animal fat such an lanolin. If the dressing is not a petroleum derivative, it can be massaged into the coronet, the frog and the sole as well as on the hoof wall.
The dressing helps to keep the sole pliable and eliminate dead tissue around the frog and heel. Also, massaging the coronet stimulates growth of a healthy new hoof wall.
Removing Loose and Old Shoes:
Clinches of old nails must be cut or straightened to remove the shoe. If the shoe is pulled without this operation, it will not only be more difficult to remove, but the walls of the hoot may be injured. Clinches may be cut with a clinch cutter or rasped off. Use an old rasp no longer used to level the foot.
Place the blade edge of the clinch cutter under the clinch and straighten it by light hammer blows. If you have difficulty getting it started, lean the top out and use the back corner nearest your hand.
If the fine side of a rasp is used to rasp the clinches off, use care so as not to damage the hoof wall, because it has a protective coating to conserve moisture in the hoof. Handle the rasp to avoid damaging the coronary band at the top of the hoof. If the hoof wall is rasped very far above the clinches, a change in technique is indicated.
Place the shoe pullers under the shoe at the heel and push down toward the toe to remove the shoe. This manipulation is repeated on the opposite heel, always working toward the toe, until the shoe is completely free. Don’t pry sidewise because of the danger of sprains to your horse’s tendons.
If you find the above method difficult, complete the first step and then drive the shoe back down on the hoof exposing the nail heads. Nails than can be pulled one at a time.
Summary of Hoof Care Hints:
- Begin when foal is only a few months old.
- Keep feet well rounded.
- Exercise foals on dry ground to allow natural wear.
- If kept in stall, rasp down every 2 to 3 weeks.
- Clean soles and clefts of frog frequently.
- Do not pare out sole, just clean.
- Do not trim away healthy frog unless there is clearly an excess.
- Keep foot straight with angle of short pastern.
- Hoof-to-ground angles should be approximately 45E.
- Rasp sharp edge of hoof wall to make bearing surface approximately true thickness of wall.
- Do not rasp outside wall.
- Rasp in such a manner that the heel is included in each stroke.
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