The Common Sense Hoof Blog
Hoof Conditions: Is the Hoofwall the Culprit? (continued)
I’d like to share another of my favorite sayings and that is “what you see on the outside mirrors the inside”. What I mean by that is the “event rings”, the dishes, the flares, etc. don’t just magically appear on horse’s feet; they are the result of the inflammation inside the hoof capsule and the effects the inflammation has on the hoofwall. As you can imagine, with the inflammation comes a great deal of pain and in response to the pain, the horses try to compensate. If, for instance, there is a bruise on the inside of the horse’s foot, they try to land on the outside of their foot to avoid the pain and, over time, the hoofwall will begin to flare on the outside from the horse putting additional pressure there (to avoid the painful inside).
Hoof Conditions: Is the Hoofwall the Culprit?
So, this is the reason that I’m always preaching “the hoofwall is not the problem” and trying to get people to be more concerned with addressing the CAUSE of the crack – inflammation. And what causes that inflammation?
It can be an injury, it can be metabolic but more often than not it is CONCUSSION.
Pads 101: Dress Shoes to Sneakers
Why does your horse need THE BLACK PADS?
The engineering of the hoof is a true masterpiece; in light of this, we have designed our pads to work in union with the hoof. The pads are made of a product that absorbs concussion and offer a base that's much wider than most conventional horseshoes and more resembles the horse's hoof.
Hoof Conditions: Two Different Ways to Repair a Quartercrack
Hoof Conditions Hoof Injuries Hoof repair Quarter Crack
Since we were on the topic of quartercracks in our previous blog post (The Cause and Effect), I'd like to discuss two of the different approaches to repairing the crack.
Hoof Conditions: The Cause and Effect
Hoof Conditions Hoof Injuries Hoof repair Quarter Crack
A major cause of foot issues is inflammation that results from concussion. The concussion occurs with every foot fall, varying in intensity by the speed the horse is going, the surface that they're going over and if they are or are not carrying additional weight (rider or otherwise). So, ultimately, every horse is at risk for issues with their feet -- unless, of course, they're pasture ornaments and do nothing at all every day.