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However, there is a growing movement to eliminate shoes on working horses. Advocates of barefooting point out many benefits to keeping horses barefoot and present studies showing that improper shoeing can cause or exacerbate certain hoof ailments in the horse. A hoof boot may help protect the horse's hooves during the transition period.
Poor hoof balance, due to conformational flaws or poor trimming, can cause lameness from musculoskeletal injury, [20] and poor hoof balance has been associated with increased risk of catastrophic injury in racehorses. [21] Side-to-side (mediolateral) imbalance can cause sheared heals and hoof cracks. [22]
Although many horses are quite healthy without daily brushing, lack of hoof care can result in various problems, which if unattended, can result in short or long-term soundness issues for the horse. Hooves need to be trimmed after four to ten weeks; otherwise, they will grow too long and cause discomfort.
The three layers of the wall form a single mass, growing downwards together. If the wall does not wear naturally from sufficient movement on abrasive terrain, then it will protrude from the solar surface. It then becomes prone to breakage, and the healthy hoof will self-trim by breaking or chipping off.
Farriers and veterinarians in a horse owner's local area can provide advice on the use and misuse of topical hoof dressings, offering suggestions tailored for the needs of the individual horse. Horses and ponies require routine hoof care by a professional farrier on average every six to eight weeks, depending on the animal, the work it performs ...
The common adage “no foot, no horse” rings true in that the shape and soundness of a horse’s hoof dictates the tasks it can perform. [3] Equine athletes asked to perform at intense levels of competition experience a great deal of wear on the internal and external structures of the hoof. [3]
Veterinary treatment includes taking the shoe off, cutting the hoof clean and opening the nail hole to allow drainage. If the horse is in pain anesthesia of the nerve is given. The hole is irrigated and the hole can be packed with iodine-soaked cotton. Superficial infections may only need one treatment.
Some trainers can bypass inspectors by training horses not to react to the pain that palpation may cause, often by severely punishing the horse for flinching after the sored area is palpated. The practice is sometimes called "stewarding" in reference to the horse show steward , who is often the first line of rule enforcement at any horse show.