"No hoof, no horse" – every horse person knows this saying. And it makes clear just how important hoof health is for our four-legged companions. But how do you actually care for this essential foundation properly? There are countless hoof care products out there, but what does the hoof really need from them?

Regular hoof trimming

As obvious as it may sound: one of the most important care measures is regular hoof trimming by a professional. The optimal interval can vary from horse to horse and also depending on the season. On average, hoof trimming should be done every 6 weeks, though for some horses every 4 or 8 weeks may be more appropriate. In the case of acute problems (e.g. laminitis), trimming may even be required every two weeks.

Hooves also grow faster in summer than in winter, which is why the interval between trimming appointments may need to be shortened during this time.

Ideally, as a horse owner you should also learn the basics of hoof trimming so that you can perform simple tasks yourself between the regular professional appointments. This includes, for example, rounding off chipped edges of the hoof wall or removing loose parts of the frog to prevent thrush. It also allows you to better counteract certain tendencies, such as a club foot or a long toe. If these problems were only corrected every few weeks, other structures in the horse's leg might be unnecessarily overloaded in the meantime. A toe that is too long, for example, causes excessive pressure on the navicular complex and pull on the deep digital flexor tendon, which can lead to long-term overloading of these structures.

Of course, you should first acquire the appropriate knowledge at a hoof course, and then have your hoof care professional show you the most important techniques for your horse.

Daily inspection

Checking the hooves should be a fixed part of the daily routine with your horse. On the one hand, the hooves should be cleaned of dirt and foreign objects, and on the other hand this is the perfect opportunity to check their state of health: are the hooves warm, or can you feel an increased pulse? Has the shape changed, has something chipped off, or has a piece of horn come loose? Has thrush or a fungal infection developed anywhere? Are there hoof cracks that you should attend to?

If your horse is wearing shoes or glue-on shoes, these should also be checked daily to ensure that everything is still firmly in place where it should be.

Cleaning hooves properly

The daily cleaning of hooves is actually quite simple: with a hoof pick, the trapped dirt must be carefully removed. The metal tip should not be too sharp, so as not to injure sensitive parts of the horn when picking (especially in the frog grooves). The hoof should be cleaned so that you can clearly see and inspect all structures. A wire brush can be a valuable help here to remove even the last bits of dirt from deep grooves. This is important in order to detect any foreign objects. Small stones in particular tend to get lodged in the white line, and you should definitely remove them so they don't work their way deeper into the hoof and make the hole ever larger. To remove these small stones, you can also use a fine screwdriver as an aid.

If holes or grooves appear in the white line after cleaning, you should fill them with an antibacterial paste, for example Hoof Clay.

Caring for the frog

You should give the frog particular attention during daily hoof care, because it is one of the most sensitive structures in the hoof and quickly susceptible to problems. Bacteria in particular often affect the frog and cause the widespread condition of thrush. What exactly this is and how you can get it under control is explained in a separate article.

To prevent it from getting to that point in the first place, you can regularly wash the frog with mild antibacterial agents as a preventive measure, for example a simple vinegar-water mixture.

Feeding for healthy hooves

Proper hoof care also includes your horse's nutrition. Only when your horse is adequately supplied with the right nutrients can it grow a healthy hoof. A sufficient supply of sulfur-containing amino acids, trace and bulk elements, and vitamins is essential for this. Exactly what your horse needs (and what it doesn't!) cannot be answered in a general way and depends primarily on the basic forage. That is: which nutrients are present in the hay and in what amounts, and does your horse have access to pasture? What kind of work is your horse doing, and does it therefore need the same nutrients for its muscles and its tendon/ligament system? In case of doubt, it's worth having a nutritionist calculate a ration so that you don't spend money unnecessarily on supplementary feed your horse may not need at all.

Especially when it comes to feeding, the rule sometimes applies: less is more. Of course your horse can be undersupplied, but very often our horses are actually oversupplied with certain substances. This can lead to hoof problems just as much as malnutrition can.

And oversupply also includes the issue of being overweight. Unfortunately, many horses – particularly in the leisure sector – are far too fat, which can bring massive problems for hoof health. Thin soles and laminitis are just two of many possible consequences that can often be well managed with an adjusted diet.

Plenty of movement on the right surface

Hoof care also includes stimulating blood circulation in the hoof, so that the nutrients fed are actually transported to the hoof in sufficient quantities. Our horses' hooves are designed for a running performance of 10 to as much as 50 kilometres per day – this ensures not only wear but also blood circulation. Depending on your horse's housing situation (box, open stable, paddock trail, etc.), you should therefore compensate accordingly if necessary.

It's not only important how much your horse moves, but also what surface it moves on. Ideal surfaces are those in which the entire hoof can sink in, but which are not too deep and do not cause excessive wear. Good materials for hoof health include sand or round pebbles.

Greasing, oiling, watering

But what about the numerous care products that can be applied to the hoof? Opinions are divided here: there are no scientific studies that prove the effectiveness of oils and fats, whether applied to the hoof wall or massaged into the coronet band. However, there are numerous anecdotal reports that these products improve hoof elasticity.

What is now considered certain: fats and oils have a sealing effect and therefore prevent moisture from entering the hoof from outside. If you want to use these products to promote elasticity, you should apply them after watering the hooves in order to keep the moisture in the hoof.

Speaking of watering: especially during dry weather periods, hooves should not be excessively watered, even if the temptation is great. Hooves can adapt masterfully to varying degrees of moisture, but not if the change happens suddenly. Continuous dry periods are less problematic for hooves than being repeatedly interrupted by 3-minute showers.

Conclusion

As you can see, proper hoof care is actually quite simple, but perhaps different from what advertising often suggests. Unfortunately, there is no single "miracle product" that magically produces healthy hooves; rather, it is the right feeding, husbandry, trimming and cleaning that care for the hoof from the inside and the outside.

Author: Nathalie Kurz

Images: Bennet Klein, Nathalie Kurz

>> Sources

• https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/health-archive/ten-horse-hoof-care-tips-11352
• https://horseandrider.com/horse-health-care/seven-worst-mistakes-in-equine-hoof-care/
• https://thehorse.com/19088/got-healthy-hooves-heres-how-to-keep-them-that-way/
• {"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@id":"\/en\/blogs\/wissensdatenbank\/hufe-richtig-pflegen#article","@type":"Article","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/good-smith.com\/en\/blogs\/wissensdatenbank\/hufe-richtig-pflegen"},"articleBody":"\n\"No hoof, no horse\" – every horse person knows this saying. And it makes clear just how important hoof health is for our four-legged companions. But how do you actually care for this essential foundation properly? There are countless hoof care products out there, but what does the hoof really need from them?\n \nRegular hoof trimming\nAs obvious as it may sound: one of the most important care measures is regular hoof trimming by a professional. The optimal interval can vary from horse to horse and also depending on the season. On average, hoof trimming should be done every 6 weeks, though for some horses every 4 or 8 weeks may be more appropriate. In the case of acute problems (e.g. laminitis), trimming may even be required every two weeks.\nHooves also grow faster in summer than in winter, which is why the interval between trimming appointments may need to be shortened during this time.\nIdeally, as a horse owner you should also learn the basics of hoof trimming so that you can perform simple tasks yourself between the regular professional appointments. This includes, for example, rounding off chipped edges of the hoof wall or removing loose parts of the frog to prevent thrush. It also allows you to better counteract certain tendencies, such as a club foot or a long toe. If these problems were only corrected every few weeks, other structures in the horse's leg might be unnecessarily overloaded in the meantime. A toe that is too long, for example, causes excessive pressure on the navicular complex and pull on the deep digital flexor tendon, which can lead to long-term overloading of these structures.\nOf course, you should first acquire the appropriate knowledge at a hoof course, and then have your hoof care professional show you the most important techniques for your horse.\n\n \nDaily inspection\nChecking the hooves should be a fixed part of the daily routine with your horse. On the one hand, the hooves should be cleaned of dirt and foreign objects, and on the other hand this is the perfect opportunity to check their state of health: are the hooves warm, or can you feel an increased pulse? Has the shape changed, has something chipped off, or has a piece of horn come loose? Has thrush or a fungal infection developed anywhere? Are there hoof cracks that you should attend to?\nIf your horse is wearing shoes or glue-on shoes, these should also be checked daily to ensure that everything is still firmly in place where it should be.\n \nCleaning hooves properly\nThe daily cleaning of hooves is actually quite simple: with a hoof pick, the trapped dirt must be carefully removed. The metal tip should not be too sharp, so as not to injure sensitive parts of the horn when picking (especially in the frog grooves). The hoof should be cleaned so that you can clearly see and inspect all structures. A wire brush can be a valuable help here to remove even the last bits of dirt from deep grooves. This is important in order to detect any foreign objects. Small stones in particular tend to get lodged in the white line, and you should definitely remove them so they don't work their way deeper into the hoof and make the hole ever larger. To remove these small stones, you can also use a fine screwdriver as an aid.\nIf holes or grooves appear in the white line after cleaning, you should fill them with an antibacterial paste, for example Hoof Clay.\n \nCaring for the frog\nYou should give the frog particular attention during daily hoof care, because it is one of the most sensitive structures in the hoof and quickly susceptible to problems. Bacteria in particular often affect the frog and cause the widespread condition of thrush. What exactly this is and how you can get it under control is explained in a separate article.\nTo prevent it from getting to that point in the first place, you can regularly wash the frog with mild antibacterial agents as a preventive measure, for example a simple vinegar-water mixture.\n \nFeeding for healthy hooves\nProper hoof care also includes your horse's nutrition. Only when your horse is adequately supplied with the right nutrients can it grow a healthy hoof. A sufficient supply of sulfur-containing amino acids, trace and bulk elements, and vitamins is essential for this. Exactly what your horse needs (and what it doesn't!) cannot be answered in a general way and depends primarily on the basic forage. That is: which nutrients are present in the hay and in what amounts, and does your horse have access to pasture? What kind of work is your horse doing, and does it therefore need the same nutrients for its muscles and its tendon\/ligament system? In case of doubt, it's worth having a nutritionist calculate a ration so that you don't spend money unnecessarily on supplementary feed your horse may not need at all.\nEspecially when it comes to feeding, the rule sometimes applies: less is more. Of course your horse can be undersupplied, but very often our horses are actually oversupplied with certain substances. This can lead to hoof problems just as much as malnutrition can.\nAnd oversupply also includes the issue of being overweight. Unfortunately, many horses – particularly in the leisure sector – are far too fat, which can bring massive problems for hoof health. Thin soles and laminitis are just two of many possible consequences that can often be well managed with an adjusted diet.\n \nPlenty of movement on the right surface\nHoof care also includes stimulating blood circulation in the hoof, so that the nutrients fed are actually transported to the hoof in sufficient quantities. Our horses' hooves are designed for a running performance of 10 to as much as 50 kilometres per day – this ensures not only wear but also blood circulation. Depending on your horse's housing situation (box, open stable, paddock trail, etc.), you should therefore compensate accordingly if necessary.\nIt's not only important how much your horse moves, but also what surface it moves on. Ideal surfaces are those in which the entire hoof can sink in, but which are not too deep and do not cause excessive wear. Good materials for hoof health include sand or round pebbles.\n \n \nGreasing, oiling, watering\nBut what about the numerous care products that can be applied to the hoof? Opinions are divided here: there are no scientific studies that prove the effectiveness of oils and fats, whether applied to the hoof wall or massaged into the coronet band. However, there are numerous anecdotal reports that these products improve hoof elasticity.\nWhat is now considered certain: fats and oils have a sealing effect and therefore prevent moisture from entering the hoof from outside. If you want to use these products to promote elasticity, you should apply them after watering the hooves in order to keep the moisture in the hoof.\nSpeaking of watering: especially during dry weather periods, hooves should not be excessively watered, even if the temptation is great. Hooves can adapt masterfully to varying degrees of moisture, but not if the change happens suddenly. Continuous dry periods are less problematic for hooves than being repeatedly interrupted by 3-minute showers.\n \nConclusion\nAs you can see, proper hoof care is actually quite simple, but perhaps different from what advertising often suggests. Unfortunately, there is no single \"miracle product\" that magically produces healthy hooves; rather, it is the right feeding, husbandry, trimming and cleaning that care for the hoof from the inside and the outside.\n \n \nAuthor: Nathalie Kurz\nImages: Bennet Klein, Nathalie Kurz\n \n \n\n\u0026gt;\u0026gt; Sources \n \n\nhttps:\/\/practicalhorsemanmag.com\/health-archive\/ten-horse-hoof-care-tips-11352\nhttps:\/\/horseandrider.com\/horse-health-care\/seven-worst-mistakes-in-equine-hoof-care\/\nhttps:\/\/thehorse.com\/19088\/got-healthy-hooves-heres-how-to-keep-them-that-way\/\n\u003cspan style=\"color","headline":"Proper Hoof Care","description":"","image":"https:\/\/good-smith.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/Hufe_richtig_pflege_ffa34268-7870-47df-bdc4-3fa1f923e522.png?v=1787304122\u0026width=1920","datePublished":"2022-05-16T14:44:33+02:00","dateModified":"2022-06-22T13:17:06+02:00","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Eva Schroeder"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Goodsmith "}}