Knowledge about hooves
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Hoof Health in Winter

4 Min. Lesezeit

Keeping horses in winter can be quite a challenge. Cold, ice, snow, little daylight – in this article we take a closer look at how you can still support your horse (and especially its hooves) in the best possible way under these difficult conditions.


Hoof growth and feeding in winter

You may have already noticed: horses' hooves grow more slowly in winter than in the other seasons. There are several reasons for this: due to the shortened daylight hours, the hormone balance changes and the horse switches to "energy-saving mode". This means the body signals the horse to invest less energy in movement and instead use it, for example, to maintain body warmth. However, the reduced movement decreases blood circulation and the hoof is supplied with fewer nutrients. There are also theories that the capillary vessels in the horse's leg contract to minimize temperature loss – which likewise reduces blood circulation.

The daylight-related hormonal shift also causes reduced production of the hormone prolactin, which in turn influences, among other things, the horn growth rate.

All of these factors in combination mean that your horse's hooves grow more slowly in winter. However, this does not mean that your farrier or hoof trimmer should come less frequently during the winter months – on the contrary: when hoof growth is slow, it is all the more important that the existing material is healthy, that nothing is pressing, and that the hoof is kept in balance. Regular trimming is therefore just as important as in the warmer months.


You can best support your horse in terms of hoof growth by providing plenty of movement and adjusting the feeding. On the one hand, this includes a more intensive supply of fat-soluble vitamins that the horse would naturally obtain through grass during the rest of the year. On the other hand, the increased energy demand in winter needs to be met. The energy should be provided in the form of crude fibre – in the simplest case, the hay ration can simply be increased. Alternatively, beet pulp is also a good supplementary feed in winter, as it likewise contains a lot of digestible crude fibre and is also a very good source of lysine. Lysine is an essential amino acid and is important, among other things, for horn growth and the formation of (hoof) cartilage.

Getting hoof protection winter-ready

Due to the reduced hoof growth, your horse may need additional hoof protection in winter. Particularly if your horse lives in an open stable and there is frequently frozen ground there, caution is advised: this can quickly lead to inflammation of the sole corium. Horses with thin soles or a flat arch are especially at risk. For these candidates, it is often sensible to proactively apply a glued hoof protection in winter (before problems arise).

Applying anti-slip protection

Permanent hoof protection should in any case be made "winter-ready" during the cold season. This includes, on the one hand, fitting studs to prevent unwanted slipping on wintery ground conditions. In our Perma XT glue-on shoe, for example, you can easily screw in spikes.


Preventing snow build-up

In areas with frequent snowfall, you should also make sure that your hoof protection does not excessively promote snow build-up. Depending on the consistency of the snow, clumping can also occur with barefoot horses, but there it usually falls out on its own after a few steps. A plastic shoe or metal shoe, on the other hand, has comparatively "sharp" edges in which chunks of snow become more stubbornly lodged.

You can remedy this by closing these edges. This can be done, for example, with a flexible "snow lip" (as is already built into the Goodsmith base plates by default) or by means of a pad between the hoof sole and the hoof protection. Such a pad is a special silicone or plastic compound that does not fully harden but remains flexible to a certain degree. If your horse has a sensitive sole, this also gives you protection on frozen ground.


Author: Nathalie Kurz www.mein-leben-ist-ein-ponyhof.at

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