What Makes Good Hoof Protection?

In the past, everything was simple: horses were either kept barefoot or shod with steel horseshoes. But times have changed: on one hand, the requirements for hoof protection have shifted due to changes in how we use our horses and the way they are kept. On the other hand, new developments — particularly in plastics technology — have continuously made new forms of hoof protection possible. As a result, there is now a wide variety of products on the market, and as a horse owner you are often spoiled for choice: steel shoes, plastic shoes, glue-on hoof protection (plate + tabs), glue-on hoof protection (shell), hoof boots, or perhaps Velcro protection?

When in doubt, the choice should of course always be made by a professional on site — not every type of hoof protection is suitable for every horse in every situation. But as a horse owner, you should also be familiar with the pros and cons of the various options, because you know your horse and its issues best. And it gives you the necessary background to have a competent exchange with your hoof care professional.

That's why we want to explain here which requirements a modern hoof protection generally has to fulfil. Veterinary measures (e.g. in the case of a coffin bone fracture) are of course exceptions.

The most important thing, of course, is that the hoof protection serves your horse. Therefore, we want to first clarify the requirements from the perspective of equine health before briefly outlining what additional criteria exist from the horse owner's and the hoof care professional's perspective.

No two horse hooves are the same. Therefore, the hoof protection must also be adaptable to different hoof shapes. With glue-on hoof protection consisting of two parts (i.e. not a fixed shell, but a separate base plate and tabs), this is usually no problem, and some hoof boots can also be adjusted to the hoof to a certain extent.

However, if the hoof protection cannot be adjusted, or can only be adjusted with difficulty due to its construction (e.g. fixed shells) or its material (iron, etc.), then a suitable shape still has to be found for the hoof. Unfortunately, the reverse approach is sometimes still seen: the shape of the hoof is adapted to the hoof protection. This, however, has serious disadvantages: since only the outer hoof shape (i.e. the walls) is adapted to the hoof protection, the hoof capsule no longer matches the "internal anatomy" of the hoof. For example, the hoof wall may then have been rasped too thin in places and is no longer sufficiently load-bearing.

Good hoof protection should be both stretchable and torsion-flexible. Why? Quite simply: this is the only way the hoof mechanism can function optimally. The hoof mechanism is responsible for a whole range of important functions; we have described which ones (and why) in more detail here: Hoof mechanism

The stretchability of the hoof protection is important not only for the hoof mechanism, but also for proper growth. As you have probably noticed, the hoof walls do not stand straight to the ground, but at an angle. That is, the hoof is wider at the bottom (at the ground) than at the top at the coronet band. The hoof therefore grows conically downwards, at a rate of about 1 cm per month. During this time, the hoof simultaneously grows up to 8 mm in width. But if the hoof capsule is fixed at the lower edge by the hoof protection at a certain size, the hoof can then only grow straight downwards instead. The consequences are serious: the hoof is constricted and thus becomes smaller. The sole can no longer stretch over its full width and instead begins to arch inwards. That is: the sole develops an unnaturally high arch, which presses inwards onto the coffin bone. This is called "sole pressure" (Sohlenzwang) and can be extremely painful for the horse.

It is therefore enormously important that good hoof protection is sufficiently elastic to allow both the lateral expansion of the hoof and the torsion in the bulb area, and to enable the hoof mechanism.