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Daily Hoof Care: A Vital Responsibility for Horse Owners

Updated:

December 27, 2024

While partnering with a skilled farrier is essential to long-term hoof health, daily hoof maintenance begins with the horse owner. Your horse depends on you to maintain clean, healthy hooves and to minimize exposure to conditions that can lead to lameness or infection. Overlooking routine hoof care can result in preventable issues—such as thrush, abscesses, or structural damage—that negatively affect your horse’s soundness, comfort, and performance.

Treating Navicular Disease with Farriery

Updated:

August 12, 2022

equine Navicular Disease Farriery, Cole Henderson, horse navicular, navicular syndrome, chronic heel lameness, caudal heel syndrome, No Foot No Horse

Navicular disease, now referred to as navicular syndrome, chronic heel lameness, or caudal heel syndrome, was first documented in 1752 by farrier Jeremiah Bridges in his famous book No Foot, No Horse (published some 40 years before the opening of the Royal Veterinary College in London, England).

Understanding Laminitis

Updated:

September 13, 2021

what is horse laminitis, inflammation of horse laminae, horse anatomy, equine physiology, coffin bone horse, signs of horse laminitis, horse colitis

The word laminitis elicits fear among horse owners because many associate it with the end of the horse’s career, and sometimes the horse’s life. Laminitis is a catastrophic syndrome that should always be treated as an emergency; however, recent research and new techniques used to treat this condition now make it possible to save horses that might have died. A diagnosis of laminitis is no longer a death sentence.

Unravelling the Mysteries of Navicular Disease

Updated:

July 20, 2020

equine navicular, petroglyph animal hospital, horse hoof problems, equine hoof problems, equine coffin joint, equine bute

First let’s begin by locating the navicular bone in the horse. Each of your horse’s hooves contains two bones: the distal phalanx (coffin bone or P3) and the distal sesamoid bone (navicular bone). The navicular bone is a small, boat-shaped bone that is bordered by the coffin bone, middle phalanx (P2), and deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT). It is approximately six centimetres in length and two centimetres in width in the average 1200 pound horse.

Longer Shoeing Intervals Can Impact Stifles

Updated:

February 26, 2015

horse shoeing, equine shoeing, horse trimming, hoof trimming, horse stifles, hanz wiza, hoof problems

Sophie is a twelve-year-old seven-eighths Hanoverian mare whose main job is dressage. She is also hacked out for an hour or two a couple of times a week. She is fit and robust, but she has recurring bouts of problems with her stifles. Immediately after being shod, she has no issues. But as she gets further along in her shoeing interval her rider notices that her stifles keep catching.