Summer Hoof Care From the team at Kevin Bacon Hoof Care Products

FROM THE HORSE HEALTH SPECIALISTS
The foot is the most common site of all lameness in the horse with the forelimb foot lameness being more prevalent than hind limb. Without correct hoof balance and good hoof maintenance some horses will inevitable go lame or not perform to their optimum. More and more people understand this; through their own experience or the experience of others, but there are still many people who have a miscomprehension of how important a horse’s feet are in relation to soundness.

We should consider whether the horse been suitably shod for the confirmation and the discipline the horse is used for.
Discuss the potential problems with the farrier. Please do not expect a farrier to comment on the work of another; this would be unprofessional, so please do not put a farrier in that uncomfortable position. The question you need to ask and discuss with your own farrier is; can the hoof care be improved on the short and long term? What can you as the owner do between shoeings?

The British Summer brings a host of climatic problems for the hoof. The continual change of temperature, humidity, rainfall and then baking hard ground or, recently, floods can be problematic for the horse’s foot.

Hard Ground Issues

Collectively we at Kevin Bacon hear about the following problems:
“Jarring up” Bruised Soles, Sore feet, Corns, Sandcracks, and Brittle Feet

Some horse are more prone to become “jarred up” on hard ground, in some cases pads or “solepack” can help, be wary of the lack of traction that fitting pads can cause.
Flat footed thin soled horses are most prone to bruising and this is generally created by repetitive trauma to the foot by riding on hard or stony ground. Again pads may help but beware you may lose traction.

A corn is a bruising of the capillaries between the hoof wall and bar at the heel of the foot. A corn is caused by excessive pressure. If the pressure is not eased corns may become infected which can cause lameness for long periods of time. Bar shoes may help in certain cases but seek advice from your farrier. Management of the horse prone to bruising means working with your farrier to create and maintain a stronger hoof wall and sole through trimming and shoeing. Extra care must be taken when using studs on hard ground that you do not unbalance the foot loading weight onto one point of the foot.

Some horses develop multiple splits around the bottom of the hoof wall during dry hot summers. This can lead to infections particularly in the unshod horse, whilst the shod horse becomes prone to losing shoes. Brittle feet and sandcracks both require regular treatment from the farrier whilst horn growth can benefit from supplements containing biotin, methionine, vitamin A and calcium such as Kevin Bacons Hoof Formula or Farriers Formula, which will improve new growth whilst topical applications of Hoof Dressing or hoof grease will keep the feet elastic and supple. The barrier protection of Hoof Dressing will also protect the feet from bacteria.

Wet Ground Conditions

Thrush, Infection in the foot, overreaches cracked heels and mud fever.
Thrush develops due to poor hygiene, failure to clean the feet regularly and leaving the horse standing in dirty damp conditions. Conformation will also play part with deep clefts being especially susceptible. During the summer months we often get phone calls about horses travelling long distances on horse boxes with rubber floors which can have high levels of ammonia and damp conditions; this can manifest itself into thrush and may prevent horses competing due to mild lameness. Other opportunities for summer thrush to occur are – horses on box rest or confined to small areas which have not been properly cleaned out. Prevention of some cases can be straight forward, regular cleaning of the feet with topical application of products such as Hoof Solution to prevent deterioration of frog and sole tissues.

Infections of the foot are probably the most common cause of lameness and the symptoms can occur quite suddenly. Veterinary attention should be sought immediately. Although infections can occur at any time of year we see more cases during wet ground conditions because the white line is softer and more easily penetrated by foreign bodies.

Overreaching is a common problem when riding across wet and heavy ground. Caused by the horse striking the forelimb heel or coronary band by the toe of the hind limb, this can develop into cuts of varying depth and severity depending on surrounding areas bruising. Noting your horse’s conformation and way of moving can assist in the management of this problem. Discuss with your farrier the dilemma and he may be able to shoe the horse in a precautionary way. Simply wearing protective boots when competing on heavy ground, jumping or during fast work may also assist.

Cracked heels and mud fever basically affect the skin above the hoof resulting in swelling, stiffness and lameness. Usually considered a winter ailment, horses stood in deep mud or flood for long periods of time without the opportunity to dry out can create irritation. Once again both ailments become management issues with failure to recognise clinical signs of infection, soft tissue swelling, cracks, skin stretching and splitting and oozing fluid and finally infection. We at Kevin Bacon recommend throughout the seasons that you ensure the horse has the opportunity to dry out! The legs should then be washed with a mild soap such as Active Soap or Hibiscrub, dried and then treated with a topical oil based cream such as Micro-Tek Gel or Spray from Eqyss. Severe cases may need veterinary attention.

Summer hoof care, like any time of year, is subject to good management procedures to maintain healthy feet. The horse’s feet and skin can cope well with extremes of weather when we are prepared to maintain hoof quality with correct feeding, high-quality farriery and excellent stable management. Finally, buying horses with good foot conformation is more likely to maintain healthy sound horse what ever the weather is doing.

For More Information Please Visit www.horsehealth.co.uk

This entry was posted on April 15, 2009 at 2:47 pm and is filed under Equestrian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.