Your show jumper lands off a five-foot vertical and is cutting right, thinking a few fences ahead. The footing is just a little bit sticky from the rain storm last night, but not to worry–you have a nice set of those European show jumping studs securely set in the shoes. As the leading foot grabs the ground, the shoe seats firmly in the muck, but the foot starts to rotate clockwise atop the shoe as some of the nails pull through the wall. As the foot comes off the ground, it goes one way and the shoe (and unfortunately a large chunk of the hoof wall firmly clinched to it) heads the other. Your horse’s head bobs a few strides, you pull up with concern and look down to see a shoeless foot with a quarter of the wall missing.

This is not an uncommon way to lose part of the hoof wall, and it definitely is one situation where hoof repair materials will come in handy.

There are many ways by which a hoof might get to the state where some sort of hoof repair material is necessary to reconstruct the foot. As always, the best approach is to do everything in your power to lessen the chance of your horse ever having to benefit from some of this unique material. Regular shoeing (or trimming for those which go barefoot), keeping the foot balanced, promptly fixing loose shoes, early detection of "white line" problems or cracks, and correct use of caulks/studs are some of the ways to prevent losing a chunk of hoof wall.

The purpose of this article is not to discuss in depth the problems in which hoof repair material aids in the treatment, but to look at the materials and techniques with which I have worked. I do think it is useful to review the anatomy of the foot to get us started