Hoof Care

Prevention and treatment for problems of the equine foot

Subcategories:

The Barefoot Horse: Romance vs. Reality

By leaving a horse barefoot, one allows the hoof’s natural functions of shock absorption, traction, and biomechanics to perform at their optimum. Shoes inhibit natural function and the horse’s natural way of going, and limb interference with shoes

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Welfare, Farrier Groups Advise Caution on Do-It-Yourself Hoofcare

The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) has issued a statement cautioning enthusiastic horse owners not to tackle their own hoof care work in pursuit of a natural unshod hoof. Reacting to the groundswell of popular interes”P>The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) has i

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The Latest on Laminitis

Of all the ailments a horse can suffer, laminitis is the one that unfailingly strikes fear into the heart of an owner.

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Barefoot Benefits

We often assume a horse needs shoes without really thinking about why or how that affects a horse’s overall health. Yet standard veterinary texts, such as books by James Rooney, DVM, and O.R. Adams, DVM, on

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The Club Foot

My weanling’s foot seems a bit boxy. My veterinarian said it sounds like he has a club foot. What does this mean?

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Stepping Ahead: Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium 2001

Laminitis is one of the most serious and difficult-to-treat diseases horses can get, and only by learning everything about this problem can we prevent and treat it successfully. Enter the 14th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium held Jan. 25-27

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Navicular Problems: Symptoms and Treatment

Lameness emanating from the caudal aspect of the horse’s foot can be caused by a variety of problems. Here’s a review of what the horse’s navicular bone is, what it does, problems that can occur, and potential treatments.

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Sole Bruise Lameness

This morning when I went to the barn, my Quarter Horse gelding was lame, to the point where he did not want to bear any weight on his left hind foot. My barn manager thinks it might be a sole bruise. What is a sole bruise? What should I do?

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Graveled Horses

The barn manager said my horse was graveled and called the veterinarian. Could you please explain what that means?”he barn manager said my horse was graveled and called the veterinarian. Could “e barn manager said my horse was graveled a” barn manag

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Club Foot Concerns

Club feet might be one of the most common growth problems in young horses. Affecting youngsters primarily between birth and 6 months of age, the club foot actually is a flexural deformity of the distal interphalangeal joint (coffin joint) caused

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Is Your Horse Enrolled In A Wellness Program

A wellness program for your horse will save you time, money, and most of all the headache of worrying if you’re doing the right things at the right time. But with all the sources of horse health care information available today, how do you decid

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At Home On The Range: Dude Horses

While many of our horses do some kind of work for a living, the work usually consists of a couple of hours a day, three to five days a week. Many of our horses are ridden far less than that, and we don’t really think of them as working for”P>While many

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Thrush in Horses

Athlete’s foot certainly isn’t life-threatening, although it can be extremely irritable. Thrush is not life-threatening either, but if left unchecked, it can cause some serious foot problems in the horse.

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Researchers Evaluate Field Glucose Test in Ponies

Pony Power!

The genuine pony displays the traits of centuries of pony progenitors, distinguishing himself from small horse breeds. In general, the pony is the same animal as the horse, yet he has many traits that make him unique.

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Sole Bruising

A bruised sole can happen as quickly and simply as a horse stepping on a rock or working on a hard surface. It can occur as the result of excessive hoof trimming, or be associated with laminitis. Sole bruising can be an uncomplicated condition

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