Heather Smith Thomas shares the importance of regular hoof care. Mud and moisture can soften and impair the hoof’s structural integrity, making it vulnerable to hoof infections like thrush, white line disease and abscesses she says.
Source: The Horse, March 13, 2023. Link.
Keeping the hoof clean and dry is important, rather than just using various hoof-strengthening paints and topical products. Sometimes those just seal in moisture and make the foot more likely to have problems.”
Also see: Door in the hoof? The Paulick Report, March 6, 2023. Link. A uniquely designed shoe with a hinged plate encourages safety, daily access to dress the hoof and speed healing following keratoma removal. A team of vets, farriers, and caretakers devised a plan to remove the keratoma and help the horse heal.
Also see: We don’t know what we don’t know about the hoof, American Farriers Journal, March 13, 2021. Link. Most debilitating equine diseases stem from an injury sustained by the invisible, sensitive tissue buried deep within the protective layers of skin, bone and hoof. The insidious nature of degeneration may only become obvious when visibly present, and may then be too late to remedy.