Wose Than it Looks?

Often, with feet, things are not entirely as they seem.  To the untrained eye, feet look horrific but the cause can be entirely cosmetic... other times they look OK, but are severely compromised.  This is especially true of horses who are recently out of shoes and get crumbly wall.  Due to this fact, it is important to consult an experienced hoof care professional when in doubt.

So, why does this incongruence exist?  Surely more poorly hooves should look worse!

The first important concept to remember is that different parts of the foot have unique functions, and some relate more directly to hoof soundness than others.  For example- the wall may look horribly cracked and broken and flaking at the ground surface, but this generally isn't such a problem providing that the sole and frog are healthy and there are no underlying pathological conditions.  Far more important to the health and soundness are the sole and frog.  Provided these are healthy, a cracking/flaking wall is relatively inconsequential regarding soundness- (but is an important issue to be addressed nevertheless).  The material currently on the ground surface is also at least 3 months old (possibly older depending on the horse), and so doesn't necessarily reflect the health of the internal hoof.  An experienced practitioner will be able to tell you whether what you're seeing is problematic or merely a remnant of previous damage.

This leads to our next point- that the health of the internal hoof is not necessarily reflected in the current hoof structure.  This can go both ways - i.e: a poorly looking hoof may be healthy and on the mend inside, or a healthy looking hoof may be severely compromised internally.  A case of the latter is seen in laminitis.  Here we have a healthy looking hoof capsule that has undergone severe trauma.  It is only after a significant period of time that the external hoof structure is modified to reflect this damage.  It is only through physiologic signs and gait/bio mechanics evaluation that we can judge the internal hoof health.

Some horses may have congenital defects or acquired defects from past disease/trauma that give him a permanent deformity- but this may be entirely healthy in its deformed state.

And this is the real judge of hoof health- if it is structurally sound for the horse's needs, and that he is comfortable in the work expected of him.  It is a plastic thing, and changes depending upon the demands placed upon your horse.  Conversely, if the hoof becomes unhealthy- you must expect less of your horse until his hoof health recovers.

New to Barefoot? What to Expect

So you've just had your horse's shoes taken off- well done!  Here's some important things to be careful of while your horse adapts all the new stimuli getting to his feet:

1)  Be patient.  Your horse's feet have been protected by metal or plastic shoes for many years and need a chance to adapt to the new stimuli and wear they will be getting from the ground surface.  Try and keep the work easy (this depends on the hoof health and you should ask your hoof professional for advice here) and on something cushioned like a sand school.  If you're a bit impatient or worried about your horse losing fitness, you may wish to purchase hoof boots so you are able to get out and about hacking sooner. 

2)  Closely monitor the hooves for the first few weeks and contact your hoof care professional if you are worried about anything (especially raised pulses and heat).  Occasionally feet can experience a re perfusion injury when the shoes are removed (especially if shod for a long time or very tightly)- this results from a compression of the circumflex artery of the pedal bone- and is akin to your arm 'falling asleep'... you know the feeling when you shake your arm out and get pain and pins and needles?  This is what your horse is experiencing, and it will pass with no ill effects.  This being said, things can go wrong if too much stimulus is added too quickly (especially if the feet are very unhealthy), and occasionally the horse may experience an abscess or corn if too much is done too soon.  It is always best to seek advice from a professional who has experience in transitioning horses to barefoot.

3)  Because your horse does not have the protection of a shoe 24/7, you will be able to see when he is slightly sore or footy.  Believe it or not, this is a good thing!  Because you can see every slight change in the hoof health as and when it happens, you can change and modify things accordingly to stop any problems as they start.  You will also become a sort of hoof geek- I'm afraid.  Remember, the patterns you see of soreness, etc were likely there before too, you just couldn't see them.  The important thing is to record the details of when he is footy and try to establish a pattern (ie, grass flush causes soreness) and work with your hoof care professional to eliminate the source of the soreness, nit merely mask it.  In the meantime, a good pair of boots/pads will keep him comfortable for work.

4)  Bare feet are kinder to your fields, and to other horses and people (if kicked)- but handle differently on the wet and especially on jumps- take it easy at first and allow time for you and your horse to get used to how to handle these obstacles with his new feet.  Usually there is always a bit of extra slip with bare feet, but don't worry- provided your horse is happy handling his feet he won't fall, and if you want the extra grip I recommend the Renegade boots with studs for things like cross country.

5)  The hoof growth should catch up with your workload in about 6-9 months, but in the meantime keep an eye on the amount of foot left- especially if you do a lot of roadwork.  If you need extra length, speak to your hoof care professional or use a pair of boots to protect the foot from wear.

6)  Don't worry if you don't see dramatic changes immediately.  remember that a healthy foot has to grow from the inside out, and not merely trimmed into shape- allow some time for the new growth to occur.

7)  Find some fun activities to do regardless of what level of activity your horse is up to at the moment- even if you can only walk in-hand at the moment, take the opportunity to go on some nice walks and just enjoy being with your horse- your relationship will improve as well as the feet!

Your Horse's Pulse: How to Take it and What it Means

One very simple and useful tool that everyone can use to check on hoof health is the distal pulse.  This is the pulsing of the main artery into the hoof from the upper body.  Normally this pulse should be barely detectable (especially if you're new to taking pulses), but will change character when inflammation is present, making it fuller and stronger (An important side note here is that when we speak of monitoring the pulse, we are interested in the quality and strength of the pulsation in this one specific area as relating to inflammation, and not making sweeping statements about the systemic vasculature or monitoring pulse rate for disease.  Think about feeling the throbbing sensation in your thumb after whacking it with a hammer versus having your vitals checked at the doctors.)

Put simply, if inflammation is present to any degree in the hoof the pulse will strengthen and become fuller when palpated on the pastern.  This is due to the lack of expansion available in the hoof capsule- as inflammatory fluids engorge the tissues, pressure increases in the hoof and there is more back pressure in the artery, resulting in the 'raised pulse'.  So, while not a perfect or detailed tool, it does give us some information as to the state of the tissues inside the hoof.  The best way to monitor your horse is to start with a one-week check, using the following method:

1) Use a sheet of paper to draw columns for AM Pulse, PM Pulse (and Midday /Night if you wish- the more information the better).  Make a note of the time of day you intend to monitor the pulse- it doesn't matter a great deal, but the times should be consistent throughout the week.  A good method of doing this is to take it after their morning/evening feed through the wintertime.  Some additional information about any changes in the feed that day or field moves/changes will also be useful.

2) Locate the correct area to measure the distal pulse.  It lies in the soft area just behind the bony mass of the pastern.









3)  Cup your hand as shown and wrap it around the pastern from the front.  The front part of the pastern should be resting in the soft area between your thumb and forefinger.

4)  Close your fingers and thumb gently around the back of the pastern, but try not to squeeze- if the pulse isn't significantly raised you may not feel any pulse if too much pressure is applied.  The pulsations should occur somewhere along the length of your thumb and forefingers, take some time to get the feel for it.







5)  Once you've felt the pulse, note it on your form using a scale from 1-5 ( 1 being just barely detectable and 5 a pulse so strong  you can see it through the hair).

6)  Repeat the exercise on all four feet, and follow the measurements the rest of the week.  At the end, you should have an idea as to when the pulses are raised and what a 'normal' pulse is for your horse at this time.  Once you get in the practice, it is useful to have a feel of the pulses as you pick the feet out and see if a raised pulse is corresponding to napping or stroppy behaviours and lameness.

What Hoof Shape are You?

Hooves come in a variety of shapes ans sizes, from flat to round or splayed just to name a few.  But what do these terms mean?  Listed below are some pictures and descriptions of common hoof shapes and what they mean.

1) 'Flat' Feet:  These are hooves in which the sole lacks concavity and lies very close to the ground.  It can result from overly thin sole material, or from overly thick sole material.  Front feet are naturally flatter than hind feet, and some breeds have genetically flatter feet than others, but an overly flat foot is usually the result of inflammatory processes.







2) 'Upright' Feet:  These hooves have an abnormally high heel height, resulting from relatively benign causes or severe pathology.  The most innocuous cases result from overly long growth, or unbalanced trimming and are usually resolved quite quickly.  In more severe cases, an apparent high heel can be caused by a rotation of the hoof capsule around the bony column as in acute laminitis.  Occasionally, this type of foot can arise due to chronically shortened tendons, so this will be the 'normal' shape for the foot.

3)  Flared Feet:  Hooves with large amounts of flare can result from feet that are overdue a trim, or from feet which suffer from long term inflammation and usually also exhibit under-run or collapsed heels.









4)  'Narrow' Feet:  This hoof will exhibit a contracture in the heels, making it appear more oval and will normally show a deep central groove in the frog which will be prone to infection.  By encouraging the horse to use his feet in a more correct fashion, these feet can be encouraged to open out.

5)  'Round' Feet:  Your bog-standard warm-blood or draft horse foot- nearly circular with robust walls and high level of symmetry.








6)  'Wide' Feet:  These are usually hooves which have bilateral flaring, making the width markedly longer in measuremtn than the toe-heel length.  Some horses and breeds tend towards this type of foot even in a healthy state.  You may find difficulty finding these horses hoof boots that fit well.

7)  'Long' Feet:  Usually this indicates a long toe/low heel shape for the foot and can either be the result of unchecked growth, chronic inflammation, or poor trimming.  This can usually be rehabilitated well with proper trimming and treatment of the causes of inflammtion.

8)  'Under-Run' Feet:  When a hoof's heels become under-run, the heel purchase migrates forward, nearer the apex of the frog, and continued weight-bearing on these bent structures tends to further the problem.  This type of foot will usually exhibit flaring on one or both sides.  With some supportive padding, correct trimming and diet this foot has a good prospect for rehabilitation.