Analyzing equine diets in my spare time has shown me that horses most often are not getting a complete profile of all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and fats required for adequate health. Click this link to load a PDF document I created that will help to illustrate the importance of vitamins and minerals in the equine diet. Even a "good" diet consisting of high quality hay and a pound or so of a commercial grain mix can be severely deficient in multiple nutrients.

Feed Value Comparison of Popular Equine Feeds

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HELP! My horse is SORE after every trim!

Oh boy, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I'd be in Canada learning to ski instead of working so hard.

It's unclear to me why some people trim horses so darned short. I have some theories, however. e.g., attempting to remove all distortion in one trim, attempting to make the trim "last" for 8 weeks, misusing nippers to save time........who knows. What I "do" know is that horses suffer when this happens.

One thing my customers usually note is that I leave more hoof under their horse than they are generally accustomed to seeing. As long as the hoof is BALANCED, you don't have to worry about a little extra height. In fact, that height is very desirable, especially in larger/heavier horses. When I trim, I generally leave more hoof wall standing above the sole than owners are used to seeing. This extra height gives the horse some ground clearnace, and allows the sole to be partially weight bearing, but not overloaded. Some people call this a "natural shoe." For the most part, I just call it leaving wall height above the sole.

Here is a photo I put together to illustrate the concept.
This horse shows the maximum amount of hoof height I would maintain.

Seems simple right? A no brainer. Well, amazingly, it must not be a no brainer, because I see so many horses that are walking on their soles, and they are LAME. Some of them have been stall rested and buted daily to get past the pain of a trim. This is unacceptable in my practice.

If you want a sound, working, shoeless horse who can go out on trails and go down the side of the road, you NEED extra height to the foot. The typical trimming protocol that uses the nippers to bite through the abaxial border of the sole and leave your dog a nice horseshoe shaped treat WILL NOT WORK for a working, barefoot horse.

I typically do more rasping and less nipping than owners are accustomed to. It only takes one wrong nip to take away a substantial amount of hoof material that can't be put back.

Remember, if you want a sound, happy, working barefoot horse, YOU NEED SOME EXTRA HEIGHT! The amount of height left depends on a lot of factors, how much and where is the horse worked, how wet is the environment, how has the horse responded in the past to the extra hoof wall, does he tend to crack and split or not, how thick is the wall, how thin is the sole, how healthy are the frogs, and so forth....

It is WELL worth the effort to develop and maintain the extra hoof wall height, because horses are so much happier because of it.

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Pasture Trim vs. Barefoot Trim..................hu?

When it comes to hoof care, there is nothing else that confuses owners (and trimmers and farriers!) more than this terminology - pasture trim versus barefoot trim.

My position is that a good trim is a good trim, regardless of who does it or what its called. If the horse is sound for the intended purpose, the owner is happy, the horse is happy, and the hooves are as healthy as possible or at least on the road to getting there - then the trim is good. No two hoof care professionals can agree on what "pasture trim" actually means, so how about if we just forget the term :-) It ignites flames of irritation and disgust with farriers, and feelings of superiority by trimmers and barefooters. Somehow people feel that if they can assign a designer name to their designer trim, they will be better than the competition, the horse will be sounder, they will make more money, and farriers the world over will be stomped beneath their (bare!) foot.

Barefoot trims can be incorrect, and even damaging also - simply calling it a barefoot trim isn't enough to guarantee soundness or success. Some of the soundest and hardest working shoeless horses are trimmed by farriers who do the same ole' trim on that horse that they do on a shod horse....with one exception...

Beveled (or rolled) walls! All good farriers and trimmers know that a barefooted horse with flat, sharp hoof walls are more prone to cracks and chips. Take the same feet and get that leading edge of wall up off the ground, and the chance for health increases exponentially.



Now this is where trimmers often veer off from "traditional protocol." Traditional protocol would have you trim frogs into a neat triangle. Many horses do great with the frogs NEVER trimmed. The frog is meant to share load with the sole and walls and when it is over-trimmed, or trimmed unnecessarily, you reduce its mass and thus weight bearing surface. I rarely trim frogs into the neat little triangle that you often see in photos. There's just no need to unless it is overgrown, or diseased. In the photo below, I have pulled off a flag of frog with my fingers that was shedding, then removed the fat bulbous hooks at the back of the frog to prevent it from trapping dirt. In some horses and some situations, I leave those bulbous hooks alone. It all depends on the horse and the environment they live in.

Another point of interest is that healthy, balanced hooves that live in a good environment with a healthy diet and plenty of turnout/exercise, generally need VERY little trimmed from their hooves. There are horses on my book that literally take 10 minutes and the trim is done. I often go months without touching frogs or bars. I can't remember the last time I exfoliated any sole from 99% of the horses I trim. It's just NOT needed.



One thing to keep in mind - you're not paying by the pound for hoof shavings. You are paying for healthy, balanced feet. Sometimes that means only the smallest bit of rasping or touching up and only a few minutes worth of time. The important thing is to keep the bones balanced and aligned within the foot and leg. So.........whether you call it a pasture trim or a barefoot trim - it matters little. At the end of the day, the horse will tell you if the trim was CORRECT or not! I have learned this lesson the hard way and its made me a better hoof care provider because of it.

Trimming in preparation for shoeing IS a bit different in that it is more important to clean out the sole and leave the walls flat. If the farrier leaves the foot this flat with the sole pared out, the horse could develop soreness, cracks, and hoof wall chipping.

Healthy, correct bare feet will have evenly sloping hairlines, low heels, fat healthy frogs, wide fat heel bulbs with a well developed digital cushion and lateral cartilages, thick sole, and thick healthy hoof wall. They will be free of growth rings, thrush, and white line separation. If these attributes are present, then it is safe to say that the trim, and the diet, and the environment are ideal for that horse.

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Anatomy of the Equine Hoof:
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Explanation of Terms, and Comparisons:
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It takes 1 year to grow a new hoof (or does it????)
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I frequently hear people say "It will take your horse a whole year to grow a new hoof." Well, this statement is misleading. It might take a full year for the most dorsal aspect of the toe to reach the ground level, but the rest of the hoof is reaching the ground at a much faster rate. Also, don't forget that "the hoof" is not synonymous with "the dorsal toe wall." People tend to take into consideration only the most dorsal aspect of the toe wall and forget the rest of the hoof! The origins of the sole, frog, and bars are much closer to the ground surface than the coronary band which grows outer wall. And the heels and quarters are closer to the ground than the dorsal toe wall. In a healthy hoof with correct hoof form and function, you will turn over heel at nearly 4 times the rate you will turn over toe growth.

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So what DOES concavity look like anyway?!
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Well, essentially, like this! I washed this horse's foot with a garden hose then walked her acorss the gravel driveway. After picking up the foot, you can clearly see what area of the hoof (directly under the coffin bone) has been protected by the natural arch of the hoof! Cool isn't it!! When a horse is flat footed, they have very little arch to the foot meaning that the solar surface of the bone is essentially unprotected. Trimming in such a way as to encourage and cultivate this natural arch is essential for soundness.

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Spectrum of Usability:
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The Spectrum of Usability is a tool to rate the overall hoof health of the horse, and establish guidelines for recommended use and rehabilitation. It is beneficial to periodically assess each individual structure of each hoof to track progress, and to establish a baseline. Working a horse within his spectrum is a good insurance policy to guard against making a horse sore because his structures can't handle the work he is presented.

The Spectrum of Usability is mainly beneficial to high performance shoeless horses, or to owners who wish to have documented progression of the rehabilitation process. So what exactly "IS" the Spectrum of Usability, and what do the numbers mean? Click the above thumbnail to expand a sample copy.

So in overview:

• 1: Bleeding, extremely pathalogical, missing structures, extreme injury or disease
  
• 3: Structures present but weak
  
• 5: Good overall structure, healthy, suitable for moderate trail riding barefoot
  
• 7: Extremely strong, healthy structures, horse probably capable of higher performance work while barefoot
  
• 10: The most correct, perfect hoof possible (and in reality...very rare)
  

Please note it's possible for one structure on a horse to be extremely poor, and another structure to be very strong. By reviewing the sheet, you can tell which structure needs rehab, and which structures are doing well. The "Qualifying Reason" section will note why the horse is recieving a particular overall score. If the horse has a great foot, but a puncture wound to one frog causes that structure to rate a "1" then obviously it would not be wise to take the horse on a long trail ride without protection. The horse may come in at a "5" overall, but the weak link may warrant rest and healing before resuming work. This will be noted on the form, and I encourage you to follow up with your veterinarian if you have any concerns or further questions.

Obviously this is a rough guideline designed to give some direction and instruction. I complete a Spectrum of Usability every time I see your horse. It only takes 5 minutes, and it's helpful for review after I've left and you can't remember what we talked about. This way anything noteworthy is documented on the form. Owners like having these forms for their horse's file so records can be kept over the years of changes, and problems. With the busy lives everyone leads, it's easy to forget information over time.

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Acccck! The Big "T" Word!
...yes it's...THRUSH

Punky frogs, black gooey discharge, loss of stability in the back of the foot, bad smell, frog wasting, pain.....these are all signs that something is amiss and needs to be dealt with PRONTO!

Most hoof care professionals agree that thrush (or any type of frog infection: yeast, bacteria, fungus), is usually caused by one of four things, or all at once:

1. Poor environment - wet conditions, soiled bedding, standing in manure, too much moisture
2. Poor hoof form - tall overgrown heels, underrun heels, long toes
3. Improper or negligent cleaning of hooves
4. High sugar diet coupled with long periods of stalling

But what if your horse gets his feet cleaned every day, his hoof form is pretty good, your pastures are high and dry, the manure is picked up daily, but the horse STILL has thrush?!? Isn't that just frustrating? Of course it is! I know this first hand, as I've been there in the not so distant past. If your situation sounds strangely common with this sentiment, then it may be high time for a Clean Trax treatment! Clean Trax is a non-necrotizing hoof cleanser that kills spores deep within the tissue, and not just surface germs like ordinary topicals do. In other words, Clean Trax will not harm sensitive tissue like harsh chemicals found in Koppertox, Thrush Buster, and others can. Clean Trax can be ordered from most online farrier supply stores, and the package directions must be followed EXACTLY to be effective. I have never found another thrush treatment to be as thoroughly effective as Clean Trax. If you have a chronic thrush problem you can't seem to kick, you MUST give it a shot! If you are interested in Clean Traxing your horse but aren't sure of the instructions, please contact me and I will help you!

Another treatment option is TODAY and TOMORROW Dry Cow Mastitis Treatments. I've used both with success. You can purchase both from Jeffers Equine. They come in a box of 12 tubes. One tube will treat 2-4 feet, depending on the depth of the central sulculs. You squirt the treatment down into the sulcus and fill with cotton. Continue twice daily for about 10 days, or until you can no longer fit any cotton into the central sulcus. This takes longer than Clean Trax, and doesn't kill spores, but is still very effective.

For normal frog maintenance, I use Desitin 40% (not the 10%!), and Gold Bond medicated foot powder (the original in the yellow bottle.) Smear the frog, central sulcus, and collateral grooves with Desitin, and coat with Gold Bond powder. Desitin is wonderful for creating a moisture sealed barrier, especially during the wet season. Gold Bond absorbs moisture and helps dry out the frog when the horse comes in at night after a day of wet paddock slogging. I use one or other of these almost daily on all of my horses. I've found the frogs to be much healthier and resiliant.

Another great use for Gold Bond is a good healthy squeeze into your hoof boots. It helps eliminate funky boot odor, and keep the frogs dry. One word of caution though - if your boots are on the borderline of being too big, adding the powder can cause them to slip around on the feet too much. So this is best with tighter fitting boots.

Pete Ramey uses some type of anti-fungal cream mixed with Gold Bond, but I haven't had a chance to try that out yet. I have heard that it's very effective though.

And finally one of the most important treatment protocols is STIMULUS for growth! Walking the horse in Sole Mates pads, or EVA foam pads helps to stimulate the corium that grows new hoof material. Walking a thrushy horse daily in pads helps to stimulate new frog growth, which will fill in that deep central sulcus. Bear in mind that sand can be very irritating and counter-productive, as the particles enter the sulcus and cause irritation and aggravation. If your horse has a deep sulculs, keep him in a sand-free location until the area fills in with new growth. Sometimes it doesn't make any sense - which horses get thrush and which don't. We can do everything possible to prevent it, but sometimes the horse just has a poor immune system. From my experience, your best bet is to keep the feet trimmed PROPERLY on a cycle appropriate for your horse, keep the environment clean and dry, pick out feet daily, use the above medications accordingly, and keep your horse on a lower sugar diet.

If normal treatment paths are not effective, or if the problem is continually reccuring, even after a treatment or two of Clean Trax, you should contact your veterinarian for assistance. The one case of recurring, persistent thrush I've had to deal with is on a foundered horse. Compromised circulation is suspect in this case as is hoof form that isn't quite back to normal. Veterinary consultation is also advisable on the very difficult cases because you want to make sure you truly have thrush, and not equine canker.

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