“no hoof, no horse” · the frog a naturally occurring organism inside the horse. when poop...
TRANSCRIPT
“NO HOOF, NO HORSE”
The Importance and Basics of Equine Hoof Care
ARCADIA BIRKLID
Hoof Matters – Certified
Farrier Services
AAPF Accredited Professional
Farrier
AFEC Certified Farrier
8 years of practice in Whatcom
County
Continuing Education Yearly
Dressage Rider
WHY IS HOOF CARE IMPORTANT?
Regular/Therapeutic hoof care enables the horse to stay sound to complete the job it is being asked to do
Conformational defects pre-dispose a horse to injuries over the course of a lifetime, and proper hoof care can help manage/delay potential issues
Keeping horses on a schedule helps to catch problems early
WHY IS HOOF CARE IMPORTANT?
A horses foot travels 2 ½ times the speed of the horse – A thoroughbred may be traveling at 30mph, his foot is traveling at 75mph
The foot on a Thoroughbred racehorse will accelerate to 75mph and decelerate to 0mph, impact the ground and then accelerate to 75mph again – two to three times PER SECOND!
ANATOMY OF THE HOOF
The equine hoof is a feat of
engineering,comprised of:
Insensitive Structures
Sensitive Structures
Bones
Tendons/Ligaments
Intricate blood supply
INSENSITIVE STRUCTURES
Things we can see
from the outside
Exterior Hoof Capsule
Hoof Wall
Periople (at Coronary or
Coronet Band)
INSENSITIVE STRUCTURES
Insensitive Structures
(ground plane)
Insensitive Sole
Insensitive Frog
White Line
Divided into Three Zones
Toe
Quarter
Heel
PARTS OF THE HOOF
Wall
White Line
Sole
Frog/Apex of Frog
Bars
Buttress of the Heels
Bulb of the Heels
Central Sulcus
Lateral Sulcus
White line
Buttress of
the Heel
SENSITIVE STRUCTURES
Sensitive structures includes:
Coronary Band
Sensitive Laminae
Sensitive Frog
Sensitive Sole
Digital Cushion
Main Extensor Tendon
SENSITIVE STRUCTURES
CONNECTING THE PARTS
The insensitive and
sensitive structures are
connected by laminae
Velcro like structure that
ties the coffin bone to
the outer hoof wall
LIMB ANATOMY Sensitive Tissue includes:
Coronary Band
Sensitive Laminae
Sensitive Frog
Sensitive Sole
Digital Cushion
Bones include: Cannon Bone
Long Pastern (P1)
Short Pastern (P2)
Coffin Bone (P3)
Navicular Bone
Tendons/Ligaments include: Deep Digital Flexor Tendon
Main Extensor Tendon
Suspensory Ligament
Main Extensor Tendon
(Digital cushion)
Suspensory
Ligament
CONNECTING THE PARTS
CONNECTING THE PARTS
Main Extensor Tendon In charge of allowing the limb to
extend forward
Connects to front of P1, P2, and P3 (coffin bone)
Deep Digital Flexor Tendon Allows the fetlock to sink toward the
ground
Pulls the coffin bone and hoof wall up onto the toe (flex)
Slides past the navicular bone
Connects to the back/bottom of the P3 (coffin bone)
Suspensory Ligament Maintains the position of the
fetlock
Connects to the extensor tendon
main
extensor
tendon
FACTORS EFFECTING HOOF QUALITY
Environment
Conformation
Nutrition
Genetics
Pathology
ENVIRONMENT
Wet environments produce soft, weak hooves
Horses kept in wet environments are prone to: Thrush: Infection of the tissues of
the frog
A naturally occurring organism inside the horse. When poop packs inside the foot the infection takes place.
Organism cannot tolerate oxygen – regular hoof picking can discourage thrush
Soft Tissue Injuries - from unstable ground
WET CLIMATE HOOVES
ENVIRONMENT
Dry environments produce hard, brittle feet
Horses kept in dry environments are more
susceptible to impact/concussion related injuries
Arthritis
Ringbone/Sidebone
DRY CLIMATE HOOVES
CONFORMATION
Conformation determines movement
Is the result of bones, and their relationship to other bones
You cannot correct a horses conformation through shoeing, you can only manage it
* REMEMBER: Conformation predisposes the horse to certain types of injuries – farrier manages defects
FRONT LIMB CONFORMATION
FORE LIMB CONFORMATION
HIND LIMB CONFORMATION
HIND LIMB CONFORMATION
LOWER LIMB CONFIRMATION
CONFORMATION DETERMINES MOVEMENT
NUTRITION
Every environment has different minerals in the
ground
Basic vitamin supplement
Hoof Supplements/Maintenance
Oral, intra-muscular, intra-articular
GENETICS
Positive and negative traits may be passed down through different breeds, or family lines Will influence conformation
Size/shape of hoof Size proportionate to breed
Thoroughbred vs. Quarter Horses
Hoof growth
Undesirable traits Club foot
Digenerative tendon/ligament
Color of hoof Myth Buster
WHAT IS A GOOD HOOF?
A balanced hoof free of distortions and pathology
A farrier’s ability to do a good job requires: Flat area
Dry area
Well lit area
Horse that stands perfectly still
Quality hoof material
An appropriate timeframe/schedule
Trimming Interval determined by: Rate of growth
Job
Issues/distortion trying to be managed
BALANCE
(A) Matches the angles of the bony column Pastern angle
Coronary band is smooth and continuous
(B) Medial to Lateral
(C) Front to Back 50% ratio from toe to heel from center of weight bearing
Heels to widest part of the heel
Breakover
BALANCE
(A) MATCHES BONY COLUMN ANGLE (B) MEDIAL TO LATERAL
BALANCE
(C) 50% FROM CENTER OF WEIGHT BEARING
BALANCE
(C) WIDEST PART OF FROG/BREAKOVER
GOOD TRIM EXAMPLE
GOOD TRIM EXAMPLE
FREE OF DISTORTIONS
FREE OF PATHOLOGY
Pathology includes:
Laminitis/Founder
Navicular
Arthritis
Club foot
LAMINITIS/FOUNDER
Due to changes in the metabolism there is
inflammation in the laminae (LAMINITIS)
Velcro like connection starts to die
Coffin bone is no longer connected to hoof wall
Deep digital flexor tendon (attached to coffin bone)
tries to pull the foot up on the toe, but leaves the
hoof wall behind
Results in either rotation or sinking (FOUNDER)
LAMINITIS/FOUNDER
LAMINITIS/FOUNDER
THEN, WHY DO WE SHOE A HORSE?
If a horse can do the job it’s being asked to do without shoes, then don’t shoe.
Why might a horse not be able to do it’s job without shoes?
Sensitive feet – ouchy on work surface
Structurally weak feet – falling apart, thin soles
Weak tendons that need support
Support a conformational defect
Abrasive work/living conditions cause excessive wear
Protect a certain part of the foot
THE END