Do you desire to learn hoof care techniques?
Horses are what you call ungulates. Ungulates are groups of mammals which use the tip of the toes to support their mass when in motion. Majority of ungulates are with hoofed feet — such as horses, donkeys, camels, zebras, giraffes, and deer.
A hoof is the tip of a toe of an ungulate. It is strengthened by keratin as a thick, hard outer jacket. The sole of the hoof is somewhat tough and rubbery, yet softer than the exterior. There is also a tough wall created by the dense nail rolled around the tip of the toe. The soles of the hooves carries the whole horse’s weight.
Horse’s hooves continuously grow however they are constantly worn down by continuous moving. The average weight of horses is often more than 1000 pounds and it is only supported by its four hooves. An equine is valued due to its strength and ability to carry individuals and objects for work and pleasure. They are valued for their function in mobility. Needless to say, a horse with hoof problems can be rendered useless.
There are three hoof care tips to consider with hoof care for horses – cleaning, trimming, and shoeing.
Cleaning
In most things we do, hygiene is priority. It is very crucial to clean the hooves of your equine especially before and after riding. Every equine owner should use a vital tool, the hoof pick. It will be your best bud in grooming your horse especially with its hooves.
It should be noted that even animals that are not at all ridden should still be subjected to hoof pick grooming to avoid thrush. It should be done daily. An equine with wet hooves is very difficult to keep.
Trimming
As earlier mentioned, hooves are continuously growing. Therefore, they need trimming for maintenance and to maintain the equine in proper form. Trimming should be done about one to two months, depending on the use of the animal and the conditions the animal is kept in. Trimming can be tough to do and it needs considerable skill. Trained farriers must be the only ones to do this process to avoid wrong trimming.
The most common mistake of the inexperienced is trimming the wall too short. Paring of too much sole is just like cutting your nails too short and can create lameness in the animal in addition to pain. Hoof care must be conducted by a professional as it is not a good idea to save a few pennies in exchanged for a ruined horse. Have a competent, skilled farrier do the job. The money spent is absolutely worth it.
Shoeing
Imagine yourself doing hard work without any footwear. Do you think it would easy?
We use footwear such as shoes because we require protection for our feet. Equines are no different. Even though horses are in nature strong and have tough feet, they still need to be shod if they are doing a lot of work.
Some horses may have relatively weak or flat hoofwalls, or simply not built for hard labor. Such animals need shoes even they are not for work purposes. It is better to ask a vet or a farrier about this, as whoever is doing the corrective shoeing must really know their stuff.
**Attention Readers** If you thought this article was helpful, wait ’till we send you our FREE DVDs on horse training. It’s got many videos on hoof care for horses, horse training tips, techniques, and more of EasyHorseTraining.com’s acclaimed training methods.