Horse owners know that their horses hooves take a beating. What they may not realize is that moisture shifts add to the stress.
Stress on horse's hooves
From the dewy morning grass to the dusty sand ring, environmental shifts take a toll on horse hoof health when moisture shifts cause the hooves to rapidly expand and contract, leading to cracks, fissures, and other problems.
According to SmartPak: From the dewy morning grass to the dusty sand ring, environmental shifts can take a toll on his hoof health. Frequent, dramatic moisture shifts cause the hooves to rapidly expand and contract, which can lead to cracks, fissures, and other problems.
Follow a horse named Sawyer throughout his day and you might be surprised how many times his hooves go from wet to dry!
- 7 P.M. Sawyer goes in a dry stall at night and stays there until morning.
- 6:30 A.M. Sawyer gets turned out in the morning in a paddock with dewy grass.
- 10 A.M. Sawyer gets ridden in the afternoon in a dry sand arena.
- 11 A.M. After a great ride, he gets a wet bath to cool off!
- 11:30 A.M. After his bath, Sawyer gets turned out in a dry paddock to play.
- 12 P.M. Sawyer then waits to come in for dinner standing in the mud by the water trough.
- 7 P.M. Sawyer goes back into his dry stall for the night
Did you know?
Adequate exercise and turnout time are vital to proper blood flow to the hooves.
The 3 Building Blocks of Healthy Hooves
NUTRITION
Proper nutrition plays a vital role in hoof health. Ingredients like biotin, copper, zinc, lysine, methionine, silica, and collagen can help your horse maintain healthy, resilient hooves. Daily support from a quality supplement is a smart way to support healthy hooves all day and all year long! What to put in:
- SmartHoof® Pellets: An economical way to keep problems at bay.
- SmartHoof® Ultra Pellets: Aggressive support for weak, cracking hooves.
- Farrier’s Formula® Double Strength: The gold standard in hoof supplements, with concentrated support.
EXPERT CARE
Whether your horse is shod or barefoot, partnering with a good hoof care professional is imperative to your horse’s hoof health.
MANAGEMENT
Your horse’s hoof is equipped to manage natural, gradual fluctuations in moisture. However, the typical day for the modern horse usually includes more frequent, dramatic moisture shifts. In order to help your horse put his best hoof forward, try to limit the frequency of these shifts as much as possible. For additional support, try a topical that actually helps to stabilize moisture levels in the hoof, like Keratex Hoof Hardener and Keratex Hoof Gel, instead of turning to a standard hoof moisturizer.