31/03/2026
No hoof, no horse! 🐴
As many of us know, the foot is a common source of lameness, up to 90% of lameness can be located below the fetlock, and the heel region of the foot can be blamed for up to 1/3 of chronic lameness. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the hoof is the part of the body that receives and dampens all the forces generated during ground impact. It is estimated that the hooves bear 2-3 times the weight of the horse at a gallop on a straight line and between 5-10 times the body weight when cornering at a gallop. This means one hoof can hold forces of up to 5000kg for an average sized horse. Therefore the trimming and shoeing of horses is one of the most important influences on the soundness of a horse.
Imagine trying to walk around all day in shoes that are too small or even too big,
this is what it is like for a poorly trimmed and shod horse.
A correctly shod horse should have a functional and biomechanically efficient hoof that ensures maximum resilience of the hoof wall. When shoeing a horse, emphasis should be placed on maintaining natural balance, combined with optimum length of toe and correct angulation of the hoof wall relative to the pastern angle. Bare foot trimming is fine for slower gaited, lower level use but basic hoof angle must still be maintained for optimum limb function.
Follow the link to read the full article https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/es-no-hoof-no-horse
