Healthy hooves are essential to a horse’s well-being, performance, and longevity. Many issues can affect your horse’s feet, and while some are not preventable, appropriately caring for their hooves can help lower their risk for certain conditions. Read our Rustebakke Veterinary Service team’s guide to equine hoof care and common hoof issues.

Importance of regular equine hoof care

Regular hoof care is an essential part of your horse’s health care plan, helping to decrease their risk of common hoof issues and ensuring they are comfortable and able to perform at their highest fitness level. Proper hoof care’s key aspects include:

  • Cleaning and inspection — You should pick out and inspect your horse’s feet before and after a ride or daily if the horse isn’t ridden. This helps remove dirt, rocks, and debris that may cause infection, bruising, or discomfort and helps identify problems, such as cracks and thrush, before they become serious.
  • Regular trimming — Domestic horses don’t move enough to wear their hooves down as nature intended and need regular hoof trimming. Overgrown hooves strain a horse’s tendons, ligaments, and internal hoof structures, causing pain and mobility problems. Unshod horses should be trimmed every three to six weeks depending on their work level, and shod horses should be trimmed and reshod every four to six weeks. 
  • Shoeing — Some horses require special shoes for additional support or correction of specific hoof problems to help improve their comfort or performance. A professional farrier can appropriately assess and shoe your horse based on their needs. 

Common equine hoof issues

Hoof issues are prevalent in horses. Common equine hoof problems include:

  • Abscesses — A hoof abscess occurs when bacteria invade the hoof, forming a pocket in the hoof capsule. This can happen through a crack in the hoof or a diseased white line, and a sole bruise can also lead to an abscess. The pressure created by an abscess causes significant pain, and most affected horses are obviously lame. Hoof abscesses can rupture out the sole or travel upward and break through the coronary band. Diagnosing a hoof abscess involves applying hoof testers to the sole to pinch the foot and locate the painful area. In some cases, the abscess can be opened and drained, but hooves with deeper abscesses may need to be bandaged in a poultice to help draw out the infection. Pain medication is also important for a horse being treated for a hoof abscess.
  • Hoof cracks — Hoof cracks can be caused by dry, brittle hooves, poor nutrition, overdue or improper trimming, and trauma. Cracks can range from superficial to deep defects causing lameness. If a crack is small and doesn’t cause lameness, your farrier can repair and stabilize the affected foot. If the crack is significant, our veterinarian and your farrier can work together to make a plan and treat the issue.
  • Thrush — Thrush is an infection that attacks a horse’s frog. The affected area typically has a strong odor, and the tissue is black and necrotic. Thrush usually doesn’t cause lameness unless the condition is severe, but if left untreated, it can lead to permanent lameness. Predisposing factors include wet conditions, inappropriate trimming, insufficient exercise, abnormal hoof growth, and deep sulci. Treatment involves removing the dead, infected tissue, treating the area with an appropriate veterinary-recommended product, and keeping the foot as dry as possible.
  • White line disease — White line disease is an infection that destroys the hoof wall tissue, entering through a crack or separation in the hoof wall. The infection can progress toward the coronary band, and if a large portion of the hoof wall is damaged, the condition can lead to laminitis. Treatment involves removing the affected hoof wall every two weeks and applying a shoe to support the resected hoof. Between trimmings, the horse’s hoof should be kept as dry and clean as possible.
  • Laminitis — Laminitis is inflammation of the tissue between the hoof and the coffin bone. The condition can be caused by factors such as grain overload, exposure to lush grass, metabolic conditions, excessive weight bearing, and sepsis. All four feet can be affected, but the most common presentation is front feet involvement, causing the horse to rock back on their hind limbs. Treatment involves managing the pain and inflammation, treating underlying health issues, limiting carbohydrate intake, and therapeutic trimming and shoeing. 

In addition to cleaning your horse’s hooves regularly and ensuring they receive appropriate farrier attention, keep your horse’s living area as clean and dry as possible. Wet or muddy conditions soften hooves and predispose them to hoof infections. In addition, ensure your horse receives a balanced diet to support healthy hoof growth and strength, and provide regular exercise to promote appropriate circulation within the hoof. 

If you have concerns about your horse’s hooves, contact our Rustebakke Veterinary Service team so we can determine the problem and implement an effective treatment plan.