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The Horse |
Virtually Horses |
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A basic introduction The horse's foot (and leg) are evolutionary remnants of a pawed, multi-toed ancestor. A single finger\toe remains and the strong hoof wall is a modified fingernail. The hoofwall is a strong thick growth of insensitive non-living horn that grows from the top of the hoof wall, and area known as the coronary band, down to the ground where it is worn down by use. Without this wear the hoof wall will grow continually, becoming deformed and painful and making normal activity impossible for the horse. Within the hoofwall there are several bones of the foot, importantly the pedal bone or main foot bone. The hoofwall is attached to the living tissue of the foot and its bones by two layers tissue known as laminae. The layer closest to the inside of the hoofwall is insensitive while the inner one is sensitive, both layers are living tissue. The bottom view of the foot is dominated by the frog - a large (hopefully) rubbery triangular structure which supports the inner bones, provides shock absorption and grip and the sole. Other features are usually obscured on a shod foot.
Detailed Anatomy of the Horse's Foot The corium is a modified vascular tissue
that furnishes nutrition to the h The periople, which functions much like the cuticle of a human fingernail, extends about three-fourths of an inch below the coronary band, except at the heels, where it caps the bulbs of the heels. The stratum tectorium is a thin layer of
horny scales that gives the glossy appearance to the outside of the wall
below the periople. One of its tasks is to protect the wall from
evaporation. (The hoof wall is approximately 25% water.) The middle layer
composes the bulk of the hoof wall and is the most dense portion. Your farrier is one of the most important people in your horse's life - a good farrier is invaluable and a bad one can cause your horse pain and affect almost every aspect of his health. On average a horse needs it's feet trimmed every 6 weeks. There is some variation in this however and you should work with your farrier to create a schedule that suits your horse for the time of year. For instance, in summer you may need to have your horse trimmed and\or reshod every 4 weeks and in winter you may work on an 8 week schedule. For regular farriery try to organise your farrier well in advance, preferably set up a regular day and time so that you don't get caught out trying to make a booking and then finding that your farrier is completely booked for the next two weeks, making your horse well overdue for trimming. Your
responsibilites:
Your Farrier's responsibilities:
How to pull a shoe - step-by-step instructions on how to correctly pull a shoe if you need to New Zealand Horse Shoe Company Ltd A full range of farriers supplies, retail and wholesale (Cambridge) Alternatives to Metal Shoes Old Macs - Get your horse some hiking boots! Available from Maneline Sth Drury, Akld Tazza - Dr Marquis Supergrip boots - from Germany
There is much more to the foot and farriery than could ever be covered here, so rather than make a poor attempt at covering everything here are some of my favourite resources: Articles for Horse Owners - from the Farrier and Hoof Centre Articles from Meredith Manor Does Your Horse Suffer From Farrier Phobia? Consider Care Even When They are Bare Hot or Cold Shoeing: What is Your Farrier Doing? Knowing Your Horse's Feet-- Inside and Out Foxtail Forge and Farriery Articles - cover a number of subjects including thrush, abcesses, navicular etc The Farrier and Hoofcentre Articles - good anatomy and farriery articles - read more than one as these are published by a variety of farriers, vets etc and therefore can reflect different opinions Barefoot Articles and Resources Martha Olivo Barefoot Articles - a bit new age and fluffy in the photos but the content is reasonable, from United HorsemanshipRediscovering the Natural Hoof I keep this book handy all the time! Note: I've also purchased The Complete Horseshoeing Guide by Robert F. Wiseman but didn't find that book as worthwhile as the two listed above and was concerned by some of the attitudes expressed. |
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Anatomy of the Foot Your Farrier Links Books |
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Health Features Modern Horse |
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Virtually Horses 2004
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The
back of the foot is known as the heel and here the heel shows two halves
which extend some way into the structure of the foot. These
structures are most evident as the bulbs of the heel. Imbalance of
the foot through bad or late trimming can cause these structures to
misalign or shear (break away from one another) a painful condition for
the horse and one which takes some time to remedy.
oof.
It is divided into five parts. One of the most important elements of the
foot is the coronary band.The coronary band is the combined perioplic
corium, coronary corium and coronary cushion. It is the primary growth and
nutritional source for the bulk of the hoof wall. Injuries to this
structure are serious and usually have a permanent effect. A hoof crack
that results from serious injury to the coronary band might become a
permanent affliction. No amount of notching, use of acrylic material, or
stapling can heal some cracks that are the result of severe injury to the
coronary band.
Other Resources