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Winter hoof care tips: simple steps to help maintain healthy hooves

Carol Phillips Carol Phillips

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    This article has been edited and approved by Karen Coumbe MRCVS, H&H’s veterinary advisor since 1991.

    • The horse’s hoof is a fantastic piece of biological engineering, but it does face a number of challenges, especially when moisture is involved. Equine vet Ricky Farr MRCVS has some winter hoof care tips to help keep your horse’s hooves healthy while dealing with wet or frozen ground by applying easy-to follow preventative hoof care measures.

    Vet Ricky Farr’s essential winter hoof care tips

    1. Pick out and clean hooves daily.

    2. To give the horse’s hooves the chance to adapt to the typical environmental changes that occur during the winter, bring horses in from muddy fields for several hours a day to allow the foot to dry out, or provide a dry loafing area where they can stand if they live out 24/7.

    3. An unbalanced foot is more prone to developing flares, which results in uneven strain on the hoof wall. Consequently grass or sand cracks can develop, which give organisms access to underlying structures. Skilled farriery is required to maintain healthy hooves, so don’t skip or extend the time between your farrier’s visits, even if your horse isn’t being worked as much during the winter.

    4. Assessment of the hoof at rest and during the normal foot flight is essential to maintain this degree of balance. Ask your farrier to assess your horse’s foot in this way regularly.

    5. Having the toe rolled and giving heel support can improve sole depth over time.

    6. While there are nutritional supplements formulated to help support the growth of healthy hooves, they are not designed to manage the moisture content of the horse’s hoof.

    7. Coating the underside of the hoof with a sugar and iodine mix is a good way to harden and dry out the sole, although it should be used with care to avoid drying out the hoof too much. There is also a wide range of hoof clays and other topical preparations available to help prevent excessive moisture absorption through the sole.

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    Karen Coumbe
    Karen Coumbe
    MA VetMB CertEP CertVA MRCVS
    Our equine veterinary expert has more than 30 years experience in practice. She is an FEI vet and has attended the past three Olympic and two World Equestrian Games in her role. She has a particular interest in anaesthesia, pre-purchase examinations, ophthalmology and dermatology amongst other clinical concerns. She has been Horse & Hound’s official veterinary advisor since 1991. Karen is part of the Bell Equine team.
    Karen Coumbe
    Carol Phillips
    Carol Phillips

    H&H website editor
    Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.
    Carol Phillips