Learning About Horses - Hooves

Hooves - Outer Structures

• hoof wall

• first part you see

• hard, horny outer covering

• houses and protects delicate structures

• supports weight of horse

• absorbs shock as horse moves

• does NOT have nerves or blood vessels

• continually growing

• keratinous material that needs to be trimmed of naturally worn off

• healthy hoof wall ⅜ inch growth per month

• black or white

• color does not affect quality

• inflexible surface and can not expand when an injury causes inside tissue to swell

• should not have cracks or rings

• cracks = internal structures vulnerable

• rings = additional health problems

Hooves - Outside Hoof Structures

• Coronary Band

• top of hoof wall where hairline meets the hoof

• encircles top of hoof wall and usually light in color

• primary growth and nutritional source for the hoof wall

• tough

• contains large blood supply

• injury can result in damage to hoof wall 

• disrupt proper hoof growth to point no longer rideable

• periople

• covers the soft area just below the coronary band helps protect hoof wall

• the soft area is made up of newly formed hoof wall tissue

• helps give the new hoof wall tissue time to harden

• inner wall - laminar layer

• inner wall of the hoof more pliable than hard outer wall

• extra “give” allows the inner wall to expand a bit with movement and absorb shock

• protecting the vital inner parts of the hoof

• the inner wall support a multitude of leaf-like laminae

• attach the coffin bone to the inside of the hoof wall

• laminae bear much of the weight of the horse

Hooves - Under the Hoof

• sole

• underside of the hoof

• does not make contact with ground because it is concave

• structure is similar to hoof wall

• keratin found in sole is more easily rubbed or worn down

• helps protect inner workings of the hoof

• designed to bear internal weight transferred through the border of the sole rather than weight from the ground

• “white line”

• can be yellow in color

• junction between hoof wall and sole

• contribute to sole protection

• help attach the sole to inner wall of the hoof

• impaired

• germs enter & separate the layers of hoof wall

• it can spread throughout hoof & make horse lame

• frog

• tough, thick, V-shaped structure pointing down from heel

• protects digital cushion beneath it

• aids in traction & circulation of hoof

• partly acts as shock absorber when horse moves

• sensitive nerves in the frog 

• communicate to horse where his feet are 

• help him feel surface on which he is standing

• sulcus

• central sulcus

• groove down center of the frog

• should be fairly wide and shallow

• central and lateral sulci

• grooves on either side of frog

• contracted hooves or sheared heels may have narrow or deep sulcus

• these can harbor germs and lead to thrush

• bars

• extension of hoof wall that turn-in at the heel and run part way along the frog

• strengthen heel area

• control over expansion of heels

• contributes to building the sole of the hoof

• helps support horse’s weight

Hooves - Inner Framework

• digital cushion

• area below the coffin bone towards the back of the hoof

• is a cushion of cartilaginous material with some “give”

• acting as one of the main shock absorbers in the hoof

• PROBLEM

• long toe, low-heel conformation

• may have a compromised digital cushion

• heels are load-bearing more weight than normal

• slowly compresses the cushion’s thickness

• IMPORTANT 

• if digital cushion is “crushed” it will not regenerate

• coffin bone (pedal)

• bottom of bone located near the toe

• encapsulated in the hoof

• largest bone in the hoof

• helps shape the hoof wall

• surrounded by special tissue 

• help make-up the laminae of the hoof wall

• tissues of the sole

• anything that upsets the working relationship between the coffin bone & hoof capsule = lameness

• major shoeing changes

• sole puncture

• rotation of coffin bone

• navicular bone (distal sesamoid bone)

• small bone

• tucked behind the coffin bone & short pastern bone

• stabilizes coffin bone

• allows for some tilt over uneven ground

• two major tendons

• extensor tendon

• attaches to the front of coffin bone 

• straightens the leg

• deep digital flexor tendon

• runs down the back of the leg

• wraps around navicular bone

• bending & flexing the leg