Horse Hoof Care?
If you have ever had a horse that suffers from laminitis,
seedy toe, white line disease, collapsed heels, dry,
brittle & cracked feet or any of the other multitude
of hoof problems that can afflict our equine charges,
you know that the old adage ‘No Hoof, No Horse’ has
a sound basis in reality. The fact is that the conformation
and condition of our horse’s feet has a major
influence upon their soundness and, ultimately, their
ability to work and perform to the best of their ability.
Laminitis
Navicular Syndrome
Hoof Cracks
46 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
Continued
EQUINE Health
Navicular Syndrome (or disease) is caused by the inflammation
or degeneration of the navicular bone and its
surrounding tissues, which can lead to significant or permanent
lameness. Prevalent in Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds
and Quarter horses, navicular disease usually becomes
evident between the ages of eight to ten years old. The
disease commences as a result of excessive pressure on
the navicular bone, enhanced by an underrun heel and
excessively long toe, which causes concussion between
the flexor tendon and the navicular bone and resulting in
damage to the fibrocartilage of the flexor surface and the
flexor tendon itself*.
The FormaHoof podiatry system addresses navicular disease
by realigning the Hoof-Pastern axis, thereby reducing
stress on the tendons and ligaments in the hoof and leg.
The application results in the reduction of stress and pain
on the navicular bursa and heel area and provides support
that allows the external sole structure to improve, the
medial coronary band to relax and allows the horse to land
evenly and with an improved stride.
Hoof cracks are the direct consequence of lack of
moisture and elasticity and although in some cases they
are genetic, they can be controlled and often cured with
a proper nutritional diet and good hoof management.
Hoof cracks can appear in any place around the hoof, top
or bottom, and may or may not cause lameness. However,
cracks can lead to infections and hoof loss and should be
addressed as soon as possible. The biggest issue is that organisms
can enter the cracks and invade the inner tissues,
which result in pain and additional expenses in hoof and
veterinary care.
FormaHoof eliminates the leverage on the hoof wall
that causes flaring and which leads to structural cracks.
By encapsulating the hoof structure in a moisture medicated,
control environment, FormaHoof can eliminate the
bacteria and organisms that infect and forces that create
cracks, whilst offering support and protection, enabling the
hoof to heal and grow naturally.
Hoof abscesses are usually caused by the trauma of a
nail or other sharp object penetrating the hoof sole, white
line or frog, which allows bacteria to enter the hoof capsule
and infection to brew. Another cause of abscesses is
connected to hoof cracks which allow bacteria to enter,
and is as a result of extremely dry conditions or a soft sole
caused by very wet conditions.
A New Approach
to
The fact is that the way horses are ‘shod’ has not
changed significantly over the years. There are newer,
lighter materials than the traditional iron shoe and there
are new pads and wedges available to help to increase
comfort and support hoof balance. But the fact remains
that traditional shoeing requires nails to be driven into the
hoof wall and allows for very little flexibility to use the skill of
your farrier to develop excellent hoof conformation in your
horse, should his feet be less than perfect, which very few
are! Diseases such as laminitis are also reaching epidemic
proportions and can result in many, many months of severe
pain and long roads to recovery, if at all for many horses.
However, a new approach to horse hoof care and
equine podiatry has now been developed – FormaHoof
- which offers an effective solution to a wide range of hoof
problems in horses, from laminitis and navicular, to seedy
toe and white line disease, to low / high heels, hoof cracks
and poor hoof conformation. FormaHoof uses flexible, reusable
molds and an adaptable polyurethane resin to give
horses durable support that mimics the natural function of
the hoof, enabling it to heal and grow naturally. The liquid
fit process of FormaHoof means that you get the perfect fit
with all the contours of the hoof and its naturally occurring
growth and development, in each and every application.
So just how does FormaHoof help solve major hoof
related issues?
Laminitis is a common and extremely painful condition
caused by inflammation of tissues (laminae) bonding the
hoof wall to the pedal bone in the hoof. As the hoof wall
is rigid, the swollen laminae within it are unable to expand
with the swelling, which results in the pedal bone sinking
or rotating within the hoof under the horse’s weight. In extreme
cases, the pedal bone rotates so far that it actually
penetrates the sole of the foot and often the kindest thing
to do is to put the animal to sleep.
FormaHoof offers a revolutionary new approach to hoof
management for the laminitic horse or pony. The quick
and safe application process gives immediate comfort
and pain relief of the sole areas and allows the hoof to be
medicated in a clean environment, 24 hours a day, with
no urine and faeces re-infecting the area. FormaHoof uses
a carefully researched and advanced polyurethane resin
which eliminates the need to drive nails into an already
inflamed hoof structure and once the application is complete,
the shared weight is disbursed across the entire hoof
structure, allowing even growth across the entire hoof. As
FormaHoof is available in a wide range of mold sizes, all
breeds and sizes can be accommodated, resulting in a
customized and perfect fitting each time and for each
horse or pony.
Hoof Abscess
on page 50
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