Before I was a hoofcare provider, I was a horse owner, and before that I leased horses, and before that, I mucked stalls to work off lessons. And in all that time, until my horse came up lame, which led to my journey into hoofcare, I knew very little about hooves. I didn’t know what they “should” look like, what a healthy frog was, what hoof sensitivity could point to, or anything about “alignment” or “HPA.” I didn’t even realize that a huge portion of lameness originates in the foot.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I was alone in that. So many of us entrust our horse’s hooves to our farriers and veterinarians, but it is just as important to learn more about them ourselves.
Dr. Erica Lacher, of Straight from the Horse Doctor’s Mouth podcast, hopped on a call with me recently about what your veterinarian wishes you knew about hoof health and soundness. We chat about everything from toe length, to radiographs, to nutrition and the hoof, and even exercise and hoof health.
You can hear the entire conversation on any podcast app under “The Humble Hoof,” or directly at this link.
Thank you to our amazing sponsors:
Cavallo Hoof Boots is offering 15% off a pair of Trek hoof boots at cavallo-inc.com with code HRN
A special shout out to Grid as New, Mud Control Grids – they are a game changer for any mud issues, big or small! – mudcontrolgrids.com
Also be sure to check out Hay Boss Feeders – haybossfeeders.com – for all your slow-feeding needs. I get my Hay Boss feeders from Mountain Lane Farm in NH!
