Does your horse suffer from cracked hooves? We have some tips for you!
Are you also enjoying the warm summer? 🔆 A warm summer often means a lot of dryness. However, the dryness is not so good for your horse's hooves... Cracked hooves occur due to dry hooves, causing pieces of the hoof to break off. Unfortunately, hooves can sometimes crumble to the point where a painful situation arises. Does your horse suffer from cracked hooves? We have some tips for you! 🌸
Health
20 July '23 • 1 min reading time
Create a wet spot in the paddock or pasture
For example, you can regularly let the water trough overflow. This way, your horse will always have slightly wet feet. As a result, the hoof will not dry out, and the hooves will therefore remain in better condition.
Sufficient Movement
When your horse moves, the blood is pumped more effectively throughout the body. This also means that nutrients are better distributed throughout the body, as well as oxygen. Movement is therefore of great importance, as it allows both oxygen and nutrients to be utilized more effectively in the hoof.
Have your horse's hooves trimmed regularly
The occurrence of chipped hooves can also be due to the hooves being too long (or not properly trimmed). This makes them more prone to breaking. By having your horse's hooves trimmed in a timely manner by a good farrier, your horse will experience less trouble with crumbling hooves.
Adding Silicon to the Diet
Silicon is a building material for connective tissue and collagen. This is important for hoof growth, and by adding hydrolyzed silicon to the diet, you provide the horse with the building material for hooves. Hooves need some time to grow, so it is important to feed it for at least 2-3 months. Silicon is a mineral that horses unfortunately receive too little of through their diet nowadays. It is not only the building material for hooves but also for bones, muscle attachments, cartilage, and coat. An additional benefit is that many horses stop the urge to eat sand.
Add all necessary vitamins and minerals to your horse's diet
A balanced diet provides your horse with all the essential nutrients, allowing all processes in the body to function properly. When there are deficiencies, problems arise in the body, and hooves gradually deteriorate. It is therefore crucial to always provide your horse with the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals.
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