Latest Articles

Pedal Osteitis in Horses
Pedal Osteitis in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM | January 30, 2024 | Conditions, Hoof Health, Horse Health

Pedal osteitis in horses is a condition characterized by inflammation and damage to the pedal (coffin) bone within the hoof. Affected horses can experience pain and lameness, which may be worse after ...

Sidebone in Horses
Sidebone in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM | January 29, 2024 | Conditions, Hoof Health, Horse Health

Sidebone in horses is a common condition that affects the collateral cartilages of the hoof. It occurs when the normally flexible cartilage plates in the horse's hoof gradually become hardened and cal...

Canker in Horses
Canker in Horse Hooves: Signs, Causes & Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM | January 22, 2024 | Conditions, Hoof Health

Canker in horses, also called equine proliferative pododermatitis is a condition that causes rapid proliferation of keratin, the main component of the hoof wall and sole. The proliferation forms long ...

Keratomas in Horses
Keratomas in Horses: Lameness Causing Foot Tumours Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM | January 22, 2024 | Conditions, Hoof Health, Horse Health

Keratomas in horses are abnormal growths or benign tumors that develop within the hoof capsule, potentially resulting in lameness and discomfort. These non-cancerous masses comprise overgrowths of ker...

Hoof Bruise in Horses
Hoof & Sole Bruises in Horses: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment Camryn McNeill, B.B.R.M. | December 22, 2023 | Hoof Health

A hoof or sole bruise is a common injury in horses, occurring when there is trauma to the sensitive tissues within the hoof. This trauma leads to localized bleeding and subsequent bruising. Hoof bruis...

Why Do Horses Need Shoes
Why Do Horses Wear Shoes And Do They Need Them? [Barefoot vs. Shod] Keisha Heeringa, BSc, MSc | December 15, 2023 | Hoof Health

Does my horse need shoes? This is a question frequently asked by horse owners, and the answer varies depending on several factors. Horses wear shoes for various reasons, including providing protection...

Corrective Shoeing in Horses
Corrective Shoeing for Horses: Types of Horseshoes & Benefits Kelly Hebner, BSc (Kin), MSc | December 19, 2023 | Hoof Health

Corrective shoeing is a common way to address or reduce the effects of many hoof issues. From navicular syndrome to laminitis to tendon and ligament injuries, appropriate corrective shoeing done by a ...

Hoof Cracks in Horses
Hoof Cracks in Horses and How to Treat Them [Guide] Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM | February 14, 2024 | Hoof Health

Horses are prone to hoof cracks for various reasons. Cracks can lead to the hoof chipping away in certain areas. Cracks can be a cosmetic problem that can be easily corrected, but sometimes, they ind...

Farrier Care for Horses
Farrier Care for Horses: Hoof Balance, Trimming & Shoeing Caroline Cochran, BSc. | December 21, 2023 | Hoof Health, Horse Health

A strong hoof is the foundation of a sound horse. When it comes to proper hoof care, it's all about balance. All horses need regular farrier care, and working with an experienced farrier is one of the...

Thrush Infection in Horses
Thrush in Horses: Causes, Signs & Treatment of this Hoof Infection Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | November 25, 2023 | Hoof Health

Thrush describes an infection that develops in the frog of one or more of the horse's hooves, caused by a fungal or bacterial pathogen. Fusobacterium necrophorum is the bacterium most often associated...

Acute Laminitis Treatment
Acute Laminitis in Horses – A Review of Treatments for the Condition Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | February 9, 2024 | Hoof Health, Horse Health

Acute laminitis refers to the first few days of a laminitis episode during which clinical signs are observed. Laminitis is a painful condition that causes damage to the hoof laminae, which anchor the ...

Emergency Treatment for Laminitis in Horses
Emergency Protocol for Laminitis in Horses – Treatment & Recovery Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | November 23, 2023 | Hoof Health, Horse Health

If your horse is showing signs of acute laminitis, they require emergency veterinary attention and prompt treatment. Laminitis affects the soft structures of the equine hoof, known as the laminae, and...

Laminitis Risk Factors
Top 17 Risk Factors for Laminitis in Horses [+ How to Prevent] Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | December 15, 2023 | Conditions, Hoof Health, Horse Health

One in ten horses is affected by laminitis each year. This painful condition involves inflammation of the hoof laminae, leading to varying degrees of lameness. Although laminitis affects the hooves, t...

Winter Laminitis in Horses
Winter Laminitis in Horses: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment [Overview] Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 26, 2023 | Conditions, Hoof Health

Winter laminitis is a circulatory condition that causes sore hooves in horses exposed to cold temperatures. Horses affected by winter laminitis have impaired circulation within their hooves, leading t...

14 Warning Signs of Laminitis in Horses
14 Early Warning Signs of Laminitis in Horses [Countdown] Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM | October 26, 2023 | Conditions, Hoof Health

Hot hooves, a sawhorse stance, severe lameness; these are all signs of laminitis - one of the most dreaded equine conditions for good reason. In severe instances, laminitis can lead to euthanasia of t...

Barefoot Trimming for Horses
Barefoot Trimming for Horses: Benefits for the Hoof Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 26, 2023 | Hoof Health

Keeping horses barefoot is gaining in popularity because of the benefits in hoof health and movement it can provide some horses. Barefoot hoof trimming is designed to maximize the biomechanical effici...

Horse Hoof Problems
7 Common Hoof Problems in Horses – Signs & Treatment Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | February 26, 2024 | Hoof Health, Horse Health

Equine hoof problems are a major source of concern for horse owners. Hoof issues can lead to lameness and unsoundness, causing discomfort for the horse and potentially leading to early retirement. In ...

Horse Hoof Abscess
Hoof Abscess: A Common Cause of Acute Lameness in Horses Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 26, 2023 | Hoof Health, Horse Health

Painful hoof abscesses in horses develop when bacterial or fungal organisms enter the hoof structure through a wound or opening and cause infection in the inner tissues. The invading microorganisms an...

Founder in Horses
Founder in Horses: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | November 11, 2023 | Conditions, Hoof Health, Horse Health

Founder is a common cause of lameness in horses. It involves damage to the laminar connection between the hoof wall and the coffin bone. This often leads to rotation and/or sinking of the coffin bone ...

Podotrochlear Syndrome in Horses
Podotrochlear Syndrome in Horses – Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment Jaime Thomas, B.Sc. | October 26, 2023 | Hoof Health

Podotrochlear Syndrome (also referred to as navicular syndrome or navicular disease) affects the podo­trochlear apparatus (PTA) of the equine foot and typically occurs in the forelimbs. The condition...

White Line Disease in Horses [Causes and Recovery]
White Line Disease in Horses [Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Recovery] Dr. Priska Darani, Ph.D. | October 26, 2023 | Conditions, Hoof Health

While line disease is a hoof condition that can lead to pain and lameness. This condition affects the equine hoof wall in one or more hooves at a time. White line disease originates as a separation be...

Navicular Syndrome in Horses
Navicular Syndrome in Horses: Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention Jane Meggitt, BA | October 25, 2023 | Hoof Health

Horses exhibiting heel pain are often diagnosed with navicular syndrome. It is a common – and frustrating – issue to deal with, but it no longer spells immediate retirement for the horse. With ea...

Laminitis in Horses
Laminitis in Horses: Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors and Treatment Jane Meggitt, BA | February 8, 2024 | Hoof Health

Equine laminitis is a painful condition affecting the horse's hooves. Cases of laminitis range in severity from mild foot tenderness to chronic founder, potentially impeding the horse's ability to wal...

Biotin Benefits for Horses
7 Science-Backed Benefits of Biotin for Horses Dr. Priska Darani, Ph.D. | February 28, 2024 | Hoof Health, Horse Health, Nutrition

Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is required in the horse's diet for the production of keratin – the main protein that forms a strong, durable hoof structure. Biotin is most commonly known for supp...

Developing a Healthy Horse Frog
Why Should You Care About The Frog? Catherine Larose | October 23, 2022 | Hoof Health

Having a healthy frog is a key component of proper biomechanics and one of the secrets to being able to perform well barefoot. Is poor frog health responsible for lameness? According to the American F...

Healthy Hoof Mechanics
What is a Healthy Hoof? Catherine Larose | October 23, 2022 | Hoof Health

I’d like to share with you recent scientific data that seems to confirm the anecdotal evidence many trimmers, including me, have observed on what comprises a healthy hoof. When evaluating a hoof, we...

Horse Hoof - Hooves
Welcome to the Hoof Health Blog Catherine Larose | October 23, 2022 | Hoof Health

Welcome to the hoof health blog. My name is Catherine Larose and I guess you can call me a "hoof junkie". I was thrilled when Scott asked me to write this blog, as I have witnessed first hand how prop...