Contracted Hooves
by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
Shoeing and/or incorrect trimming of unshod hooves combined with a lack of sufficient
movement or unsuitable ground causes what is commonly known as "contracted
hooves."
In contracted hooves, the hoof capsule has become narrower. Now the foot becomes
even narrower during weightbearing instead of being expanded. This constricts
the blood vessels, nerves, bones, cartilage, tendons and ligaments within the
hoof. This leads to compression and inflammation of the front lateral lamellar
corium, the solar corium, and parts of the lateral cartilage. Contracted heels
also cause painful compression of the bulbs of the heel.
In an attempt to ease the pain, the horse tries to relieve the hind region
of the hoof, and the coffin bone stands more steeply. This overloads the front
regions of the corium and the front edge of the coffin bone presses on the solar
corium. The blood flow through the sole is reduced and as a result poorer quality
horn is produced. Because of the decreased weight put onto the heel, the pressure
on the heel is reduced; it grows more quickly, making the hoof steeper still.
Such a change in the angle of the hoof also affects tendons, joints and ligaments.
After removing the shoes, these alterations show themselves as pain, because
with the blood flow returning to the hoof, the nerves regenerate and report
the damage that is already in existence for a long time.
Since the whole lamellar corium can be inflamed, rotation of the coffin bone
must be considered.
The more the hoof deviates from the form of a normal, healthy hoof, the more
painful it is. The horse walks stilted, carefully, or lame.
The hooves must be trimmed at frequent intervals, in such a way that the hoof
capsule can broaden. Inflamed hooves especially must pump regularly, i.e. they
have an absolute need for constant movement, day and night. Until the inflammation
has subsided, the horse should be kept on even ground or on pasture, since vibrations
are additionally painful and slow down healing. The horse owner must show consideration
for the horse at this time and refrain from riding or driving for a while.
Contracted hooves are a serious and complex problem. Reshaping contracted hooves
into healthy, natural hooves can take weeks, months or years. The timeframe
depends on the individual circumstances and the damage already in existence.
Copyright Dr. vet. med. H. Strasser
Blaihofstr. 42/1, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany
Tel/Fax: (011) 49-7071-87572
Ed. & Canadian contact: Sabine Kells at email: textorder @ shaw.ca
©2006 by The Horse's Hoof. All rights reserved. No part of these publications may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher and/or authors. The information contained within these articles is intended for educational purposes only, and not for diagnosing or medicinally prescribing in any way. Readers are cautioned to seek expert advice from a qualified health professional before pursuing any form of treatment on their animals. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
The Horse's Hoof Website
Home - About Us -
Articles - Barefoot Performance - Barefoot
Stories - Hoof Gallery
- Natural
Horse Care - EPSM
- Events - Trimmers
- Experts - Friends
- Classified - Resources
- News - Links
- Strasser
Hoofcare Links
To go shopping or subscribe to our magazine, please click here: The
Horse's Hoof Store
If you don't see a column to the left: To view the frames version of this site, please click here: TheHorsesHoof.com
The Horse's Hoof is a division of:
The Horse's Hoof
P.O. Box 1969
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
Phone (623) 935-1823
Message Phone: 1-623-935-1823
(Leave a message anytime.)
Email: editor @ TheHorsesHoof.com (delete spaces)