Exploring the Importance of Routinely Cleaning Your Horse’s Hooves
As a horse owner, cleaning your horse’s hooves is an essential part of its routine care. This is largely due to the fact that the shape of a horse hoof along with the combination of the two clefts beside the frog that the hoof contains all make it easy for debris to be picked up and cause injury to the hoof. Things that commonly become stuck in horse hooves include:
- Glass
- Nails
- Pine Cones
- Rocks
- Twigs
- Wire Bits
Clearly, all of these items can be sharp and may pierce the sole or cause bruising to the hoof. Therefore, if your horse suddenly appears to be lame for no apparent reason, it is quite likely that something is caught in the hoof and needs to be removed.
In addition to the threat of debris getting caught in the hoof and causing damage, you should also clean your horse’s hooves in order to remove any manure or soil that may be trapped in the hoof. Manure and soil can create a damp, dirty environment, which is the ideal combination for thrush. Keeping the hoof clean can help to prevent thrush, while cleaning is also an essential part of keeping thrush from getting worse once it does set in.