Anyone who has looked at my interview here at the Equinest knows that I was a horseshoer for alot of years. I was ask by Paige for my input about hoof care.
“This is where the hoof starts it’s growth, sorta like our finger nails at the cuticle.”
About The Band
The coronary band is the part of the foot where the skin and hide join with hoof wall. The hair line. This is where the hoof starts it’s growth, sorta like our finger nails at the cuticle. When the coronet band is damaged such as a cut, it will cause a permanent scar leaving a ridge on the hoof wall from the hair line all the way to the end of the hoof.
Sometimes a horse will get a bruise at the coronet band, and depending on the severity, may cause lameness, and almost always disrupting growth for a short spell, leaving a horizontal crack or void in the hoof wall. As long as the horse is not lame no worries, as this will eventually grow off.
Good Condition
Now after talking about that, to help in keeping your horse’s foot healthy a hoof conditioner should be used on a regular basis to ensure good growth and flexibility especially stalled horses, as the manure will stick to the foot and causes it to be unable to breathe. Also the lack of exercise causes the foot not to expand and contract as it should. Therefore the hoof isn’t supplied the proper amount blood and moisture needed.
A lot of people make the mistake of just putting it on the hoof wall, which is better than nothin’ but barely. The conditioner should be massaged into the hair line, as moisture begins to penetrate at the coronary, as the moisture goes down it will take the medication right along with it. Once you’ve got a nice pliable hoof once or twice a week will work just fine.
Horses that have the freedom of the pasture do quite well as mother nature has a real good way of takin’ care of that.
I hope this is a help in understanding what’s going on with the hoof.