| In my practice I see many horses suffering from | | | | that your horse can easily assimilate. Biotin is |
| the ill effects of hoof flares, especially the | | | | another nutrient that is important for hoof health |
| barefoot horse. In fact, with the barefoot | | | | but if your horse has plenty of beneficial bacteria |
| movement becoming so popular, I see more | | | | in his gut, these bacteria produce will produce |
| horses than ever who have improperly trimmed | | | | sufficient biotin. It is better to support your |
| hooves, sometimes with serious side effects. I've | | | | horse's good gut bacteria by feeding probiotics |
| seen many performance horses with health and | | | | than feeding biotin because the healthy bacteria |
| soundness issues directly relating to hoof flares. | | | | does so much more for your horse, including |
| That's why this article focuses on both the | | | | keeping his immune system strong. Simplexity |
| causes of hoof flares and the ways to prevent | | | | Health also offers high potency probiotics. |
| them. | | | | Overfeeding: Besides making your horse fat, |
| Hoof flares are caused by a weakening of the | | | | giving your horse too much feed that is high in |
| attachments (laminae) of the hoof wall to the | | | | starch will cause a shift in the bacterial population |
| coffin bone inside the foot. In wild horses the | | | | in your horse's hindgut (or cecum). Normally the |
| separation that occurs at the lower part of the | | | | cecum is designed to digest only fiber but if |
| wall allows that portion of wall to break off so | | | | undigested starch makes it past the small intestine |
| that their hooves don't grow too long in soft | | | | into the hindgut, the fiber-digesting bacteria that |
| footing. Horses in the wild live on rocky soil and | | | | live in the cecum die off and the starch-digesting |
| rarely have hoof flares because constant travel | | | | bacteria take over. This shift can be devastating |
| over rough ground (up to 25 miles a day) keeps | | | | to your horse because it causes toxins to be |
| the hoof worn off at the correct length. Most | | | | released into his bloodstream that, in turn, cause |
| domesticated horses don't live on such rocky soil | | | | an enzyme to be released that breaks down the |
| but, even so, there is no reason that, with proper | | | | laminae in the hoof wall. Well-known hoof expert |
| trimming and management, the barefoot horse | | | | Pete Ramey believes that this is nature's way of |
| should suffer from hoof flares. | | | | allowing excessively long hoof walls to break off |
| To determine if your horse has hoof flares run a | | | | easily if the wild horse happens to move into a |
| straight edge from the coronary band to the | | | | grazing situation with high sugar content forage. In |
| ground surface of the foot and move this edge all | | | | the wild horse this bounty would be a temporary |
| the way around the hoof. There should never be | | | | situation but with the barefoot domestic horse |
| any space between the straight edge and the | | | | long-term high starch or sugar diets can cause |
| hoof wall. Does your barefoot horse have hoof | | | | chronic hoof problems that may eventually |
| flares? If so, you might want to consider the | | | | progress to laminitis. |
| conditions that allow them to form, including both | | | | ** Hoof Wall Infections ** |
| mechanical causes, nutritional causes, and hoof | | | | Many types of fungus and bacteria have been |
| wall infections. | | | | blamed for hoof wall separation or "white line" |
| ** Mechanical Causes ** | | | | disease but in reality these pathogens are |
| Obesity: An overweight horse or a horse with a | | | | probably simply taking advantage of the |
| large body but small feet will tend to have trouble | | | | environment created in the foot when the hoof |
| with hoof flares because of the excess weight | | | | wall attachments become weak from another |
| that has to be carried over such a small area. In a | | | | cause. Once the pathogen is in place, however, to |
| barefoot horse, the overtaxed laminae weaken | | | | promote healthy hoof growth in your barefoot |
| and stretch, causing flares. Dieting and increased | | | | horse you may need to treat your horse's |
| exercise are the obvious answers for the | | | | hooves even after the underlying cause has been |
| overweight horse but the small-footed horse will | | | | corrected. Very minor hoof wall infections respond |
| have to be managed with greater care. If you | | | | to a topical mix of 1 ounce tea tree oil diluted in |
| have a small-footed horse you will need to pay | | | | 16 ounces of apple cider vinegar. Deeper |
| close attention to his diet and be sure that hoof | | | | infections must be treated more aggressively. |
| flares are trimmed off at each trimming. | | | | The best product I have found for persistent |
| Too Long Between Trims: In the wild hoof flares | | | | white line infections is White Lightning. This product |
| are nature's way of breaking off excessive hoof | | | | is applied under a wrap or within an airtight |
| wall. In other words, the hoof wall is weaker | | | | soaking boot and it releases a chlorine gas that |
| where the hoof flares and tends to break off as | | | | penetrates deep into the hoof tissue. It does not |
| the horse travels over hard, rocky soil. Without | | | | affect healthy tissue and the treatment should be |
| this mechanism the wild horse would end up | | | | done once a week until healthy hoof attachments |
| extremely long flared hooves and would not be | | | | have grown all the way down and there is no |
| able to run from predators. Fortunately, wild | | | | separation or stretching showing in the white line. |
| horses constantly wear their hooves down with | | | | Horses that don't respond to treatment for hoof |
| lengthy daily travel. The domestic barefoot horse | | | | infections and careful management may have a |
| is not as fortunate. Since most domestic horses | | | | weak immune system and treatment will need to |
| live on soft ground and don't travel as much as | | | | be focused there to see results. |
| wild horses, they don't have a chance to wear | | | | How to Trim Hoof Flares |
| their hooves down daily, a little at a time. Instead, | | | | If you barefoot horse does have hoof flares, I |
| the domesticated horse's hooves grow flares, | | | | recommend trimming them aggressively. When I |
| which then break off in large chunks. This uneven | | | | trim a horse with hoof flares, I rasp from the |
| wear makes it hard to shoe the horse or balance | | | | front of the hoof wall until I no longer have any |
| the hoof for even weight-bearing. The best way | | | | space showing when I run my straight edge |
| to avoid flares caused by hoof overgrowth is to | | | | around the hoof. This may remove enough wall |
| trim your horse at regular intervals and be sure | | | | that shoeing will not be possible and the horse |
| to keep a roll on the edge of the hoof wall to | | | | may need boots or pea gravel footing to be |
| allow for easy breakover. | | | | comfortable. Some trimmers are not going to |
| ** Nutritional Causes ** | | | | want to do this but I feel it is the fastest way to |
| Deficiencies or Imbalances: Horses need adequate | | | | grow out a healthy hoof as any flare that is left in |
| minerals in the correct balance to have healthy | | | | place will tend to drag the new hoof growing |
| hooves. Sulfur is especially important because it is | | | | down away from the bone. The best plan is to |
| a disulfide bond that holds the hoof laminae to the | | | | avoid hoof flares and with proper management of |
| coffin bone. If your barefoot horse suffers from | | | | the hoof, diet, and immune system they should |
| poor hoof quality it is important to analyze the | | | | never be a problem. |
| nutritional content of your hay before adding | | | | For more information on managing the barefoot |
| expensive supplements. If analyzing your hay is | | | | horse or for one-stop shopping for holistic |
| not an option then consider giving your horse a | | | | horsekeeping products such as those mentioned in |
| food-based supplement such as Simplexity | | | | this article, be sure to click the resource box |
| Health's blue-green algae, which provides a very | | | | below. |
| broad range of trace minerals in a balanced form | | | | |