Q: What can I do to keep my horse’s hooves hydrated and healthy in hot, dry weather?
Cavallo President Carole Herder shares her advice….
A: Your horse’s hooves consist of living tissue and need extra care in the summer months. Just as with our own hair, nails and other cellular structures, nourishment is important. Cellular strength, wholeness and integrity are affected by environmental factors. Extreme weather patterns can indeed affect the hoof. Things happen in nature and live tissue can usually adapt. In your horse’s domestic environment, adaptation to stressors may require a little assistance from you.
Thundering Downpours & Dry Scorching Heat
Land that was once sodden but is suddenly transformed by being parched in extreme heat can wreak havoc on horses’ hoofs, seemingly overnight. More moderate weather patterns would allow the ground to slowly become dryer, allowing the hoof to gradually adapt to changing moisture levels. When it happens very quickly, abscesses (which are toxins releasing) can burst forth and cracks seem to appear out of nowhere. This can cause your horse to become lame and uncomfortable. A once water-logged, moldy, bacterial environment can turn into danger of a loss of proper hoof function because of the draw on the moisture of the hoof.
When the hoof becomes dehydrated, it loses the elastic flexibility required to absorb shock and concussion. Essential nutrients in the blood no longer freely flow. This results in a whole host of potential issues. I have heard people say that their horses have great feet because they are hard and tough. In reality, what’s desired is flexibility, expansion, pliability and some suppleness.
We All Need a Drink
In a natural environment when your horse gets hot and looks for more internal hydration. He will find watering holes and in so doing will stand in water for longer periods. Horses in nature stand and soak their hooves for longer periods than our domesticated horses have access to or need to do. Nature has a way of taking care of external factors. While hydrating internally, he naturally hydrates his feet.
Take Over Nature’s Job
In these hot summer months, it’s up to us give nature a helping hand. I have yet to see a hoof dressing that can adequately re-establish moisture in the hoof. In fact, most of them contain oil based, tarry, turpentine, lactates, stearates, acetone, alcohol and other drying agents that are contraindicated. The hooves may appear wet on the outside, but these dressings do not permeate internally. Some other options are to create a soaking area and encourage your horse to stand in it, or you could ride out to water and stand with him there. Maybe you could even have a dip yourself!
The Fast and Simple Solution
The simple and easy way to hydrate your horse’s hooves is to use your Cavallo Hoof Boots. Change your go-anywhere boots into a soaking solution by simply covering the drainage holes and filling them with water. Allow your horse to stand in the soaking boots for an hour at a time. He’ll get moisture to his hooves just like he would if standing at a watering hole.
Watch the how-to video here: https://www.cavallo-inc.
Contest Extended! Enter Our Spring Giveaway:
Enter now at https://www.cavallo-inc.com/AHP-spring-giveaway for a chance to win a pair of Cavallo Trek Boots for your horse! You pick the size if selected. Enter before the deadline, May 31, 2019. One winner will be notified by email and announced on the Cavallo Horse & Rider Facebook page within one week after the deadline. One entry per person/email address. Delivery to North America only. If the chosen winner does not respond by email within one week, the second-choice winner will be notified. No cash value, no returns or exchanges. One entry per person. Void where prohibited. Find out more about Cavallo Trek Horse Hoof Boots: https://www.cavallo-inc.com/product-category/hoof-boot/trek-hoof-boots, MSRP: $189.90 USD for a pair.
Cavallo Horse & Rider’s Trek Hoof Boots are the most flexible, durable, breathable and user friendly addition to the Cavallo Hoof Boot collection. The honeycomb design maximizes strength and minimizes weight for the comfort your horse deserves. Great for the relief of chronic pain or hoof sensitivity; rehabilitation from injuries, abscesses, navicular disease, laminitis/founder, punctures, sole bruising and contracted heels. Trek can easily be adjusted for close contact and snug fit to individual horse’s hooves. Can also be used for protection during trailering and breeding or taken on the trail as a “spare tire” for lost shoes. Trek Hoof Boots are now available in Red, Black and Green on Regular and Slim Sole styles.
Visit https://www.cavallo-inc.com to learn about the full line of hoof boots. Want more info? Sign up here for our free newsletter: https://www.cavallo-inc.com/email-signup-AHP. Call (877) 818-0037 from the USA or Canada or call direct, (604) 740-0037.
About the Source:
Carole Herder is the author of the #1 International Bestseller, There Are No Horseshoes in Heaven. She has been involved in horse health since 1993. Her company, Cavallo Horse & Rider Inc., develops, manufactures and distributes horse products in 26 countries. Herder designed and developed Cavallo Hoof Boots and Total Comfort System Saddle Pads. She presents trainings around the world to teach the benefits of keeping horses in a natural state. Herder is an honored recipient of the Royal Bank of Canada Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She is a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization, supporting female entrepreneurs in every industry.
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