Browse through any horse magazine or catalogue and you will see ads for hoof dressings promising to soften the hoof, harden the hoof, seal in moisture, seal out moisture, improve growth and so on and so on. Many times I am questioned about many of these products and my recommendations on their use. Generally, I do not recommend the use of hoof dressings. While I do not feel they are especially harmful, I feel there are far more effective ways to healthier feet. My goal this month is to share some thoughts about hoof dressings and the hoof wall itself and see if the use of a dressing really makes sense.
First, many of the claims made by these products, such as increased growth, are simply unfounded. Unfortunately, there is not a system in place to hold the manufacturers of these products accountable to the claims they make. Beyond my own experiences in the field, studies conducted by leading universities, such as Texas A&M, have determined that many of the “super” dressings do not perform up to the level of their claims. To give you some perspective, one of the highest rated dressings in this study was good old generic pine tar. The poorest performers were lanolin based products, which were the least effective at permeating the hoof wall.
Secondly, and perhaps what I see the most, many of the conditions that hoof dressings are being used to correct, such as cracking and shelly hooves, are most commonly related to infrequent and/or improper trimming. As well, factors such as nutrition and environment can contribute to some of the conditions trying to be corrected with dressings. When dealing with pathologies no hoof dressing can compensate for improper hoofcare, nutrition or environment. Working with your hoofcare provider and veterinarian to pinpoint the source of the problem is a far more effective route of correcting it.
Beyond corrective reasons, many owners use these products as preventive hoofcare. The hope is that by keeping the hoof moist and pliable it will resist cracking, unfortunately I see much more damage as a result of excessive moisture and the subsequent weakening of the wall it creates. While the routine application of a hoof dressing seldom creates a problem, I do not recommend thier application. My primary reason for this position lies in the form and function of the wall itself. The wall or stratum medium is comprised of two distinct layers, the outer and inner wall, with the inner wall sometimes being referred to as the waterline. Both are comprised of horn tubules and intertubular horn. In basic terms, the tubules are the keratinized or hardened spiral shaped columnar cells that make up the wall. The intertubular horn is the binder that binds the tubules together. The intertubular horn has a high moisture content making it much more pliable than the tubules.
The ratio of inner to outer wall varies from horse to horse depending on the way the wall is bearing weight. Ideally, there should a balance of inner to outer wall throughout the circumference of the wall. Many times however this is not the case, factors such as how the wall is bearing weight and if the horse has been shod will affect the amount of inner wall present. Fortunately, the wall is proving to much more adaptive than previously thought and will respond with an increase of inner wall when the foot is provided with the correct stimuli.
When comparing the inner and outer wall the difference between the two lies in the ratio of tubules to intertubular horn. The outer wall has a high ratio of tubules to intertubular horn, thus by design it is meant to be hard, providing a protective barrier rather than a weight bearing structure. The inner wall by contrast has a much higher ratio of intertubular horn to horn, creating a much more elastic layer far more capable of absorbing shock than the outer wall which has traditionally been looked upon as the major weight bearing structure. Therefore, it only stands to reason that the wall should be loaded to bear more weight on the inner wall, while relieving the outer wall. Thus, does it make sense to soften the outer wall, which based on this model is the hoof wall’s protective structure?
This perspective on the form and function of the hoof wall is based on the latest research, as well as, proven results in the field. It is just one of the refinements that differentiate applied equine podiatry from more traditional practices. Using the equation of Structure+Function=Performance it only makes sense that by maximizing the hoof wall’s ability to function as it was designed to is far more effective at correcting and maintaining the wall than anything that can be applied on it.
