In most parts of the United States, summer means heat and a lot of sun. These conditions also cause the ground to become dry and hard. As your horse stomps at flies or walks through dust, their hooves become just as hard and dry as the ground. Unfortunately, this also means that they become brittle and prone to cracking. Repeated stomping at flies can break away precious hoof material and the added concussion can cause hoof soreness. Your horse is also more likely to get stone bruises in the summer.
Luckily, there are several things that you can do to prevent your horse from having hoof soreness this summer. Plus, we’ll talk about the best hoof oil for dry hooves.
Stop Stomping with Fly Boots
Have you ever seen a horse out in a paddock in the summer continuously stomping their feet? Horses stomp their feet to shake off flies that are gathering around their legs. Unfortunately, this repeated stomping takes a real toll on their hooves.
In summer, the ground is typically hard, dusty, and dry. When your horse spends their day stomping their feet, they’re causing a lot of concussion to the hoof and internal structures. Over time, this stomping can cause them to develop sore hooves. Not to mention it also predisposes them to stone bruises as they could stomp on a rock.
Luckily, you can reduce your horse’s stomping and protect their hooves with a good set of fly boots. Fly boots are lightweight mesh boots that cover your horse’s legs from knee to hoof. They create a physical barrier between your horse and pesky biting flies so they cannot land and irritate your horse.
The TuffRider Fly Leg Wraps don’t just protect your horse from flies- they also have the added benefit of UV protection. The mesh is sturdy enough to stand up to wear and tear, but lightweight and breathable to prevent your horse’s legs from overheating in the summer sun. Four durable hook and loop closures prevent them from moving around or sliding off during turnout.
Hoof Oil for Dry Hooves
Hoof oil can help give moisture back to dry hooves and even prevent or treat thrush infections. Like the difference between a fresh slice of bread and stale bread, moisturized hooves are more flexible. The more flexible your horse’s hooves are, the less likely they are to crack and bruise.
The best hoof oil for dry hooves is the Lincoln Intensive Hoof Moisturizer. This hoof moisturizer works on several different levels to combat bacterial infections and give new life to dry hooves. Technologically advanced for the effective rehydration of dry, brittle hooves, this hoof moisturizer is fortified with natural Keratin amino acids and Glycerine and Sunflower Oil to rebalance and optimize hoof moisture for maximum strength and pliability. Plus, unlike some other hoof oils, Lincoln Intensive Hoof Moisturizer has added antibacterial agents to reduce the growth of bacteria in cracks and crevices. Altogether a quality product, frequent use helps to prevent cracking caused by concussion.
Strengthen Your Horse’s Hooves From Within
It can be frustrating to watch your horse’s brittle dry hooves crack and deteriorate. While you use the best hoof oil for dry hooves on the outside, you can also help your horse’s hooves recover from within. The right supplement can help your horse grow new stronger hoof horn that may be able to better withstand the trials of the summer heat.
Farrier’s Formula Double Strength is a high-quality hoof supplement containing important nutrients such as phospholipids, omega fatty acids, and important amino acid proteins. Combined, all of these nutrients help your horse to grow strong structural and connective tissue proteins that are important for healthy hoof structure. Very palatable, Farrier’s Formula Double Strength is easily added as a top dressing to your horse’s feed, or where convenient.
Sore Hoof Care
Even if you’ve done everything you can to treat your horse’s dry and brittle hooves, you can’t always keep up with the damage from summer’s characteristically hard ground. If your horse does develop sore hooves, it’s important to look for the symptoms of hoof soreness so you can start treatment early.
The first signs of hoof soreness are very small and easy to miss. Your horse may stand with one front hoof out in front of the others. You may notice that they’re more tender on rocky ground than usual, but are perfectly sound in the soft sand of the riding arena. By the time you start noticing lameness while riding or in the pasture, they have most likely been building towards sore hooves for a while. Luckily, you can take immediate action to reduce the soreness in your horse’s hooves.
First, you should always call your vet when your horse is lame, so you can develop a DVM-approved treatment plan. Once you’ve developed a hoof care plan with your veterinarian, reach for Magic Cushion Hoof Packing.
Magic Cushion is one of the only hoof packing products on the market that has actually been proven to reduce the heat in your horse’s hooves. Plus, it starts working to relieve pain and heat in your horse’s hooves in as little as one hour. Designed to relieve the symptoms of hoof concussion and trauma, it also kills and prevents bacterial and fungal infections. You can use it as a hoof packing as needed, or your farrier can pack it underneath a shoe and pad and leave it in place for the entire shoeing cycle.
Head to Breeches.com for All Your Summer Hoof Care Needs
When you’re watching your horse stomp at flies and break off pieces of their hoof while they're at it, it’s easy to feel frustrated and helpless. With the right combination of summer hoof care products you can take positive action and work to combat the impact of dry summer ground. We offer a collection of high-quality hoof care products at affordable prices, including the best hoof oil for dry hooves.
Click here to shop our hoof care products.