The equestrian industry is just getting better and better every single day. We are now at a time in history where quality information and products are more available more than at any other point in history.
Sounds interesting, isn't it?
But, wait a minute…
Do you have to clean a horse’s hooves?
Why is it important to clean horse hooves?
How often should you clean a horse's hoof?
Have these types of questions ever crossed your mind?
If you said yes, then this article has got you covered.
Let’s face it, a lot has been said about what happens when you don’t clean a horse’s hoof but in this article, we will be talking about things most people don’t know about it.
Here at Saddle Up & Ride, we have said it before and we will say it again that, your horse grooming activity won’t be completed without including proper cleaning of the hoofs.
When riding some stones, manures and other gravel can get lodged in the hooves thus explaining why cleaning is essential.
What happens when if you don’t clean a horse’s hoof? A lot can happen negatively.
Infections
When your horse’s hoof doesn't get regular cleaning may result in some bacterial infections since those materials like manure, debris and gravel may lead to the growth of some harmful bacterial due to hoof punctures.
“The most common thrush, which is a bacterial infection that occurs on the hoof of a horse, specifically in the region of the frog. The bacteria involved occur naturally in the animal's environment — especially in wet, muddy, or unsanitary conditions, such as an unclean stall.”
Suggests Badgervet in its article "Canker in Horses".
Therefore the only way to get rid of all these infections is to get down to the basics and clean your horse’s hoofs regularly.
Unpleasant Odor
Are you honestly going to argue about this? Certainly, you can’t. Neglecting the regular cleanliness of your horse is surely a welcoming odor.
“You might think your horse is lame when it’s just a stone trapped in the shoe. Phew! Secondly, cleaning out horses’ feet helps you to identify any changes in the foot or frog meaning you can notice any warning signs in the hoof, like unpleasant odors“
Suggests Saddle Up & Ride, in its article Hoof Picks For Horses.
May Result in Hoofs Potential Damages
It doesn’t need a rocket scientist to understand that, when riding a horse some stony or gravel may get lodged in the hooves which can highly cause bruising and other potential hoofs damages. Pretermit to clean your horses’ hoof is how you maximize the potential damage more than you could avoid it.
“Cleaning out your horse's hooves is a task that should be done daily. Cleaning out the hooves can alert you of any problems in your horse's hooves and can also help to prevent common hoof problems such as bruises, corns or abscesses.”
Says Horses Extension in its article Why is it important to clean horse hooves.
Why is it important to clean horse hooves?
Much has been said when it comes to why is it important to clean horse hooves but in this part we are going to touch on those few scenarios that will happen. Well, are they.
- Getting rid of Hooves Infections, as we have seen, once you don’t have a regular routine in cleaning your horse hooves it may result in bacterial infection diseases like Thrush, but with a solid cleaning routine, all these could be easily avoided. This is not debatable.
- It eliminates all unpleasant Odour, and I think we can’t emphasize this enough, cleaning your horses’ hooves is how you get away with unpleasant odour caused by manures, stones and other land particles. The smart it is the comfortable become. Therefore hooves’ cleaning tool is just important just like any other activity such as Horse Grooming Brushes.
- Get way witty Unnecessary Damages, Take this in. Regular cleaning of your horses’ hooves can dramatically help you in preventing a lot of damage like bruises and abscesses. Removing those stone particles is how you stay further away from all these problems.
Takeaway Message:
A lot can happen when it comes to what happens if you don’t clean a horse’s hoof on regular basis, being consistently is how you can avoid all these and make your horses physically and mentally state amazing. If you have managed to read between the lines in this article you get the whole idea.
