Horses' hooves are often exposed to extreme weather conditions, which can lead to dry, brittle and cracked hooves in summer. In this article, you will find out what factors cause dry hooves and how you can effectively care for and protect them. Discover helpful tips on using hoof care products, improving stable hygiene and using clay as a natural source of moisture.
Common causes of dry hooves
In summer, hooves are exposed to extreme weather conditions. The constant change between dry, hot and cooler, wet periods puts a lot of strain on the hoof horn. Drying and water absorption cause the horn to swell and shrink, changing not only its volume but also its elasticity. Hooves dry out quickly, especially when kept on sandy soils, as the sand draws out additional moisture.
Are dark hooves more stable than light hooves?
Moisture, i.e. water, is the only natural way to influence the elasticity of the horn. This is the only difference between light and dark hooves. Light-colored horn absorbs moisture faster than dark-colored horn. However, this also means that the pollutants dissolved in the moisture, e.g. from the stable area, are also absorbed. Consequences of this are greater, earlier chemical stresses on the light-colored wall areas, the sole and especially the white line. A WLD can therefore also stress and damage light-colored horn earlier. This is therefore more of an attitude problem. This is why the light-colored horn is often considered to be inferior. Otherwise it is absolutely equal in quality to the dark horn.
Cracks due to stresses in the horn wall
Large volume fluctuations in and between the horny layers create tension. These arise because the horny layers absorb and release water at different rates. This can result in fine cracks through which horn-decomposing germs (bacteria and fungi) can penetrate the hoof. This can be compared to the nail channels in a shod hoof. This also encourages the hoof to break out.
Horn that is unphysiologically too dry becomes hard and inelastic; some horses then walk like on eggs because their "shoes" are too tight. This can often be observed in foal paddocks after long dry periods. The hoof becomes inelastic and loses most of its cushioning properties. The shocks then have to be absorbed by the overlying joints, tendons and ligaments. If there are already underlying diseases of the musculoskeletal system, this can result in a clumsy gait or even lameness.
Fig. 1: Radially distributed cracks in the horn wall due to dryness
Actually the task of the glaze layer
The glaze layer is a very thin horny layer that lies on the hoof like a skin. Its task is to regulate the evaporation and water absorption of the hoof. However, in almost all horses in human hands, the glaze layer is largely worn away in the lower hoof area - especially on the toe - due to movement in sandy terrain (indoor arena, sand arena, cross-country).
The glaze layer during hoof trimming
This layer is also often rasped off during hoof trimming by the farrier or hoof trimmer and is therefore only partially present on the hoof. Very often the hoof walls have to be stretched, i.e. straightened, during hoof trimming, e.g. to correct positioning errors or bent hoof walls. If this is not done sufficiently, the result is bent walls with widespread white lines, also in conjunction with white line disease (WLD) and wall breakouts.
Here it is definitely more important to keep the hooves in a correct, resilient shape than to insist on maintaining the glaze layer. The function of the glaze layer can be replaced with water and high-quality care products such as Keralit Hoof-Elast or Laurel Ointment. There is no substitute for a correct, resilient hoof shape!
Does soaking and then greasing make sense?
The use of water-friendly care products
The often propagated daily watering and then greasing during longer dry periods unfortunately only works once, as the hoof wall after the first greasing is insulated from further water absorption by the grease from the previous day, the water largely rolls off. This procedure only makes sense with water-friendly care products, such as Keralit Bay Leaf Ointment or Keralit Hoof-Elast. These allow further water absorption.
Frequent misinterpretations: Too dry or already WLD?
Fig. 2: Not too dry, rotting processes in the horn wall due to WLD
Tips against dry hooves
The only remedy for brittle hooves in paddocks is morning dew or a supply of water, e.g. in the form of artificially created muddy areas or a small shallow pond. The horses will seek out these areas on their own.
Horses that have been stabled can be helped by wetting their hooves more frequently at the washing area. The often propagated practice of wetting the hooves and then greasing them unfortunately only makes sense once. This is because, logically, the grease not only prevents the moisture from evaporating, but also from penetrating the hoof when it is washed again. This means that the hoof cannot absorb moisture again even days later.
Thin brittle horn wall
Water-friendly care products can be used to keep the coronet band supple. If this loses volume due to a lack of water, a thinner, more brittle horn wall with a less elastic corn will grow during this time. These hoof sections tend to tear more easily in the further course of growth, for example in the nailing.
Special care for dry hooves
Water-friendly hoof care products
For optimum care of a dry hoof, after soaking the hoof you can apply Keralit Hoof-Elast or the Keralit laurel ointment can be applied. In contrast to conventional hoof oil and hoof grease, Huf-Elast and laurel ointment are water-friendly. This means that the moisture exchange in the hoof functions without restriction and the natural moisture in the hoof is bound. This prevents drying out. Keralit products can also be used preventively to promote healthy horse hooves.
Clay as a simple alternative
As carriage horses used to come into contact with water only on paved, hard roads, many coachmen had a small bucket of wet clay on the carriage in summer. This clay was poured into the horses' hooves when they stopped and in the evening. The clay then slowly and continuously released moisture into the hooves overnight.
This method is still useful today. Clay (not humus) can be obtained from a building pit, for example, and mixed into a sticky mass (consistency similar to potter's clay).Ideally, this should also be mixed with a little vinegar. This creates an acidic pH value on the hoof. This helps to prevent thrush and wall rot as well as white line disease.
Excellent barn hygiene is extremely important, especially in summer, as ammonia and horn-decomposing germs build up quickly and in large numbers at higher temperatures.
The right food for dry hooves?
There is no such thing as hooves that are too dry because only the water content of the horn determines its elasticity. You can only support the horn in its growth and provide essential nutrients.
In principle, horn that is already damaged can only grow at the normal growth rate towards the bearing edge. If there is a lack of nutrients, less and more unstable horn is produced. This can occur during the change of coat, for example. For a healthy hoof, care should be taken to ensure an adequate supply of nutrients.