The structure of the horse's hoof: anatomy, care, diseases

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Horse hooves require regular grooming. They should be inspected and cleaned daily. These manipulations will help prevent the development of dangerous diseases in the animal. In this review, we will take a closer look at the structure of the horse's hooves, how to properly care for them, and also what threatens the pet if the rules of care are ignored.

Anatomy

You can teach a foal to examine the legs from 3-4 months of age. For this, experienced horse breeders recommend stroking the limb of the animal with vertical movements, and then wrapping it around with your hand without leaving the ground and, if the pet allows it, raise it to the desired height. If the examination is successful, the foal should be given a treat. In case of disobedience, verbal dissatisfaction should be expressed. To understand what you see on a horse's foot, you should at least imagine what the anatomy of a horse's hoof is. Without basic knowledge in this area, you will not be able to help an animal in the event of a disease.

The structure of the horse's hoof is similar to that of othersartiodactyls. Livestock specialists consider it a complex structure that includes several elements at once.

Building

What does a horse's hoof consist of? Its main anatomical parts are:

1. The border is located in the area where the hairy part of the skin is transformed into a horny shoe. The upper edge of the horse's hoof is shaped like a small strip 5-6 mm thick. It consists of slightly softened tubular horn tissue. In the upper zone of the border, the sebaceous glands and hair follicles are concentrated. The main function of this element is to produce the outer layer of the cornea and reduce pressure on the hairy skin.
2. The corolla is located slightly above the border, has a semicircular shape. This element is necessary to absorb shock and pressure when the sole of the hoof touches the ground.
3. The wall consists of the cornea and skin. Has a special structure of the producing layer.
4. The outsole is shaped like a curved plate with a small indentation for the frog. This element consists of the skin base and the epidermis. Well regenerated and growing rapidly. The main function of this element is to protect deep-lying tissues from deformation.
5. The crumb is located between the bars and has a wedge-shaped shape with the top tending to the hook. It is divided by a longitudinal groove. It consists of the epidermis with the stratum corneum, the base of the skin and a special subcutaneous layer.

How to properly care for hooves?

So what about thisneed to know? Experienced horse breeders know that the he alth of horses directly depends on the condition of their hooves. This part of the body deserves special attention. Hoof care must include:

• daily inspection;
• cleaning;
• unhook;
• lubrication with special oils.

After each working day, the horse's hooves should be treated. First, the limb is washed in running water. After that, the horn shoe is cleaned of dirt accumulated in it. Adults also need to remove dead hoof areas. This will protect the horse from the appearance of namin. This procedure is recommended to be done every 45-50 days.

Experienced horse breeders recommend from an early age to teach horses to give a leg for inspection and unhooking. This manipulation is extremely important when leaving. It allows using special equipment to remove stuck debris and dirt from the sole. Over time, when the pet grows up, it will be possible to start accustoming it to a rasp, a knife and other tools. A horse cannot be cleaned if it sweats a lot and lathers. First you need to wait until the coat and skin dry out. If the animal is not accustomed to giving a leg or it has a bad temper, then in order to process the hooves, you will have to use a tranquilizer. For some time, intravenous or intramuscular administration of Vetrankvila helps to put the horse to sleep.

Cleaning procedure

What do you need to know about this? How is hoof cleaning done?horses? About once a week, the hooves are thoroughly cleaned with water, a brush and a special hook. This procedure is performed according to the following algorithm:

1. The horse breeder stands next to the animal and asks him to give a leg. In this case, the horse's hoof should be located with the heel towards you.
2. Crochet with gentle movements from the heel to the front edge, remove dirt from the horn shoe. This procedure should be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the arrow. Otherwise, lameness may occur.
3. Edges of horseshoes and turning corners deserve special attention in the cleaning process.
4. Using a stiff brush to remove dust and dirt from horse soles.
5. The lower part of the hooves is smeared with special ointments or castor oil. This will prevent the horn from drying out and cracking.

Experts do not advise cleaning the horseshoe immediately before and after feeding. In addition to daily brushing, the front and hind hooves of the horse should be inspected for pathologies and injuries. If creases are found, they should be filed with a rasp or cut with a sharp knife.

Clearing and shoeing

Let's take a closer look at this. The main reason for the rapid wear of a keratinized horse shoe is the long wearing of horseshoes and walking on a hard surface. As a result, cracks and accumulations of pathogenic bacteria appear. To prevent the development of leg diseases in a horse, the breeder needs to timely change horseshoes and trimhooves. To do this, you must perform the following sequence of actions:

1. Remove old worn out horseshoes.
2. Cut off the regrown horn with a hoof knife: this procedure is carried out with extreme care. Even the smallest damage to sensitive soft tissues can disable the animal for a long time.
3. Flat soles require special attention, after their treatment, you can start clearing the keratinized area of the foot and its furrows. For manipulations, you must use a rasp or a special knife.
4. From cleaned limbs, measurements should be taken to make new horseshoes. These attributes must fully match the size of the hooves and wrap around them correctly.

After a month and a half, you can reforge. This requirement is due to the fact that with the constant wearing of horseshoes, the hoofed part cannot be stretched. When walking, the mass of the horse's body puts pressure on the limbs, and the blood comes to the legs with special force, distributing nutrients in the soft tissues. For the formation of he althy hooves in horses, it is necessary to properly distribute the load, as well as timely trim the stratum corneum. The correct cornea is characterized by an even thin layer of a neat coating, pointed edges, a well-developed horn frog, and a concave foot. The crumb should have the correct rounded shape and smoothly move to the rounded edge of the rims. There should be no cracks, pits or cracks. Horseshoes prevent the opening of the hoof, interfere with proper nutrition of the limbs and contribute to the formation of bloodcongestion.

Diseases

Now that you know the anatomy of the horse's hoof, you can consider the causes of pathologies and diseases of the limbs in horses. On a he althy hoof, there should be no discrepancies at the point of contact of the walls with the sole, curvature of the heel angles, depressions in the cornea, holes and hollows.

With improper care or lack thereof, a pathogenic environment develops, which can result in the occurrence of hoof disease in horses. Consider which pathologies pose the greatest threat.

Rheumatic inflammation

This disease can occur both in acute and chronic form. Which horse's hooves does it affect? Most often, inflammation develops on the forelimbs. It proceeds according to the type of serous inflammation, affecting the base of the skin, the toe part of the wall and the sole. Rheumatic inflammation can be caused by hard work for a long time, eating animals with concentrates, the rapid cooling of a hot horse, infection, a tendency to an allergic reaction and deformities of the hooves. The main symptoms of inflammation in horses are:

• rapid heart rate;
• heavy breathing;
• body temperature up to 41 degrees;
• when the thoracic limbs are affected - the burden on the back of the horse's hoof;
• pain when squeezing the front of the foot;
• general lethargy of the animal;
• limping, ameliorated during long walking, but aggravated after a short rest;
• excessive sweating;
• put forward all legs;
• muscle tremor;
• tension while walking;
• displacement of the coffin bone may occur in case of chronic disease;
• development of purulent pododermatitis and hedgehog hoof.

For the treatment of rheumatic inflammation, a decrease in the amount of exudate and dehydration of the body is usually indicated. To do this, the animal is placed in running water or cold clay for the first three days. After that, salivary agents are prescribed, such as Polikaprin and Arekolin. The dosage is determined based on the manufacturer's recommendations. Also, the animal is shown laxatives. Novocain can be used for anesthesia. Within 5-7 days, the horse is injected with a 0.1% solution of adrenaline and a solution of calcium chloride. The veterinarian may also prescribe Hydrocotison and Butadione. During the period of illness, the animal is shown a special diet that excludes the use of concentrates. Skin rubbing also helps. You should also take care of soft bedding. In severe forms of the disease, a blood transfusion may be required.

Corolla phlegmon

This disease can develop due to deep infected serifs, purulent pododermatitis, inflammation of the coffin joint and direct shoeing. The main symptoms of cellulitis include:

• pain in the keratinized parts of the limbs;
• animal tension;
• edema in the corolla area;
• appearance of overhanging body parts overhoof mesh;
• limping;
• fluctuation;
• increase in overall body temperature;
• oppression;
• loss of appetite.

How to recognize the phlegmon of a horse's hoof? Photos of sick animals and recommendations from experienced horse breeders will help you with this. Therapeutic measures for this disease are aimed at reducing the volume of the keratinized zone of the wall under the swelling, as well as treating the damaged areas of the hoof with medicines. For the treatment of phlegmon, alcohol and ichthyol dressings, intravenous administration of a solution of Novocain, Penicillin and Urotropin are usually used. The dosage of drugs is prescribed by the veterinarian, depending on the state of he alth of the horse and its age.

When suppuration occurs, it is recommended to cut off the affected areas. Then they are cleaned with antiseptic preparations. Good treatment of affected areas with Vishnevsky ointment helps.

Hiron notch

What is this? Coronal wounds usually appear due to mechanical damage due to incorrect positioning of the legs or prolonged contact with the horseshoe. The cause of this disease can also be:

• prolonged movement of an animal on a slippery uneven surface;
• launched forging;
• sharp reining in;
• steep high-speed turns.

To recognize the disease, it is not necessary to thoroughly know the structure of the horse's hoof. The main features are:

• deep superficial abrasions;
• damage to the skin;
• bleeding;
• severe lameness;
• swelling of tissues on the foot;
• pain when touching the corolla tissues;
• weakness of fabrics.

If the horse's hoof is left untreated when these symptoms appear, the disease can quickly turn into phlegmon. Therapeutic measures are reduced to the removal of hair from the affected areas, as well as the treatment of wounds with a solution of iodine or pyoctanin. You can also apply a bandage. Surgery may be required to treat deep wounds. After carrying out the procedures, the damage must be sprinkled with a mixture of boric acid and iodoform. A Streptocide tablet will also work. With the appearance of suppuration, Vishnevsky's ointment and camphor alcohol help well. If swelling occurs, it may be necessary to trim the cornea near the corolla. This operation is carried out in such a way as not to affect damaged skin.

Coffin cartilage necrosis

This disease usually occurs against the background of corolla wounds. The reasons for its development include:

• direct forging;
• mechanical damage to the arrow;
• purulent pododermatitis.

The main signs of necrosis of the hoof cartilage are severe lameness, local phlegmon, abscesses, fistulas, roughness of the cartilaginous tissue. To treat the pathology of the ungulate cartilage, it is necessary to introduce a 25-30% solution of zinc sulfate into the fistula canal. The bottom and walls of the fistula are scraped out with a special sharp spoon. Usually requires removalnecrotic tissues. After that, the wounds are treated with antiseptic preparations, special dressings are applied.

Pododermatitis

With this disease, the upper edge of the horse's hoof usually becomes inflamed. Pododermatitis can be purulent or aseptic.

The reasons for its development include the incorrect structure of the horse's hoof, poor cleaning of the sole, movement of the uninhibited horse on a hard surface, deformation of the cornea and violation of the integrity of the horn shoe. With pododermatitis, severe lameness and soreness are usually observed, yellowish or dark red areas appear on the sole. The horse may begin to put forward the diseased limb, as well as often bend it. At the same time, the pulse quickens, the body temperature rises.

To treat a disease, the first step is to eliminate the cause that caused it. In the aseptic form of inflammation, the affected limb is placed in cold clay or water. After that, veterinarians recommend making baths with hypertonic solutions. When the lameness subsides, the horses are treated with leather, felt, or removable metal bottoms.

Conclusion

In this review, we examined in detail the structure of the horse's hoof. Animal limb anatomy is especially important for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.