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That depends on several things. The horses job, the horses genetics and the horses environment. For example, if a horse is retired and living in a beautiful turn out with great feet-yes! I do have horses that are in full-time work/competition that don’t require any form of hoof protection. However, I consider them rare gems.

Thrush is an infection with an anaerobic bacterium found in the horse’s environment. Thrush is usually identifiable by a strong putrid odor accompanied by a thick black liquid in the horse’s frog, specifically in the sulci.

I have horses that have chronic white lines disease and it typically gets worse during the summer months. The reason for this is the warm humid weather helps the fungi proliferate. These anaerobes are opportunistic, which means the anaerobes present themselves with the right causal factors: increased activity levels, moisture, heat, torque/concussion, and the right bio-chemistry.

Supplements are not necessary when a horse has good feet, access to nutrient rich grass, feed, and hay. However we all understand that we all don’t live in a perfect world, so some supplementation may be necessary.

Hoof abscesses are pockets of pus that form in response to bacterial invasion and proliferation. When pus builds up within the rigid hoof capsule, the pressure on sensitive tissue causes pain(mild to severe). Left untreated, the pus will eventually work its way out, bacterial pressure forces its way out through the path of least resistance. Sometimes a crack or hole forms at the bottom of the horses foot, it often goes through the coronary band, if the abscess is high in the hoof.

When Little Bob (a.k.a. L.B.) was born, we knew that we had a tough nut on our hands. L.B. came out of his mother mad at the world. Shortly after his birth, his problems started multiplying.