Functions of the hoof:


Hoof wall: 

  • Protects inner structures from outside concussion
  • Function is to contract the hoof (like a spring). 
  • Secondary weight bearing role

 Sole:

  • Primary weight bearing role
  • Protects inner structures from outside concussion
  • 1/2" to 5/8" thick calloused sole will hold the coffin bone correctly in the hoof capsule so that the joint between the coffin bone and short pastern bone can move properly

 Frog:

  • Helps dissipate concussion
  • Protects digital cushion
  • Provides traction

 Digital Cushion:

  • Directly under the frog
  • The most critical nerve center and proprioception (A sense or perception, usually at a subconscious level, of the movements and position of the body and especially its limbs, independent of vision; this sense is gained primarily from sensory nerve terminals.)  The digital cushion has as many nerves as the equine brain.
  • Properly developed, the digital cushion is a dense fibrocartilage that protects the nerves.
  • Filled with large amounts of micro-vessels that fill with blood when the hoof is weighted and expands and acts as a hydraulic energy dissipater (Discovered by Robert Bowker, DVM, Michigan State University).

 Lateral Cartilage:

  • Helps in energy dissipation and alignment of joints in hoof capsule (Gene Onvicek, RMF)

 Bars:

  • Vertical support
  • Aids in distributing energy
  • Produces cells that migrate forward to produce sole material

 Laminae:

  • Connect the outer hoof wall to the inner structures
  • Laminae continuously produce new anchoring filaments, allowing the hoof wall to grow

Coffin Bone:

  • Rigid support in the front of the hoof
  • When breakover occurs, the coffin bone’s job is to push off in forward propulsion

 

 

 HOW IT ALL WORKS TOGETHER:


First watch this YouTube video for a look at a horse with "Hooves that work!"   Every horse should be able to move like this!  Natural collection will come easily when there's no pain.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOnd5t9k4VA&feature=related

The healthy hoof is an incredibly flexible organ made up of the outer wall and 1/2" to 5/8" thick calloused  and concave sole that is the horse’s first line of defense between the internal organs of the hoof and the ground.  When viewed from the side, a naturally shaped hoof should have an arch from front to back like the arch of your own foot.  


The frog is a shock absorber and a sensory organ for feeling the ground.  The internal structures are made up of a coffin bone for support of the front of the hoof and the tremendous job of driving the horse forward.  Above the sole and frog  is the corium which wraps itself around the coffin bone in the front and digital cushion in the back of the hoof.  The corium has an extremely dense blood supply as the hoof is a high‑priority organ.  Only the liver and kidneys have a denser blood supply.  All tissue‑building and healing in the foot depends on the constant supply of nutrients the blood brings to the corium.  


Around the outside surface of the corium is the white line or laminae which is an interlocking structure much like Velcro and attaches the inner structures to the outer hoof wall.  The water line is the unpigmented, inner layer of hoof wall and is a tough, shock‑absorbing structure. 


Just above the frog is the digital cushion, which is fibrous tissue and also used for shock absorption.  The lateral cartilages form the foundation for the back half of the foot, but with flexibility.  They are attached to the back of coffin bone and are on either side of the digital cushion. 

In a healthy hoof, every component plays an important role.  As the leg reaches forward in extension, you will see the foot flip forward and up, and then the heel lands first.  As the horse weights the hoof, the hoof capsule expands, and the arch in the quarters of the hoof wall will make contact with the ground.  The expansion creates a vacuum and allows the blood vessels to fill up and nourish the corium and helps dissipate the impact.  In the back of the hoof, the frog and digital cushion also dissipates the energy.  Then as the hoof leaves the ground, the toe of the horse is given the tremendous job of forward propulsion.  The hoof capsule contracts as it is unweighted and the blood leaves the hoof taking toxins with it.  


When a hoof is consistently landing heel first, its entire physiology and flexion are able to work as nature intended.  A healthy hoof gives the horse the ability to reach out with his front legs and reach under himself to create the natural athletic grace that all disciplines strive for.