She has raised and trained horses for 50 years, and has been writing freelance articles and books nearly that long, publishing 20 books and more than 9,000 articles for horse and livestock publications. The Horse’s experts answer your questions during a monthly live audio event. “Various breeds have different frog characteristics.”, Bowker says the best way to care for the frog is to leave it alone. As the horse puts pressure on the frog, circulation is sent back up the horse’s leg. Most horses have some fungus or yeast activity in healthy feet - it's present whenever there is a shedding frog, sole or bar - but it doesn't develop into thrush. It affects the whole body.”, A healthy frog helps shield the sensitive digital cushion (the soft tissue beneath the sole that separates the frog and heel bulb from the underlying tendons and bones) and the deep digital flexor tendon above it. “It creates more blood flow and also enables the foot to clean out when the horse is moving around.”. Podcast: What Problems Can Mud Cause for Horses? Do I have a thruss problem or absesses on both - Answered by a verified Horse Veterinarian We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. The horse’s weight then compresses the frog on the ground, squeezing the blood out of the digital cushion, and pushing it … Frog Shedding and Keratex Hoof Gel use Jan. 21, 2013, 11:34 AM I started using Keratex Hoof Gel about a week and a half ago on my OTTB's shelly, thin soled hooves in an attempt to keep him from having any more abscesses with this wet, snowy winter. “Even if the horse owner or farrier treats the frog for thrush, if the horse goes back to the same wet, dirty environment, it can’t get better.”. “Paying attention to the frog is one of the most important aspects of keeping a happy, healthy, functioning hoof capsule,” says Travis Burns, CJF, TE EE, FWCF, assistant professor of practice and chief of farrier services at Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, in Blacksburg, Virginia. The wild hoof below has a wire placed in the bottom of the collateral groove to help you visualize this on the radiograph. Pick out your horse's feet. Bob Bowker, VMD, PhD, professor and head of the Equine Foot Laboratory at Michigan State University, in East Lansing, says the frog is vital for absorbing shock. Can you give me a clue? Pages Businesses Local Service Pet Service Horse Trainer Steve Lantvit Horsemanship Videos Hoof Talk with Chuck Potter - Does the horses frog need to have contact with the ground? His entire frog is almost completely falling off in one piece, not flaking or chipping. Because the horse’s heel has sensory nerve endings, the frog likely has a role with proprioception (a horse’s awareness of where his feet and body are), with sensitivity a bit like the nerves at the ends of our fingertips, says Rucker. Movement and exercise are also key to frog health. “A Thoroughbred’s frog will be much different from a Shetland pony or a draft horse,” says Rucker. Are Your Horses Ready for You to be Quarantined? How to spot it: A hoof bruise is similar to any other type of bruise – hemorrhage within tissues usually caused by blunt trauma, often times visible as discolored patches on the sole or hoof wall. Infographic: How Does a CT Scan Work on Horses? “Some farriers think that once a frog becomes small and narrow, that’s the end of it, but that’s not true. In this article we’ll explain the frog’s many purposes and how to keep it—and, by extension, your horse’s hooves in their entirety—healthy. Caustic materials can induce discomfort if the deeper sensitive tissue of the frog is affected from moderate to severe thrush. But don’t be too quick to lock your horse up in a clean, dry stall. In most cases, horses with peeling frogs are not lame, although the tissue underneath may be tender until it dries and hardens. When your farrier visits, let them know that you removed a … A variety of factors, ranging from poor management to conformation to genetics, can cause frog problems and resulting lameness. “Then there’s the bursa and the navicular bone itself,” says Burns. “Without a good frog, in my opinion, the foot does not function well, and that is why we have so many foot problems.”. The frog plays a major role in pushing blood up out of the hoof. The horse's weight then compresses the frog on the ground, squeezing the blood out of the digital cushion, and pushing it back up the horse's legs. Pathological Sole Retention. An irregular trimming schedule, poor hygiene, and wet conditions, for instance, can all cause necrosis (tissue death) and, as we’ve described, thrush. Are your horses Ready for Emergency Evacuation when Sole accumulates I call it retained! Frog also horse hoof frog shedding in this effort leave it alone and forgetting about it. ” leaving! 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