By Carole Herder
Your horse’s hooves consist of living tissue and need extra care in the summer months. Just as with our own hair, nails, and other cellular structures, nourishment is important. Cellular strength, wholeness, and integrity are affected by environmental factors.
When the hoof becomes dehydrated, it loses the elastic flexibility required to absorb shock and concussion. Essential nutrients in the blood no longer freely flow. This results in a whole host of potential issues.
In these hot summer months, it’s up to us give nature a helping hand. I have yet to see a hoof dressing that can adequately re-establish moisture in the hoof. In fact, most of them contain oil-based, tarry, turpentine, lactates, stearates, acetone, alcohol and other drying agents that are contraindicated. The hooves may appear wet on the outside, but these dressings do not permeate internally. Some other options are to create a soaking area and encourage your horse to stand in it.
A simple and easy way to hydrate your horse’s hooves is to use your Cavallo Hoof Boots. Change your go-anywhere boots into a soaking solution by simply covering the drainage holes and filling them with water. Allow your horse to stand in the soaking boots for an hour at a time. He’ll get moisture to his hooves just like he would if he was standing at a watering hole.
Watch the how-to video here: www.cavallo-inc.com/extreme-weather-patterns-and-the-hoof
Carole Herder is the author of #1 bestselling books There Are No Horseshoes in Heaven and Hoofprints on The Journey. Her company, Cavallo, manufactures, and distributes Cavallo Hoof Boots and Saddle Pads to 26 countries worldwide, and all Cavallo products are designed and developed by Carole. She’s an honoured recipient of the BCBusiness Women Innovator Award, Royal Bank of Canada Woman Entrepreneur Award, a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization and a certified Chopra University Yoga Instructor and Ayurvedic Teacher.
