08/14/2025
Intéressant
It’s been a minute, and I apologize for the lack of posts!
I’ve been quiet because it’s summer… and most in hoofcare know that summers can be a bit hectic. It’s when hoofcare pros are most at risk for burn out, and when the heat, humidity, bugs, and hoof issues can get to us.
I’ve made an observation lately that there are two kinds of hooves I see emerging in summer… ones that seem to get healthier and stronger in dryer weather, with rock hard walls and frogs, and feet that seem to absolutely fall apart and become less and less comfortable.
I think many of you would be able to pick out what causes the difference between the two…
Grass and metabolic issues.
The vast majority of the time, horses I see on grass in the summer, especially overgrazed paddocks, will have issues - whether as “benign” as thrush, hoof sensitivity, or some “seedy toe,” or as serious as laminitis and founder. The sugar levels in the grass push so many horses over the edge into uncontrolled metabolic issues, and we see the feet suffer.
But some horses seem to have feet that fall apart in July/August without explanation - no access to grass, no change in diet, even those with the best living environments… and in those cases, I typically end up seeing vets diagnosing PPID (Cushing’s) or seeing that their bloodwork is above range due to the seasonal rise and that their pergolide dosage needs to be adjusted. These horses can become sore “out of nowhere” or suddenly have hoof issues they didn’t have earlier in the year.
If your horse suddenly can’t handle walking over gravel, or has thrush you just can’t kick even with treatment and a good environment, or maybe they’re losing some topline or drinking and peeing just a bit more than normal…. Consider their metabolic health. Test them for non-fasted insulin and an endogenous (baseline) ACTH test and rule out metabolic concerns.
Your hoofcare provider will thank you!
