02/27/2026
The snow has melted, and mud season is very much upon us. Someone once told me, āTelling your farrier that you pick hooves out every day is like telling your dentist that you floss every day.ā Which is true in that we both know when youāre not telling the truth!
A couple nasty things can happen to equines with mud and muck packed in their hooves all the time. Wet conditions and abrasive mud can cause thinner soled horses (Iām looking at you, TBs and QHs) to become sore and even lame. On top of that, thrush can quickly go from āstinky icky black gooā to āseriously lame horseā if the infection reaches the sensitive structures of the hoof. The good news is that we can often avoid infection altogether:
Provide your horses/mules/donkeys with a dry place to hang out, remove manure from their living space, and pick hooves daily!
Donkeys (originally desert dwellers) especially need dry spaces.
Thinner-soled equines who spend a lot of time in the mud can benefit from a hoof hardener like Keratex. There are hundreds of thrush treatments available. I use Cop-Pure-Cure on my own. More serious thrush infections will need to be soaked with a non-necrotizing product. White Lightning is popular. No medication can substitute for daily hoof picking and proper husbandry. Not sure what your horse needs? Not even sure what thrush looks like? Thatās fine! Talk to your farrier! No judgment here. Hoof health is a team effort.
Also, maybe floss your teethā¦
