Dealing with Hard Ground

Hard ground affects horses in various ways – concussive forces and bruising of the sole in particular can lead to lameness. Riders should monitor their horse’s workload on hard ground in summer and early autumn when the ground can still be hard, and speak to the animal’s hoofcare professional about appropriate management techniques.

Many owners turn to barefoot hoofcare because their horses do not cope well with the concussive forces linked to hard ground, and barefoot advocates believe that horse shoes potentially increase concussive damage by holding the frog off the ground, reducing blood circulation.

During the transitional process from shod to ‘bare’, many horse owners choose hoof boots as the hoof strengthens, while a growing number of horses use hoof boots on a long term basis within a training programme, or to avoid concussive forces from hard ground. Remember that appropriate exercise, correct trimming and booting, and optimum nutrition can all boost equine soundness and the ability of the horse to withstand challenges that hard ground creates.

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