Hoof Wall Thickness: Thick hoof walls are a sign of healthy hooves that can tolerate the wear and tear of use. The thinner the walls, the more difficult it is to have a healthy, happy horse and the more likely it is that the hoof will chip or have a piece brake off.

Concavity of Sole: The sole needs concavity because the flatter the sole, the more likely it is to bruise and it cannot function in the manner it was designed to. The horse needs a concave sole to grip the ground surface when traveling.

Dished Hoof: If the hoof is dished at the toe, you can assume that one of three things has happened. The horse has been foundered, it is club-footed or it hasn’t seen a farrier in a long time. It is definitely a red flag.

Wavy Lines in Hoof Wall: You know that something happened to that horse some months ago. It could be something as simple as a change in feed or something as serious as laminitis (check the archives for May ’02). On the average, a hoof will grow about ¼ inch per month so you can pretty much determine when it happened.

Heel & Toe Angles: The angles of the heel and length of toe are very important to hoof health. Dropping a plumb line down the middle of the cannon bone from the side on the front and rear legs can check for this. The line should reach ground at the back of the heel. Under run heels and long toes are caused by improper trimming. Uneven Coronary Band: The coronary band is where all new hoof growth originates. It should be smooth and even all around the top of the hoof. Any deviation should raise a red flag because this would be a sign of injury. An injury to the coronary band is often considered permanent and can result in a hoof defect. For more in-depth information about all aspects of hoof health and care please check out these links: United Horsemanship The International Equine Resource Center

Relative position of the hoof in relationship to the rest of the limb. D is the plumb line and C is where the heel should be. B and the As represent what a toe of correct proportions should look like.