Hooves

Question
Hey, I recently aquired a new horse into our herd, and I had a few questions to ask you about her feet. I got this horse a week ago, but haven't boughten her yet as I am just trying her out. This mare has been forgotten in the pasture for many years, so as you can imagine her hooves are in very poor shape. They are cracked all over and were inches long when we got her. They did snape off the next day, which caused her a great amount of pain as her hoof was now so short that any contact on the ground hurt her. The bars of the hoof were very long and the hoof is very hard to cut through. I can send pictures if the description isn't enough, but do you think this mare will recover from her poor hoof conditions, or is there a possibility she will never have 100% hooves?

Answer
Hi there. Well, not knowing what's going on inside the foot I will make a "general" statement and say if the hooves are properly trimmed, balanced and leveled and kept trimmed then she *should* recover just fine. I would be sure of the hoofcare as well as the diet, environment and stress levels. All affect the hooves. I prefer fresh foods vs. processed foods for horses with free choice GOOD quality hay, 24/7 turnout in a large area with at least one other horse and as close as possible to a 'natural' environment and lifestyle.  Again, all these affect the hooves and their health.  It might be a good idea to have the hooves radiographed to see if there's any permanent damages done inside the foot. But, if not, then certainly excellent care and balanced trimming can make alot of difference for the better. :)