My horses hoof

Question
Hello
I recently have been working with a horse and riding it which has not seen a farrier because his previous owners mistreated him and pretty much let him fend for himself. "Willy" doesn't really let anybody look or examine his hoofs because of his attitude when one tries to lift them, I know it is bad to be riding a horse and not regularly clean it's feet but after riding Willy really hard one day, i decided to try to look at his feet and clean them. All 3 hoofs were cleaned and because of Willy's exhaustion, he had no fight left in him to kick. His hind left hoof has something on its sole that i can not identify and as a green rider, i am not very knowledgeable about diseases of horses. On the bottom sole of his foot there is almost like a very hard chalky substance which is grown over the frog and is toughing the ground with his hoof(so i think it is almost like a cushion for the frog) and it covers all of the sole. I have heard of abscesses which are like sponges that burst with puss, but Willy's is hard and doesn't seem to be full of puss. I'm sorry that i cannot describe it more thoroughly but i can tell you that it doesn't seem to cause him pain to the tough or when he's being ridden. Like I say I have only now just realized it and am hoping for a treatment or remedy that can be efficient and not one that will break the bank account. Thank you very much for your help. Willy thanks you too :)

Answer
Hi Brian!  

Well, while I can't tell you exactly what the 'white stuff' is since I can't see it I can tell you that the more movement and riding, as long as your horse is sound, the better off he'll be!  :) Horses are 'designed' to move and all systems in their bodies will respond favorably, including the hooves. It is important, though, to have regular farrier/hoofcare to be sure that the hooves are balanced properly. If imbalanced it can not only cause issues for the hooves but for the rest of the body as well.

It is also important to make sure he's getting the correct nutrients to feed his body and his hooves. A variety of forages is best being that the horse is an herbivore -- they are meant to eat forage. Good quality hay, grass, weeds, etc.  All forage. The nutrients he takes in through his feed will help his hooves become healthy again, too.

I'm glad your horse is sound and you're able to ride. Try to work little by little, each day, on handling his hooves. The more you do, the more he'll trust you and be willing to give you his hooves.

Hope this has helped a bit.

:) -- Gwen