Horse hooves

Question
hi
My horse's hooves are all warm to the touch. The hooves are warm around the cornary band and warm about half way down the hoof. I am wondering if this is normal and if i should be concerned. My horses are on some leftover oats from a cut field that was cut some weeks ago. It has froze so the oats should be dead. None of my horses have ever had founder. On the one mare her conarary band is white and the hoof looks like it has had some abnormal growth.
Thank you


Answer
HELLO CHELSEY...THANKS FOR YOUR QUESTION...

I apologize for being alittle late answering you...I've been out
of state working on horses and just got in.

What you are saying sounds fine...but I'll go over a few things with you to give you "piece of mind"!!!

Warm to the touch or even halfway down the hoof capsule is OK, even on a cold morning in Fall or Winter. The sun will come out and "maybe" they have run alittle bit...blood is flowing.
White around the coronary band or coronet is usually an indication
of "moisture" the hoof is receiving. Say after a frost,rain,snow,
morning dew and such.

The abnormal growth or maybe "rings" on the hoof capsule indicates
stress or trauma to the horse. Change in diet,weather,exercise,
sickness, can ALL show up as "rings" on the hoof.
If there is NO LAMENESS or "stretching out" of the fore and back limbs
then you are probably safe.

Turning horses out in "cut fields" is NOT ALWAYS a good thing!!
Unlike cattle (ruminants) that can benefit from the grazing they
get off the field; horses will many times "pig-out" on oats,wheat,
rye, corn  and get an overload that they are NOT use to on a regular basis. Horses ALWAYS do better with grasses/pasture situations,
instead of high carbs or high proteins and ONLY supplemented with
grains they need when they are working or exercising.

Bottom line...just be CAREFULL with what you allow them to graze on.
Just because you might have gotten away with it before...doesn't mean it's a "good thing"  :)  :)

Thanks for waiting and let me know if I can help in the future ...
Joepaul Meyers,C.J.F.