We've all been taught we have to clean our horse's feet regularly to prevent thrush. Is that really true, or are other factors at work when it comes to keeping your horse's hooves thrush free?
Does This Foot Look Thrushy to You?
Every Day or Every Six Weeks?
Six weeks is how long it had been since I removed the poop, dirt, and god-knows- what fun this horse's hoof.
I literally picked it and took this picture.
So why isn't it full of black stinky goo?
Environment
Perhaps this girl lives in a pristine environment, you may be thinking. She doesn't. It's got plenty of manure to pack into her hoofy crevices.
It rained recently too, so there's plenty of moisture to make bacteria and fungi happy.
It's a poop fest.
What's the Deal?
The reason why this horse's feet are resistant to thrush is that they are HEALTHY.
A foot that functions well grows dense impermeable sole and wall tissue. Thrush can't get a hold. The same is true for infiltration of the white line. When the laminar connection is tight, nothing can find a way in.
You can hardly see the individual horn tubeless in this nipped section of toe wall. That's a dense hoof!
What's the Secret?
A proper trim that promotes healthy blood flow is essential for tissue development. An unbalanced hoof that's distorted, has poor proportions, or isn't able to function correctly will have compromised circulation and weak porous tissue.
Of course, the horse won't be very happy either.
Diet is a big part of the thrush-busting equation too. If the right nutrients aren't getting to the hoof, the necessary building blocks of healthy tissue won't be available.
Thrush Happens
As horse owners, we've all had to deal with black stinky collateral grooves and flesh-eaten frogs. I chased thrush for years until I figured out its real cause.
Heck, I even developed a thrush treatment (which works awesomely by the way).
If you and your horse are in the throws of a fight with thrush, it might be worth taking a gander into the bigger picture of your horse's hoof health. That rank smell might be an indicator that there is there is something else afoot.