Hoof: 

Foot as a whole in horses

   STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF
FOOT
• Hoof is dense horny covering at end of digit and is a
very specialized structure designed to resist wear,
support weight and limit or prevent concussion

• Continuation of the skin

• External hoof, comprises wall, sole, frog and periople,
• Internal or sensitive foot, comprises sensitive laminae,
sensitive sole, sensitive frog and perioplic and coronary
corium.
 THE EXTERNAL FOOT OR HOOF
• Hoof is non-vascular and insensitive, moulded over
sensitive structures and comprises the wall, sole and
frog
 WALL OF HOOF
• Wall is that part of the hoof, which is seen when
foot is on the ground, divided into toe, quarters and
heels.
• Toe is area in front
• The wall does not form a complete circle but is
reflected inwards and forwards at an acute angle at
the heels to form bars
• Bars appear on the bearing surface of the foot
as convergent ridges, which are fused with sole
and united by the frog
• Being part of the wall take weight and provide
extra bearing surface and strength at the heels.
• Outer surface of the hoof wall is covered by the
periople and the stratum tectorium (a varnish-like
substance
• Periople protects the junction of the hoof wall with
the coronary band.
• Insensitive laminar layer forms the inner surface of
the hoof wall. This layer intermeshes with sensitive
laminae
• Sensitive and insensitive laminae are composed of
primary leaves.
• 600 primary leaves in each hoof. Each primary leaf
has about 100 secondary leaves that run parallel to
primary leaves.
• Sensitive and insensitive laminae intermesh or
interlock to hold hoof wall at third phalanx
• Third phalanx is actually suspended from
inside of hoof wall.
• Therefore, the weight of the horse is not exerted
on the sole surface but is born by the hoof wall.
• Laminar arrangement allows weight to be
distributed over a large surface area
• Periople is thin layer of epidermis which
originates above proximal border and develops as
a rim of soft horn, light gray in colour, which
bridges the junction between epidermis and wall
• When hoof is dry , periople is not obvious, but when
the feet have been exposed to moisture, footbath for
example, it is most conspicuous.
• It controls evaporation from the underlying horn
• Care must be taken not to remove it otherwise it
will result in excessive evaporation &brittle hoof is
end result
• White line indicates the site of union between the
insensitive laminae of the wall and the tubules of
the sole
• The white line is an important anatomical
feature and a most helpful guide for the farrier
• It enables farrier to assess the angle or pitch at
which to drive the nails and secure a good hold
without either pricking or causing pressure on
sensitive structures, so-called “nail bind”.
• Sole constitutes the greater part of ground
surface of hoof and presents two surfaces and two
borders.
• External surface is arched
• This feature is more pronounced in hind than in
front feet, but is subject to wide variation in different
breeds
• Internal surface is convex and conforms to the
concavity of ventral surface of the third phalanx
• Covered with numerous minute holes, which lodge
papillae of sensitive sole
• Anterior (convex) border is much thicker than
posterior border and its junction with wall is indicated
by the “white line”.
• Posterior (concave) border consists of angular portions
which lie between wall and the bars and between them
is triangular space into which frog fits
• Function of sole is to protect the sensitive structures
above, it to support weight and to bear weight around its
anterior border
 FROG OR FOOT – PAD
•Frog is a wedge-shaped mass of soft elastic horn ,
which occupies angle between bars and sole
•It is described as having four surfaces, a base and
an apex
•Bearing (external) surface has a shallow cleft
posteriorly, termed the central cleft
• This cleft is bounded by two ridges and between
them and the bard lie deep depressions called the
lateral and median clefts
•The base (posterior extremity) is depressed
centrally with prominent eminences on either side,
the bulbs of the heels
• The apex is a blunt point, wedged in the center of the
posterior border of the sole and lies a little in front of
the middle of the bearing surface of the foot.
• lateral and medial surfaces are united with the
sole and bars.
• Frog contains more fluid than any other part of the
hoof and this account for its soft pliable state
• Apex is much harder than base, acts as a
sensory organ of touch by stimulating the nerve
endings in the underlying digital cushion
• Frog provides protection to the corono-pedal
joint
• It plays an important role in the anti-
concussion mechanism of the foot, and its
wedge shape contributes to provide a good
foothold
• When foot comes to the ground frog takes the
weight and is compressed
 STRUCTURE OF HORN

• Horn of hoof, is keratinised, composed of modified

epithelial cells
• Horn of wall contains numerous tubules, which are
arranged parallel and run from the proximal to distal
border.
• Horn tubers of sole have a similar disposition but
those of frog are slightly more tortuous.
• Horn of frog is relatively soft, more elastic and not so
kertinised as wall or sole.
• water content of hoof is important factor, which
ranges from approximately 25% in the wall to 40% in
frog
• Horn tubers contain fluid, which is supplied from
papillae of corium or absorbed form surface.
• Constant evaporation is taking place from the
surface of the hoof and being replaced by these
two processes.
• If evaporation is excessive then hoof becomes
brittle and cracks.
• Evaporation is checked then excess fluid
accumulates and the hoof becomes soft
• For this reason, oils and grease should not be
applied to a normal healthy wall.
• Horn cells are dissolved by alkalies , therefore harmful
effects of ammonia present in decomposing urine
and manure must not be overlooked in the management of
horses’ feet.
• Horn is a bad conductor of heat and provides a very
effective protection to the underlying structures against
extremes of temperature.
• A normal hoof will withstand effects cold and
application of a red-hot shoe, provided it is held in
contact for only a short time.
 NUTRITIONAL SUPPLY TO HOOF
• Five coriums of modified vascular tissue furnish nutrition to hoof
1.Perioplic corium, within the perioplic groove in the coronary band,
serves the periople
2. Coronary corium, responsible for growth and nutrition of bulk of
hoof wall, lies within the coronary band. Because the coronary band
is responsible for wall growth, injury to the coronary band is quite
serious and usually leads to a defect in wall growth and structure.
3.Laminar corium is attached to the top of third phalanx and bears
sensitive laminae. Consequently, it transports blood and nutrition to
sensitive and insensitive laminae as well as to white line
4.Sole corium, on the lower surface of the third phalanx, nourishes
the sole.
5.Frog is nourished by the frog corium
.
• Sensitive structures of the foot, which receive their
blood supply from the digital arteries, are very
vascular and any wound results in profuse hemorrhage.
• Nerve supply to the sensitive structures of the foot is
from the terminal branches of the digital nerves
 WEIGHT BEARING STRUCTURES OF FOOT

• Wall, bars, and frog are the weight-bearing structures

of the foot.
• Bars should bear weight and in shoeing should not be
removed but lowered only enough to allow fitting of
the shoe.
• Bearing surface of the wall should be level with the
frog for even distribution of the weight
• Sound horses tend to share three characteristics
1. large frog that makes ground contact
2. Prominent bars that bear significant weight
3. Short toe