[myhorsies]

Is larger hooves better than smaller hooves on horses? Could it just mean that horses with small hooves are smaller boned? We are thinking of buying a weanling that has smaller hooves. Her dam also has small hooves and she is very petite. We are thinking that the weanling is also going to be petite. And darker hooves are stronger than the lighter hooves right??? Any opinions? Thanks!

[MissBandit]

The size of the hooves should be proportionate to the size of the horse/pony. Feet that are too large or too small are not desirable.

We recently had a rather large discussion on the differences in strength between dark and light coloured hooves. On a horse with both white and dark hooves, the white hoof will be 'softer' than the dark one. This does not suggest however, that one horse's dark hooves are 'stronger' than another horse's white hoof. Make sense?

[Bubba]

I think a good way of putting it is that a horse can have bad dark colored feet, and another horse can have excellent light colored feet . White hoof might be softer, but that won't necessarily mean weaker.

Weanlings and yearlings have tiny feet compared to what they will be when mature, anyway, but like MissBandit said, the hooves should be proportionate to the size of the horse or pony (when mature, so the weanling's mother is a good example to look at).

[Paints4me]

I have worked with a lot of feet and I can honestly say I don't think it matters what color their feet are. Bad feet that chip or that are thin and shelly are usually due to an inherited problem or lack of hoof nutrients. Ive have seen really good and bad feet in both colors. On the size I agree with the others, just make sure there porportioned, yeatlings will have pretty small feet.

[Super Step]

Sometimes the size of the cannon bone can be used to refrence the size of the hoof. Some lines of certain breeds tend to have smaller, more petite cannons and a hoof foot that matures small.
I personally do not want a 1200 pound horse on a 3-OOO shoe. Some breeders do and consider it a plus.
As Bubba said, young horses have smaller hoofs. It is hard to guage when they are very young.

[KZWestern]

If your horse is small, small hooves are good. But if your horse is big and has small hooves then thats a problem. Also vice versa. Small horse but big hooves. Although a big horse with small hooves I should think would be worse.

[myhorsies]

Thanks for the advice on the hooves! I think the weanlings dam's hooves are proportionate to her body. She does fine. I was just making sure that the smaller hooves were ok. The weanling and her dam are mustangs. The dam was a wild mustang. I know that weanlings have smaller hooves but, there is another weanling there and she has the wider hooves and is the same age. It just depends on the horse! Thanks for all the advice!

[myhorsies]

I think the weanling is ok with the smaller hooves. Her dam has the smaller hooves but is very petite. So far this weanling is also small for her also small for her age (7 months). We think she is going to be petite too.

[MacObsession10]

it depends on the size of your horse

[CanadianWrangler]

I would prefer a horse to have an oversized hoof than an undersized.

The greater the surface area the hoof is contacting the ground with, the greater the ability of the hoof to absorb and transmit that energy created by the contact with the ground.

The greater the suface area to unit of body weight ratio (P.S.I. - pounds per square inch); more hoof + less weight = less stress .

Example =

- 1000 lbs / 10sq" = 100 lbs/sq"
- 1000 lbs / 15sq" = 66.67 lbs/sq"
- 1000 lbs / 20sq" = 50 lbs/sq"
OR
- 1200 lbs / 15sq" = 80 lbs/sq"
- 1000 lbs / 15sq" = 66.67 lbs/sq"
- 800 lbs / 15sq" = 53.3 lbs/sq"


That stress is then transmitted through the hoof, bones, and other lower leg tissues. Less stress, less chance of injury generally.

Not true in all circumstances, due to variables of hoof condition, structures, and physical conditions of the horse, but is in most.

A horse needs a certain amount of hoof to absorb the pressure its body weight creates when the hoof strikes the ground or the hoof tissues become overly stressed.