Managing Thin, Shelly Feet

Poor genetics, environment, nutrition, and foot care are the main causes of thin, shelly feet according to Ken Marcella, DVM, and farrier Jaye Perry. Marcella co-owns Chattahoochee Equine in Canton, Ga., and Perry, a farrier based in Cumming, Ga., has a large clientele of hunter-jumper and endurance horses as well as pleasure horses. Both men have practices all over the United States, with

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Poor genetics, environment, nutrition, and foot care are the main causes of thin, shelly feet according to Ken Marcella, DVM, and farrier Jaye Perry. Marcella co-owns Chattahoochee Equine in Canton, Ga., and Perry, a farrier based in Cumming, Ga., has a large clientele of hunter-jumper and endurance horses as well as pleasure horses. Both men have practices all over the United States, with Marcella also working in Canada and Europe and Perry in England, France, and the United Arab Emirates. Both agree that environment is the number one cause of shelly feet.

“Ideally the hoof wall or horn, as it is called, is comprised of 15-25% water, and the frog is closer to 50% water,” says Perry. “When a horse’s feet are exposed to excessive moisture, the structural integrity of the hoof is comprised. The horn tubules become saturated, and thus become more elastic.

“Often, especially in the South during the hot and humid months, horses are turned out to pasture at night and stabled during the day,” he continues. “The purpose is to protect their coats from the harsh effects of the sun and give relief to the horse from the annoying flies. But east of the Mississippi, the humidity produces a lot of moisture through the night that creates heavy dew on the grass. If the horse is maintained in wet pasture, or in a barn with wet stabling conditions, he will have wet, mushy feet. A horse’s feet will mirror his environment.”

Marcella adds, “While the horse needs a certain amount of moisture to produce good feet, anything that goes beyond tends to weaken the laminae. Weakened laminae won’t hold weight as well and are prone to cracking and damage, which results in shelly feet

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Genie Stewart-Spears resides with her husband on Runamuck Ranch in southern Illinois, in the Shawnee National Forest. Now a pleasure rider, she competed in endurance for 10 years and has served as the Media Chairperson for the American Endurance Ride Conference. Her photography and articles appear in several equine magazines and many books, brochures, and advertisements.

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