HOOF-SCORING SYSTEM: A Tool To Improve Hoof Quality: Veterinarian outlines guidelines for a system of grading the equine foot

摘要

The problem of horses with poor quality hooves is not new. Literature from the 18th and 19th centuries contains many descriptions about the prevalence of this problem. Although there are no statistics, it is reasonable to assume that poor hoof qualityis as common today as in those times and may even be epidemic in some countries. Many early authors claimed that poor hoof quality was the result of bad shoeing or from a lack of ground contact caused by horseshoes fitted with heel calks and toe pieces.Some related the problem to the working environment such as pavedalmost impossible.