“The hoof wall is much like the human fingernail, but much thicker, and when this material becomes soft, problems can occur,” he said.

The normal hoof wall will grow between ¼ and 3/8th of an inch a month, and will completely replace itself over a nine to 12 month period, Doyle said. However, when horses are suffering from compromised feet, the growth process will slow down considerably.

“I tell my customers to take extra care of their horses’ hooves during the fall and winter, in preparation for the critical 90-day window, between mid-June and mid-September. If their feet are healthy going into the summer months, they will experience fewer problems.” Doyle says that battling hoof problems, once they occur, are not only painful to the horse, but time consuming and expensive for the owner.