Have you ever spent any length of time shoeless? Perhaps kicking off your footwear at the cottage for a week or two? At first, your soles complain when they land on every little bump and stone. They probably feel pretty bruised and beaten. But, by the end of your shoe-free period, your feet have roughened up and become more desensitized to the ground’s ups and downs.
Similarly, horses in the wild grow harder, stronger hooves. They, too, are better able to withstand harsh, uneven footing and are, therefore, far less prone to bruising – unlike the hooves of many domesticated horses.
“Any accidental injury to the sole of the foot, such as treading on a stone or another hard object can cause a bruise. Other causes of sole trauma are poorly fitted shoes and excessive work on hard ground,” said Dr. Judith Koenig, who evaluates horses for lameness and performance issues at the Equine Sports Medicine and Reproduction Centre at the Ontario Veterinary College.