DAIN DUNSMORE EQUINE SERVICES
Dain Dunsmore
Ridgetown, ON
Canada
ph: 519-674-1926
d-a-i-n
Terminology
Common Terms Used By A Farrier That You Should Know
Hoof Capsule
The hoof capsule is a skin derivative, similar to a modified fingernail, and it entirely encloses the bone at the extremity of the digit. It is made up of the wall, bars, sole, frog, periople, and heel.Hoof Wall
The hoof wall is the part of the hoof that is visable when the hoof is squarely placed on the ground. It grows down from the coronary band to the ground and forms a truncated, incomplete cone that is folded in on itself on each side of the heels.
Bars
The bars are inward folds of the wall, originating from the heels at an abrupt angle. . When overgrown, they bend outwards and cover the lower surface of the sole.
Sole
The sole has a whitish-yellowish, sometimes greyish colour. It covers the whole space from the perimeter of the wall to the bars and the frog, on the underside of the hoof. Its deep layer has a compact, waxy character and it is called 'live sole'. Its surface is variable in character as a result of ground contact.Frog
The frog is a triangular structure that extends forwards across about two-thirds of the sole. Its thickness grows from the front to the back and, at the back, it merges with the heel periople. In its midline, it has a groove, the central groove (sulcus), that extends up between the bulbs.
It is dark gray-blackish in color and of a rubbery consistency, suggesting its role as shock absorber and grip tool on hard, smooth ground. In the stabled horse, it doesn't wear but it degrades with bacterial and fungal activity to an irregular, soft, slashed surface. In the free-roaming horse, it hardens into a callous consistency with a near-smooth surface.
White Line
The white line is the inner layer of the wall. It is softer and fibrous in structure. You can see it, in the underside of the healthy hoof, as a thin line, joining the sole and the walls.
Dain Dunsmore
Ridgetown, ON
Canada
ph: 519-674-1926
d-a-i-n
