Well, as it turns out, using those topical hoof agents might be totally unnecessary (and a waste of money!) A few weeks ago, I came across an interesting study about environmental effects on hoof wall hydration. I wrote about it in a recent article for The Horse. The study was performed using wild horse hooves (from culling operations) from three different environments in New Zealand and Australia. No matter where the hooves came from-- dry, semi-arid, or a wet environment-- the hoof wall moisture content measured about the same averaging 29.5%. This led the researchers to conclude that environment plays little to no role in hoof wall moisture content.
In the same study, the researchers also measured the moisture content of a dry hoof vs. a hoof soaked in water for two hours (using domestic horses this time). Again, the moisture content was the same for both the dry and soaked hooves. They did, however, find that the sole increased in moisture content as a result of soaking. This isn't necessarily a good thing though, since it might make the sole more prone to bruising or damage.
The lead researcher mentioned to me that the moisture content of the hoof seems to be controlled by internal circulation. That makes sense. Horses evolved in arid environments, so why would they have hooves that need constant moisturizing? If wet environments or soaking don't add more moisture to the hoof, then hoof oils probably don't do much either (except make them look pretty for a short time!)
As for those pesky cracks, as I've learned more about natural hoof care and equine nutrition, I've realized that most of those are caused by overgrown hooves or deficient nutrition instead of 'dryness'. You can put Rainmaker or a similar product on all day long, and the cracks won't go away. If you focus on proper hoof care and nutrition for your horse though, you should see a difference.
Ta-ta!
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