Veteran farrier and founder of the Crawford, Neb., Butler Professional Farrier School, Dr. Doug Butler is credited with saying, “Hoof quality may relate more to the hoof’s ability to regulate moisture content than anything else.” Although Lafayette, Ind., farrier Danvers Child jokes that he and Butler, both members of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame, sometimes have disagreements, they see eye-to-eye on this point; the key topic of client discussion should center around regulating the moisture content in hooves. The moisture content in hooves can change hourly, with hydration level fluctuating as much as 3% within one day. This was the focus of Child’s presentation on moisture regulation, which he shared at the International Hoof-Care Summit during a How-To Hoof-Care Product Knowledge Clinic sponsored by SmartPak. Child is a farrier consultant for the equine supplement provider.

Frequent Transitions Can Create Problems

“We’ll bring them in from a wet, dewy pasture, throw them into a stall with kiln-dried shavings and you can just hear the moisture sucking out of that foot,” Child says. “Then we toss them right back out into a sandy arena, bring them out of there, throw them into a wash rack and wet them down again.”

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