Surgery of the equine hoof: a review

This clinical review covers conditions of the hoof complex itself and will not consider diagnostic and surgical conditions of the synovial structures of the hoof, such as diagnostic arthroscopy of the distal interphalangeal joint or diagnostic bursoscopy of the navicular bursa, nor will it consider internal fixation of fractures of the distal phalanx or navicular bones.

Surgery of the equine hoof differs significantly from elsewhere in the body owing to the unique surgical anatomy. The equine foot comprises the hoof, the skin between the bulbs of the heels and all the structures contained within. The hoof complex consists of the hoof capsule, sole, frog, digital cushion ungular (collateral) cartilages and the deep digital flexor tendon (Parks, 2003).

Disease processes involving the hoof complex can be broadly categorised into septic and non-septic causes.

Septic diseases requiring surgical intervention in the horse generally result from a penetrating foot injury, with wounds most commonly occuring on the solar surface of the foot when the horse stands on a sharp object, such as a nail. Puncture wounds are classified by their location on the foot and the depth of penetration (Redding and O'Grady 2012). While superficial wounds penetrating only the cornified tissue are of little consequence, deep wounds penetrating the germinal epithelium of the hoof are more serious as they are more likely to involve the structures within the hoof capsule.