Hoof Armor® Commentary: 

General info:

HoofArmor is designed to honor our Native American heritage by protecting the hoof until it can become the toughened mustang hoof it wants to be and that nature intended it to be.

Pegasus Forge Hoof Armor® hoof protection (U.S. Patent #6,231,972) is an easily applied adhesive coating that horse practitioners or owners can utilize to protect horse's hooves against abrasion and wear, and to furnish hoof protection for unshod horses. The HoofArmor Starter Kit contains a dispenser, a 50 ml cartridge of HoofArmor®, eight static mix nozzles, a spatula and instructions. The Refill Kit does not include the dispenser. A HoofArmor 50 ml cartridge should coat 8 to 12 saddle horse hooves.

HoofArmor is designed to help strengthen your horses hooves, rather than weaken them. Like the natural varnish coating the hoof naturally secretes on the top of the hoof, HoofArmor coats the bottom with a flexible thin layer to retain the hoof's moisture keeping hooves healthy in any environment. Unlike horseshoes, HoofArmor protects the sole of the hoof which is the part that gets stone bruised. Unlike metal or plastic horseshoes, HoofArmor is more flexible than the hoof itself and will not restrict the hoof's natural expansion. Unlike horseshoes, HoofArmor is only a thin, clear coating that allows the natural beauty of a barefoot appearance while protecting the hoof from wear. Unlike horseshoes where the shoes are nailed on every six weeks or so and the hooves are not maintained in the interim, HoofArmor is part of a hoof maintenance plan that includes proper trimming and conditioning of the hoof for continual improvement of appearance and performance, just like one would do for the rest of the horse.

For best results when applying HoofArmor, particularly in the transition from horseshoes to barefoot, trim hoof wall level with the sole, and do not thin the sole by cutting it concave. Rasp all edges smooth and rounded. After cleaning and preparing the surfaces, apply a bead of HoofArmor on the bottom of the hoof. Spread a thin coating of HoofArmor over the bottom of the hoof wall, the sole, and a little up over the edge onto the top or dorsal surface. Horses transitioning from shoes to barefoot show an immediate improvement in stone sensitivity, but may take two or three HoofArmor applications (trim cycles) to develop their best stone protection.

Barefootin' Your Horse:

Unlike horseshoes, HoofArmor protects the sole of the hoof; the part that gets stone bruised. The thickness of the hoof sole is the key to stone insensitivity, just like humans; think of walking over stones with socks versus boots. HoofArmor can be used in a progressive conditioning program to enable your horse to comfortably and safely go barefoot. Along with a proper trimming routine where the sole is not carved concave and all hoof wall edges are rounded, HoofArmor is used to help the sole grow thicker enabling it to help the hoof wall support the horse's weight and to provide protection from stones. Besides the protection from wear and chipping provided by the HoofArmor; the sole support, by distributing the weight over a larger area, will prohibit the hoof wall from cracking and chipping. After horseshoes are removed, it may take as much as two or three applications of HoofArmor over as many trimming cycles to grow enough sole thickness for the horse to be insensitive to stones and sharp surfaces. 

Photos of the new formula after two weeks:

Thin Hoof Walls:

The real problem with thin hoof walls is that the hoof wall alone is not meant to support the entire weight of the horse. I use HoofArmor to grow thicker sole which helps the hoof wall carry the weight. This weight distribution allows the hoof wall to regrow and maintain without splitting and cracking, both with barefoot or shod horses.

Navicular:

It is likely that rigid horseshoes are a cause of a horse's navicular syndrome. The contraction they cause can contract heels and narrow the navicular channel through which the flexor tendon passes. The lack of circulation caused by shoes causes deterioration of the navicular bursa and bone. This also makes the hooves numb, and lets the horse feel as though there is nothing wrong. This is why many people think that horseshoes provide stone protection, even though the shoes do not cover the sole and frog. HoofArmor can be used as a component of a hoof improvement and maintenance program. The flexibility of HoofArmor will allow the hoof to expand naturally and, with proper trimming, will allow the heels the expand, thereby widening the navicular channel. Depending on the age of the horse and the level of deterioration, this technique can retard and sometimes stop the effects and pain of navicular.

Performance Horses: 

Horses that need extra traction for performance such as on the race track, barrel racing, or eventing can be trimmed with a modification of the HoofArmor trim. If the horse is generally going to remain on a soft surface of dirt or sand, a short (1/8" to 1/4") ledge can be left above the level of the sole to give extra traction, similar to a toe grab. An application of HoofArmor will help keep that ledge strong enough to avoid breakage, provided the horse remains generally on soft surfaces.

Theory of Hoof Armor® :

   The main purpose of horseshoes is to furnish hoof protection against abrasion and breakage. Expansion of the hoof is necessary for the circulation of blood throughout the hoof and the maintenance of the nerves; it is crucial to the health of the hoof. Also, recent scientific articles have shown that a horse’s hoof expands to provide traction by “grabbing” the ground surface, and the circulatory system of the hoof is lately thought to assist in shock absorption and dissipation through “hemodynamics“. Hoof Armor® is a hoof protective material which is applied as an adhesive coating, specially formulated to offer superior abrasion resistance with very little weight while also allowing flexibility for the natural expansion of the hoof.

    Recent advances in polymer technology offer improved properties for use as hoof protection. Abrasive-resistant fiber impregnated adhesives can be favorably compared to metal characteristics. The Hoof Armor® formulation is between aluminum and steel in toughness and wear resistance, yet it weighs a small fraction as much as aluminum racing plates. The protective coating is applied to the fresh, clean ground surfaces of the hoof. When the hoof has grown out, the protective material is trimmed off with the old hoof and reapplied. Additional applications can easily be applied for severe use conditions. Hoof Armor® can also be used to fill some cracked and broken hoof wall and will help prevent chipping when applied to the lower dorsal surface and hoof edge. Applied to the sole it will allow for thicker growth for better stone protection.

Flexibility to allow unhindered expansion of the hoof for better circulation and health.

Less weight while maintaining hoof protection for more natural gait.

Additional protective layer of Hoof Armor® can be reapplied at any time.

Helps hoof sole grow thicker for better stone protection.  

Can be used to fill certain chipped or broken hoof areas.

No nails to break hoof wall or loosen.