You may ask, “Why don’t wild horses have hoof problems? Why do I need hoof protection if I don’t have any hoof problems now?” The simple answers is in domestication of the horse. The periople is a natural protein protective covering that is produced on the hoof wall that protects against harmful contaminants. Thus the hoof actually has its own natural, delicate hoof sealant.

This natural sealant serves wild horses well, but it is usually lost in a domestic environment. It is inadvertently removed during the shoeing process when the hoof is trimmed, balanced, leveled and shod. To compound the problem further, the domestic horse can no longer roam free over miles of open space but is confined to smaller pastures, paddocks and stalls.

Now, with little or no natural sealant left and with the horn tubules opened from nail holes and rasping, hooves are exposed to higher concentrations of destructive uric acid and other contaminants. With the protective outer covering removed, the introduction of these agents into the hoof wall can lead to breakdown of its protein, keratin. It is important to remember that because the hoof is protein, it is potentially biodegradable. Domesticated horses need a hoof conditioner that effectively replaces the periople.