Winters in North Carolina are notoriously cool and wet, making it incredibly challenging to keep feeding areas, pastures, and sometimes even stalls from turning into mud pits. Muddy conditions can lead to thrush - a disease caused by anaerobic bacteria and fungal infection in the hoof frog. Bacteria enters the hoof through cracks in the hoof wall - which has been weakened by excess moisture. For example, think about how soft your nails are after washing dishes or showering - and eats away at the soft hoof tissue. Thrush is usually quickly and easily identified by its foul smell and black, tar-like discharge.
Like in most cases, the phrase "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" applies here. For thrush, the best method of control is clean, dry hooves. Cleaning out hooves daily and keeping paddocks and stalls clean can prevent most cases of thrush. However, if you notice that your pastures and feeding areas are prone to standing moisture and mud, grading pastures or installing geotextile filter fabric to allow rain to drain can be very helpful not only for your horse's hoof health but also for your sanity and boots! For more information on controlling mud, check out some of our previous articles:
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