Veterinary Science: the hoof.

Having looked at the foot structure on December 26th, we will now delve further into the subject in this Equestrian World piece.
The foot as a whole is known as the hoof, is slightly cone-shaped and is covered entirely by a structure known as the wall.
This wall contains a hard-coated, but also elastic nail. The harder part is distinguished by the darker colour at the base while the softer and more elastic by a clearer colour at the upper part of the hoof.
The base of the hoof is made of an oval-shape sole.
THE WALL
Divided into: tip, quarters and heels.
The wall must be smooth, without cracks and hoops, and is affected by humidity conditions. To ensure it stays firm and resilient during periods of high humidity, the foot has to be greased to make it waterproof. Oppositely, in periods of drought  the foot needs to be moistened and then greased, so as to prevent the dispersion of humidity with the heat.
CRACKS
The cause of cracks is mainly down to the fragility of a nail that is not very compact and that lacks elasticity (cracked nail, dry etc.). The pressure that can cause a break can often affect the outer layer of the nail or in more severe cases may also include a living part of the nail, with rupture of the small labrum and consequent growth of the so called in-grown toe nail. The detachment may extend to more and more areas, leading to the onset of infectious processes.
The application of grease and nail creams, topical dressings, surgical acts to eliminate the gaps and the infected parts, reconstruction with resins, stitches and shoeing that lighten the pressure on the injured areas may lead to a permanent cure without further relapses.
The ability to identify and the knowledge of the causes will, with the right approach, bring about a significant reduction of these injuries which, just like tight shoes, are a threat to the structure and cause constriction of the hoof and its internal components.
Finally, the inclination of the wall from the tip to the coronary band should be around 40 degrees, with the slope that runs down towards the heel. The inclination of the heel compared to the inclination of the tip must be lower by about six tenths. The tip of the wall must be central to the brim foot, the breasts, the quarters and heels must follow the inclination of the wall and the width of the edge of the foot.
Adapted from: “The lameness of the horse, learn to understand“ Dr. Vittorio Meschia.