In practice, we know that the “perfect hoof” doesn’t exist – but it does not stop us from trying to portray it…
Of all the photos I’ve seen, this is the one that really stands out in my mind as being the public portrayal of perfect and the natural portrayal of mistreated:
To the uninitiated, it looks like a bright shiny healthy hoof with a well fitting horseshoe of good quality and thickness.
In actual fact, we see a hoof with flair – a sure sign of weakening along the white line; we see a lump of pig-iron hammered under the best bit of protection a horse has for its feet (its hoof); and we see a completely unnatural shiny finish to the hoof which would tend to indicate the application of some kind of varnish, or at least some oil or silicone based “protection” which will ultimately result in the drying out and splintering of the hoof.
Sadly, this image ties in with the misguided public image of how horses should be kept: bright shiny well-shod feet; a warm stable with a thick straw-bed to sleep in at night; muesli two or three times a day (fed from a convenient manger at nose height); surgically clean drinking-water…