Hoof Care Provider/ Farrier Services

The laminae and peripheral loading

Denys Antonenko • Nov 21, 2022

One Minute Discussions #41


Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care 


THE LAMINAE AND PERIPHERAL LOADING


The laminae acts as a zipper/bond between the hooves soft & hard structures. Although the dermal (sensitive) and epidermal (insensitive) laminae are small, only 2-3mm in width, they are very sturdy!


When a horses hoof overgrows, the wall grows above the sole, creating peripheral loading, which then creates immense pressure on that laminae. To compare, imagine your toenails overgrew and you tried to stand on your tippy toes. Your whole weight would be on your nails, and that’s pretty painful. 


Taking all of this in mind, many have the illusion that peripheral hoof loading is a normal thing and it doesn’t affect the hoof in any way. 


Many won’t agree, but the lamina and hoof wall shouldn’t be the main weight bearing structures in a horses hoof! Peripheral loading destroys the internal anatomy of the hoof! Each of the structures on the bottom of the foot should work with one another to help the horse bear weight. 


What are your thoughts on peripheral loading? Should lamina be the main loading structure?


Denys A. 

Link to article photos below!

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How to build a dry lot

By Denys Antonenko • 23 Apr, 2024
Click on the button below to download the free PDF step by step guide to building a dry lot or scroll to look at the guide below!

Leave or remove the lamellar wedge?

By Denys Antonenko • 21 Apr, 2023
One Minute Discussions #66 Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care LEAVE OR REMOVE THE LAMELLAR WEDGE? The lamellar wedge is the adaptation of the hoof to internal problems. And although it’s a sign of inflammation, it may still serve a purpose during rehab. It’s still responsible for “glueing together” the wall and sole, but that “glue” is not as strong as it’s supposed to be. So how do we address it in the trim. Everything depends on the horses comfort level and the condition of the lamellar wedge. It won’t be a wise decision to totally remove the lamellar wedge if it is soggy, weak and not fully keratinized. But in a lot of cases it is safe to remove most, if not all of it, if the lamellar wedge is keratinized, dry and sturdy (especially if we’re putting the horse in therapy boots). In some cases it is a good idea to trim the bottom, flared growth evenly with the well connected top growth in order to reduce leverage on the lamina as much as we can. Denys Antonenko

What causes lamina separation?

By Denys Antonenko • 21 Apr, 2023
One Minute Discussions #65 Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care WHAT CAUSES LAMINA SEPARATION Yesterday on my group I posted a question… what causes lamina separation? And although we’re used to hearing the most common things that separate the lamina, such as poor diet, metabolic problems, excessive toe leverage, etc, we don’t often hear about the less common things that can lead to a path of lamina failure without us noticing it. You’ve heard me say it many times before that lamina failure is not a result of just one thing. There’s always multiple factors contributing to the problem. As an example, bacterial and fungal infections weaken the foot, and that can result in lamina separation. Mental and physical stress can increase hormone levels which may result in poor hoof health. Many different problems happening elsewhere in the horses body (skin issues, allergies, dental problems) can be a factor that leads to a weak lamina. Denys Antonenko
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