What Is a Horse or Equine Hoof Tester?

The hoof of a horse is a miracle in engineering. These four hardened "toes" take all the weight and pressure of the horse during its physical activities. One of the more common sayings "no hoof, no horse" -- is painfully true. Knowing how to diagnose a problem with the horse's foot is important to any horse owner; this is where hoof testers come in.

  1. The Hoof Tester

    • The equine hoof tester is a large pair of metal "pincers" with long handles. A professional farrier or veterinarian places the pincers on various parts of the hoof and applies pressure. If the horse shows a pain response to various levels of pressure, there is likely a root cause.

    How It Works

    • When the handles are brought together, the pincers "pinch" the part of the hoof they have been applied to, giving a constant pressure to the specified area. This concentrated pressure can help the practitioner pinpoint areas of pain to locate a specific cause -- such as laminitis, a puncture or other critical illness in the hoof not visible to the human eye.

    What It Doesn't Do

    • A hoof tester cannot give a specific diagnosis of a problem. It is used as a tool to help locate the place where a problem may exist. Once the testers are used, and a pain reaction is noted and verified with repeat tests, additional investigation is necessary. The hoof may need to be X-rayed, the farrier may need to drill a small hole and other treatments may be used to find the root cause of the pain.

    Professional Use Only

    • While anyone can purchase a hoof tester at a horse supply store, only a professional should use it. Farriers and veterinarians have training in the use and application of the tester. An amateur can easily apply too much pressure and note a pain response when there is no problem in actuality.