![]() ![]() An incompatible diet can lead to ailments of the skin, coat and hooves. This static lifestyle leads to low to non-functioning hooves. One of the most prevalent causes of any hoof disorder is the lifestyle many domestic horses lead – stalls, small paddocks, limited turnout, and the lack of movement required to flush toxins out of the body system. Diet and lifestyle (footing) also play a role. Predisposing conditions can include founder, laminitis, thrush, lack of exercise, and poorly trimmed and shaped or poorly functioning feet. It is a secondary issue manifesting from a primary cause for example, circumstances that cause the foot to stretch and open up spaces. Consider this – white line disease is merely a symptom revealing that something is amiss in the horse’s diet, lifestyle, trim, or a combination of these. White line disease can affect any horse, of any age, at any time when conditions are favorable. The debate goes on as to whether the infection is of a bacterial or fungal nature, or possibly a symbiotic relationship between the two. In advanced cases, the infection can eat straight through the outer wall and affect the sole and even the frog. Causes of WLD originates in the white colored inner hoof wall (the nonpigmented part of the wall) and progresses up inside, weakening and breaking the bonds between the inner and outer hoof wall. ![]() But if left unrecognized and untreated, it will seriously damage the integrity of the entire hoof wall, and ultimately destroy the connections, the intricate bonds of the hoof structure. If identified in the early stages, white line disease is similar to athlete’s foot in humans. Just to keep it confusing, the condition does not originate in the white line, although the white line may become affected in advanced cases. WLD is not a disease, but a manifestation of infection. White line disease (WLD) is a definite misnomer. But these treatments may not be necessary. White line disease…the name alone strikes fear into riders, filling their heads with visions of resections and aggressive shoeing and padding procedures. ![]()
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