The sole of the hoof has white/yellow, sometimes grayish color. It covers the space from the walls (outer part of hoof) to the “frog” (rubbery center of hoof base). The sole has a deep layer that is wax-like, often called the “live sole.” Its surface comes in contact with the ground. The sole of wild horses is often thicker than domesticated horses, perhaps a feature that helps to prevent stone bruises and coffin bond injuries.

The walls of the hoof provide a protective covering, like a shield, to the sensitive internal hoof structures. They serve to dissipate the energy that occurs with each concussion, or foot strike. The surface of the walls also move and flex to adapt to varying terrain, providing a grip in conjunction with the frog and the sole of the hoof. Walls are elastic and very tough. They are resistant to contact with the ground and serve mainly as a support and protective function. Typically, walls vary in thickness from 6 – 12 mm.

The Coffin Bone is actually one of the mysteries of horses. It is a small bone at the end of the leg that supports the entire weight of the horse. The coffin bone is horseshoe shaped (see picture below) inside the hoof at the of the bony structures of the leg. In its natural state, the horse spends most of the time walking or trotting over vast open areas on soft grassy ground. However, with human interference, the coffin bone suffers abuse with hard and unnatural surfaces. With a rider and the weight of tack, the horse canters and gallops, jumps and makes tight turns, placing significant stress on this bone.

The bars are hoof wall that turn at the heel V at a sharp angle. They run toward the toe on each side of the frog from the heels. In other words, the bars run toward the apex of the frog on each side to support the hoof. On the back of the hoof, the bars meet at a point called the “heel buttress.” Like the walls, the bars consist of a three-layer structure that provides for the impact of concussion during strides. The sole that lies between the bars and the heel wall is called the “seat of the corn” and is a common landmark for farriers during measurements for horseshoeing.

The frog is a V-shaped structure that extends forward across 2/3 of the sole.  It is a dark gray/black rubbery organ that acts as a shock absorber for each stride of the horse.  It has the capacity to grip hard or smooth surfaces of the ground.  The frog acts as a pump to move blood throughout the hoof and is an important part of the horse’s circulatory system.  As such, it must be considered vital to the make-up and design of a horse shoe. 

The frog is the absolute base of the horse and remains a constant size based upon the size of the hoof and the horse.  It does not grow each month as do the other areas of the hoof. 

GOLDENWINGSHORSESHOES expose the frog similarly to hand made medieval horseshoes.  They allow the frog to perform its job of compression and shock absorption within the hoof capsule, as well as serve its important function of blood flow.   

The digital cushion is located in the back of the hoof. Its primary purpose is to protect the internal bones and soft tissue inside the hoof. It absorbs the energy from compression with its thick elastic properties.

A flexor tendon lies deep along the back surface of the navicular bone and connects with the back surface of the P3. (see illustration #4). The navicular bone with this tendon functions as a pulley. This bone is in close proximity to the digital cushion, making movement around this structure to cause pain for the horse in the hoof. When such pain exists, the horse tends to place more weight on the toe when landing, further distressing the bone and sac. This is often the cause of lameness.

P3 refers to the coffin bone/pedal bone/plantar part of the hoof. Protection for the coffin bone in the farrier industry and is useful in and shoe design. The structure of the hoof is made of strong, yet flexible cornified material that serves different functions depending on where in the internal hoof structure it is located. Most of this material does surround and protect the P3 from the top view of the hoof.

This is a visible circular band at the top of the hoof, just below the hair line at the bottom of the leg. This hairline is used to measure the length of the toe for GOLDENWINGHORSESHOES.

Just below the coronary band (or coronet) the periople begins to cover the walls at the heel of the hoof. This is a cornified opaque material that is soft and rubbery at the back of the heel and then becomes laminae (a harder substance) on the sides of the hoof. Not all horses have the same amount of periople.

The corium is a growing material similar to human nails. It begins at the top of the hoof wall and extends down to the coronary band, serving as a transition between the soft skin of the leg and the hard hoof wall. The corium grows at an average rate of 1/8 t0 ¼ inches (3.175mm – 6.35mm at the front/toe of the hoof) per month forming hoof wall horn as laminae. The toe length should be trimmed to the same length as the frog.