Morphometric changes in the hoof capsule of Criollo foals from birth to weaning/Alteracoes morfologicas na capsula do casco em potros Crioulos do nascimento ao desmame

South America has numerous Criollo horse breeding farms; however, information on foal hoof growth is still limited and identifying the ideal periods to apply corrective trimming is a frequent concern for horse owners. In the present study, a morphometric analysis of hoof growth was performed on 46 Criollo foals from birth to weaning (0-8 months). Results showed that hoof growth rate was higher in the first four months followed by a decrease until the eighth month. Average growth rate of the hoof was 0.21cm per month, whereas that of the heel was 0.14cm per month. However, no significant differences were observed between medial and lateral heel length or between limbs. Coronary band perimeter and solar width showed an average increase of 0.97 cm and 0.46cm per month, respectively, and were significantly correlated (r=0.99, P