17/12/2025
☀️🐴 Cracked & Dry Hooves in Summer – What Horse Owners Should Know
Hot, dry weather can be just as hard on hooves as winter is with moisture and mud. Here are some simple tips to protect your horse’s hooves during the summer months:
• Dry, hot ground draws moisture out of the hoof, making hoof walls brittle and more prone to cracking and chipping and increases the minute cracks and higher concussion damage on the soles and frogs.
• Rapid moisture changes—for example, hard dry ground followed by occasional hosing or standing in water can cause the hoof wall to expand and contract, allowing moisture and bacterial and fungal organisms to enter the soles through the cracks.
• Small cracks or chips can quickly widen and deepen when exercised during summer, increasing the risk of infection entering through the white line or sole.
• Keep hooves regularly cleaned and checked, especially around the frog and white line, to prevent dirt or grit compacting into small cracks.
• Avoid repeated soaking of hooves during very hot days—a sudden wet-to-dry cycle may make cracks worse.
• If paddocks are extremely hard, consider creating or maintaining a softened standing area (shade, dampened softer soil, shavings or sand) to reduce concussion.
• Support healthy hoof structure from the inside out—diet plays a huge role in summer hoof resilience.
⭐ Recommended: Kohnke’s Own Reboot Hoof+®
A well-formulated hoof supplement is one of the best ways to improve hoof strength and resilience during dry summer conditions.
Reboot Hoof+ is a result of 4 years of field studies carried out on over 100 horses all over Australia to ensure that it is effective in maintaining strong, resilient hooves. It is a blend of 3 cold-pressed separate, natural coloured Supplet® pellets, exclusive to Kohnke’s Own.
• Tan coloured pellet contains high potency coated biotin, coated stabilised Vitamin C , amino acids and high quality protein as essential nutrients for keratin formation
• White coloured pellet provides Calcium to strengthen the hoof wall, lamellae bonding and sole,
• Grey-brown coloured pellet contributes zinc and trace minerals for keratin synthesis to support hoof resilience and repair.
The separate pellet nutrient groups keep nutrients stable and fully effective.
Many horses develop stronger, tougher hoof horn within 4-6 weeks—especially those prone to cracking, thin soles or brittle summer hooves.
