Some of the top yards there reported problems caused by hooves cracking up for no apparent reason. The hooves displayed the same damage that we had seen so often in the UK, and the cause was quickly traced to recently installed irrigated feeding paddocks. The horses hooves were getting wet while they fed and then suddenly drying in the high ambient temperatures. We were able to recommend Keratex Hoof Gel which stopped the problem. This experience highlighted the effect of changing just one element in a natural environment and further supported our findings that water can have a long term and devastating effect on the quality of hoof horn if left unchecked.
Wet clay placed in the hot sun soon cracks, because it dries too quickly.
Potters soon discovered that if they dry their newly made pots slowly they would not crack. Trees cut for timber are dried or seasoned for several years to allow the moisture to dry out slowly. Rapid, uncontrolled, drying will cause fresh cut wood to crack or 'shake'. If this long sodden wood were to dry too quickly it would soon disintegrate into dust. During recent years we have seen an increase in different types of bedding materials, with wood shavings and paper becoming very popular and latterly hemp and other dense materials on offer.