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What is the Digital Cushion and what is it's importance to the hoof?

4/7/2024

1 Comment

 
In the world of hoof care, one of the most intriguing and vital structures is the digital cushion. Often overshadowed by discussions of the hoof wall or frog, the digital cushion plays a pivotal role in maintaining hoof health and soundness, particularly in barefoot horses. Let's explore what the digital cushion is and why it's so important for equine comfort and performance.

Understanding the Digital Cushion
The digital cushion is a unique, elastic structure located within the back of the horse's hoof. It serves as a shock absorber, cushioning the impact forces generated with each stride. Composed of specialized fibrous and fatty tissue, the digital cushion is designed to compress and expand, effectively dissipating the energy generated during movement.
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Primary Function: Absorbing Impact
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At the heart of its function lies the remarkable ability to absorb impact. When a horse moves, the force exerted on the hoof is considerable, especially during high-impact activities. The digital cushion acts as a shock absorber, reducing the impact energy on the hoof structures and lower limb joints. It serves as nature's built-in shock absorber, ensuring the horse can move comfortably and efficiently.

The Role of the Frog
Often referred to as the "heart" of the hoof, the frog is closely intertwined with the digital cushion. While the frog itself provides traction and assists with blood circulation, it's essentially an extension and protector of the digital cushion. The frog helps distribute weight evenly across the hoof, promoting healthy function of the digital cushion and ensuring optimal shock absorption. Keeping the frog healthy is hugely important so that it can protect the digital cushion and deflect impact energy to it.

From a barefoot perspective, maintaining the integrity of the digital cushion is extremely important. Unlike shod horses, which may rely on artificial support and peripheral loading from metal shoes, barefoot horses depend on the natural resilience of their hoof structures, including the digital cushion. By allowing the hoof to function as nature intended, barefoot horses can maximize the benefits of their digital cushion, promoting overall hoof health and soundness throughout the body.

The digital cushion is built through stimulation. It needs to be used to strengthen it, it it is not being used it will atrophy and become weak. This means that a heel first landing and healthy frog are of the utmost importance and should be made a priority by your farrier or trimmer. 


As advocates for healthy hooves, it's essential to recognize and appreciate the vital role this remarkable structure plays in promoting soundness and comfort for our horses. 
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On the left an atrophied and weak digital cushion. Notice how little padding there is under the navicular bone. On the right, an healthy digital cushion supports the navicular bone and rear of the coffin bone.
1 Comment
Caryn
4/7/2025 12:09:41 pm

This is SO interesting. Just found your blog (from your YouTube Channel) and browsing through this post caught my eye most. Looking at the two photos side by side of digital cushion health, the atrophied cushion I can easily tell that someone would say that horse has low heels or no heels (which is accurate) but I wonder if that's directly related to how thick or healthy the digital cushion is. If it's bigger, the heel will be longer. What a great comparison photo. And exactly explains why my vet thought my horse had navicular syndrome (which I questioned) and turned out he just had pathological hooves caused from steel shoeing.

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    Author

    Kristi Luehr is a barefoot trimmer/farrier, author, and founder of the Okanagan School of Natural Hoof Care. She is certified by the Canadian Farrier School as well as the Oregon School of Natural Hoof Care, and also has certification in equine massage and dentistry. Her focus is to educate owners about hoof anatomy, function and proper barefoot trimming that supports and grows healthy and functional hooves specific to each horse's individual needs. She is the author of three online courses specific to hoof care and is always striving to create more educational content for students to learn from. 

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  • Home
  • About
    • Meet the Herd
  • Online Learning
    • OKSNHC Virtual Facebook Classroom >
      • How to take and organize hoof photos for the Virtual Classroon
    • Online Courses >
      • Online Hoof Anatomy, Theory and Barefoot Trimming Course
      • Laminitis and Founder Online Course
      • Glue-on Composite Shoe Online Course
    • Reviews and Testimonials for Online Courses
  • Hands On Training
    • 3 Day Trimming Course (NEW for 2026)
    • 2 Day Glue On Composite Shoe Course (NEW for 2026)
    • 5 Day Trimming Course (2025)
    • Host a Clinic
    • Reviews and Testimonials
  • Online Course Login
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Trimming Services
    • FAQ for all courses
  • Store