@Harmonio
Why not both? Because a soft squishy sole would be super vulnerable to any hard pointy things on the ground, like stones and thorns and sticks. Injuries to the sole are a prime attack point for bacteria to fester, and at least you’d get a hoof abscess that will be very painful for 3-7 weeks (if you’ve ever had an infection under a nail, just imagine how you’d like to support 25-50% of your weight on such a digit bit probably resolve on its own without complications), or if the hoof’s renewal rate or immune response are diminished, a potential life-threatening, generalised infection in the entire lower leg.

And in any case, soft soles would callous over anyway, just like soft human feet will callous with regular bare foot walking.

@LemonDrop
That’s also how horse hooves work IRL.

Yes. But where does the tincan hoof land?

@Harmonio
Ye that’s how I imagined it mostly, the outer side of it is likely the hard part with just the butt-hoof part being nice and soft to touch. That explains why it makes clippy clop sounds but doesn’t mean the whole thing needs to be hard, that’s just silly and unappealing.

Why not both? Hooves with rigid, functional hoof walls, and with frogs as soft and squishy as the rest of the pony.
As a bonus, it works especially well with G5 heart-hooves which had the hoof walls used as flint to light a campfire and were tenderly held in the same scene.

Real horses ugly, cartoon ponies cute. Argument is invalid.

@Background Pony #670C
Yes it is.

Based

How about grinded?

@Wayneponeth
not everything’s a fetish you coomers

Based

What a weird fandom where they’d prefer animalistic feral genitals on a sapient magical fantasy creature.
And yet they draw dragons with a pussy and anus with no cloaca because “they don’t find that attractive.”
HMM

Not to take things too seriously here but isn’t this a bit hypocritical considering how some of alumx’s drawings drift into this soft hooves territory? I mean alumx’s style is unique and awesome but also at times it’s funky, sketchy, and inconsistent.

You like your ponys with or without the bone?

Y’all like your hooves smooth or crunchy?

Yes

Perfection