So fed up with his feet!

[*Sez*]

I'm really at my wits end now.

Salsa has always been a regular "shoe loser", especially over winter when the ground is boggy. It isn't uncommon for him to be out of work for around a week in every month over winter waiting for a lost or loose shoe to be replaced. Over summer, he's not so bad, but autumn/winter is awful.
He has very typical TB feet, and when I tried to save myself some money and hassel by having his back shoes removed, he became very footy and uncomfortable. We lasted around three months before packing in the idea and having him fully shod again, as he just wouldn't (or couldn't) work whilst ridden. My farrier is very good, but makes me wait ages for appointment, or doesn't call me back until I have harrassed him for a week or so. The last time Salsa lost a shoe (about five weeks ago) I had to wait a fortnight for him to be reshod, and now, only three weeks later, he's lost another shoe!

I've tried Keratex and various other lotions and potions designed to improve his feet. He is fed Alfa-A Oil, Calm and Condition, seaweed, garlic and Speedibeet and I simply cannot afford to buy an expensive supplement. Fortunately, I've been able to take him off his calmer, as that was costing me around £30 every five-six weeks.

The problem is that we have a sharer now. When it was just me, I didn't mind missing riding time, although it was frustrating. Now, I feel a bit guilty, as my sharer is paying to have Sal three days a week, and on her first full week of looking after him by herself, she hasn't been able to ride. She says that she doesn't mind, and is in it for the whole experience, but if this is the state of things to come over winter, I can see her going to find another horse elsewhere.

What are my options? Is there anything else I can try that won't cost me a fortune? Should I find a different farrier? Would he be better off with a barefoot boot rather than shoes? Maybe some superglue would help?? :p (joke ;)).
Any thoughts?

[Joyscarer]

I put my girl on seaweed when I bought her back in December last year.

The change in her hoof is amazing and the farrier says she will be much better off once that growth reaches right through the length of the hoof but we have a while yet before it hits the floor.

I have to admit I did wonder if boots would be a good option for you and hope that Yann or someone else will be along sone to offer advice as I don't have a clue!

[Gill]

When you get to that point then I think the only option is barefoot and use boots.
I know you have tried before but really 3 months is not very long and maybe there are things you could do to speed the process, like use pads in boots which give good pressure under the foot.
I know how frustrating it is, it was problems like this which led us to barefoot about 6 years ago. The horse needs to really grow a new hoof down, which takes 6-9 months before you get real improvement and after that you will be flying as each new growth gets better and better. A good farrier/trimmer is also vital. There are plenty of TB feet doing well and not looking like TB feet anymore!
We have seven horses here now working without shoes. My new girl only had hers off about 6 weeks ago and has struggled, but is improving now. It's very hard to watch at first, and if she was my first I might have given up, but I know it works so I'm patient!
There are loads of good resources on the net so get googling and read.

[Yann]

LOL @ Joyscarer :)

You would have nothing to lose by trying a spell using hoof boots and pads instead of nailed on shoes, although you will have to expect them to be sore on any hard surfaces at first without boots, and possibly even on soft ones for a while. Removing the shoes does help the horse to grow a stronger hoof down but if your Tb is anything like mine it's a slow old process. 12 months on I can ride Tess on grass and sand bootless with no issues but they're still pretty much obligatory for anything else, and that will remain the case I think. Her feet are in better shape than they were though, and continuing to improve. There would certainly be a lot more for the farrier to aim for if I ever had her reshod :D

[carthorse]

If you don't want to try barefoot then I'd consider a different farrier. I have a horse with dreadful feet & last year really brought home to me how much difference a farrier makes. We moved away for a year & I had nothing but trouble because for 9 months I couldn't get a farrier to correctly balance his feet, keep the flare under control & get his toes back enough - result was pulled shoes, a shortened stride, bouts of distinct lameness & ultimately a splint. Eventually I did get a good farrier & then a few months later we moved back & I used my original farrier again. It's taken nearly a year but his feet are finally "normal" again & he's happy on them. He does still pull the occassional one but it's nearly always replaced the same or next day to limit the damage he does. There's no way I could use a farrier who'd take a week or longer to replace a shoe - I'd never keep him sound & his hoof would be smashed to pieces :eek:

[H & Bailey]

My TB was exactly the same,her owner now uses special glue on shoes? which are very ££,i used kerratex which helped a bit and seaweed,her feet improved lots when i was pregnant and left her off riding all together and let her go barefoot for 6 months in the field.if i still had her i would have probably gone down the old mac,boa boot road.they seem pricey to start but when you equal things out they are cheaper in the long run especially if you get a bargain on E Bay like i did with my old macs!

[Pink's lady]

Hoof boots are expensive and unless you're planning one going full out barefoot, not a cheap option.

Have you tried killing WLD which is the most likely cause of the shoe lose?

Twice weekly soak in strong Milton (baby bottle sterialiser) or borax should do the trick (but the shoes will rust a bit). It would be ideal to when he looses a shoe.

There are also a couple of products you can dribble onto the white line - This (http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/prodshow.asp?id=40&cat=149&scats=149)stuff is good (and cheaper if you buy it locally).

As for supplements magnesium oxide (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Magnesium-Oxide-Mag-Ox-Heavy-450g-Laminitis-Calmer_W0QQitemZ230168523953QQihZ013QQcategoryZ90862QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)is cheap and effective. Helps foot growth AND it's an excellent calmer. I would get rid of the seaweed and garlic and buy biotin (not expensive - about £5 per kg) and mag ox instead.

[Roofio]

i totally empathise - i have now taken j barefoot with an ep but am not going to press this on you as being the only option - it is A LOT of work and not a quick fix, but then what is with feet :rolleyes:

if you can get your hands on some antibac hoof disenfectant its excellent stuff and isn't quite as nasty as cornucresine, but, is quite difficult to get hold of online and postage is expensive - the cornucrescine stuff will do the job.

i have tried (in no particular order and several combinations) seaweed, farriers formula, biotin, equimins biotin plus, d&h surefoot, jelly, mag ox and probably a lot more i have forgotten. to be honest, none have really had any effect - but since hes had his shoes off, theres a definite improvement in the speed and quality of growth.

as carthorse said, i think a change of farrier is the best option for you given your current situation and with the sharer and all. its worth paying that little bit more - also consider overreach boots for the fronts to help stop him taking his own off.

a boot could be an option for when he loses a shoe - might be worth a try, maybe you could borrow one, or use the saddlery shop hire service.

good luck :)

[redcomet]

my farrier curses keratex! he swears by the farriers formula range by life data and i have to agree - i havent heard anything bad about it ye!

[MelanieD]

My horse had similar feet about 3 years ago, and a brilliant sixth sense for when she could get out of a long ride by shedding a shoe or two :rolleyes: With her it was getting to the point that shoeing was more hassle than it was worth and the feet kept getting worse so gave up and took them off. It was a bit of hassle at the time and I did have to not ride for 2 months (think now I know more about boots and pads I could have got back to riding sooner) but its been well worth it. With feet that are rather rubbish there is likely to be some faffing and expense to start with but usually ends up well worth it longer term, even if you only do it for a few months and end up with improved feet that hold shoes better.

Boots are expensive but they last so much longer than shoes that it doesn't end up being more expensive if you look at it over longer than 6 or so weeks that a set of shoes last.

A hoof supplement is better than seaweed. NAF biotin is pretty good and contains lots of other hoof goodies as well as biotin and is pretty cheap if you buy the re-fill bags. Bailey's local (balancer but has good for hooves stuff in) is also good, bit more expensive but is a good all around vitamin supplement as well as having hoof goodies in.

I'd probably try cutting out the alfalfa as well. I know its meant to be full of protein and good stuff but I've had nothing but trouble with feeding it, both foot related and psycho pony type problems.

If you don't really want to take the shoes off then soaking in borax could really help since most lost shoes are due to white line disease, sometimes so mild that its considered normal rather than a problem by some farriers :rolleyes:. Milton is good as well but rusts shoes, borax is safer if soaking while shod, any rusting from borax shouldn't be any worse than standing in a puddle :)

[lizayr]

my thoroughbred is real bad only had her 8 weeks blacksmith been out 3 times coming back out on monday to replace 2 front shoes, is farriers formula any good, i dont think farrier will get one of the shoes back on as her foot is so crumbly :confused::eek:

[redcomet]

i used the hoof disinfectant and it did the job and my trusted farrier said he had reccommended it and had good reports back from many of his clients. its expensive, but so is replacing shoes that often!

[carthorse]

If you can't get it locally (& it can be hard to get hold of) Antibac can be bought from www.tfp.uk.com or it may be worth asking your farrier as the specialist farrier shops often stock it.

[kitty@djse.com]

I have been in exactly the same situation with my tb I bought this spring. I have used the following method and found it reall succesfull (so far!)
1) Shoes off for 9 weeks. No work.
2) Feed Top spec feed balancer
3) Daily application of cornucresine origonal to coronet band
4) Twice weekly application of antibac to damaged wall
5) Apply good quality hoof oil/conditioner other days (which one doesnt seem to matter)

Shoes are back on now, but continuing topical treatments. Hoof is growing faster and old hoof is much better due to hardening effect of antibac (so says farrier).

I have been told it is only worth feeding a supplement if coat is not great as hair and hoof are both made from keratex, so if coat is shiny the horse has all the nutrition needed for good feet.

Good relationship with good farrier definitly essential.

Hope this helps!

[kitty@djse.com]

Forgot to add: Regular trims of hoof when no shoes are essential. My farrier said that taking foot very slightly short stimulates blood supply and accelerates growth. Regular trims also maintain/improve balance and give you the chance to nag farrier to put shoes back on, which makes you feel better!!!

[Zingy]

I thought hoof oil didn't generally do feet any favours? :confused: