hoof problems

[LittleD]

I have only owned my horse since the beginning of last September and up until now has had really good hooves. Since June her feet have been terrible, how the farrier got a fixing the other day I don't know.all around the edge they are broken, not split but chunks missing, can anyone recommend using any products or supplements please.

Its mainly her front set but the backs are pretty ropey too!

She was shod on Monday, by Wednesday had lost one of her fronts, by Saturday lost her other front luckily this was farrier day and he put them back on, but they still look a mess, farrier suggested cod liver oil in her diet, anyone else heard of this, or if not any suggestions welcome, because her shoe was off I couldn't do anything with her for 3 days which is not a big deal in itself but if it keeps happening I would like to try and sort it out for her benefit. Thanks!

[Bebe]

How long does she usually go between shoeings?

What do you feed her?

If you've only had her since September the hoof growth that you're having problems (the bit that's growing out at the bottom) could possibly be growth from when you got her as the hoof takes anything between 9-12 months (on average) to grow from top to bottom. This would make me wonder whether it's a change in diet, lifestyle or quite possibly the farrier himself that is causing the hoof quality to be poor.

But, it could also be something as simple as dry weather causing the hoof wall to become brittle, going too long between trims & shoeings, etc.

[shandy84]

Happy hoof or farriers formula in the diet can be a real help, kerotex hoof hardner is an option but run it past your farrier first

[Big H]

Hi!
The same is happening with my cob at the moment, last year his feet were fine, but now they are just falling apart.

We are using hoof oinment, Effol (recommended by the farrier), everyday, once a week we apply Karotex Hoof Hardener along with NAF Biotin supplement.

Hope this helps??
:rolleyes:

[Wally]

Maybe the dry ground, Get her feet properly wet every day for a good 20 minutes at a time.

Don't use oil or grease it will just stop the hoof taking in water and making things worse.

[virtuallyhorses]

Cod liver oil is high in vitamin D and I think has some Biotin (but I'm not sure on that). However, if your horse's feet have only deteriorated in the last month then nutrition is not the cause since nutrition can only affect the hoof wall which is being grown - ie you'll notice changes in nutrition in the hoof growth coming down from the coronet . Large changes in nutrition can sometimes be noticed as rings or bands on the hoof as they grow down.

So, if this poor hoof wall was nutrition then it would be what happenned 9-12mths ago (when the hoof wall that's reached the ground now was being grown). If the condition of the rest of the hoof looks the same as what you currently have now then yes, you should look at diet and in particular at what changes were made around a year ago as this has affected the quality of the hoof. It won't hurt to add Cod liver oil to the diet but don't expect it to fix this problem and any changes such as adding biotin or msm made now will not show up until the hoof grows out.

If what you are seeing is basically good hoof that has dried out too much - then look at how you can give your horse's feet more access to water - soaking for 20mins day when you feed maybe or creating an overflow area around water troughs.

- Creams and oils hide the problem and can make the basic structure worse so beware of using them.
- Keratex is a great product but not always suitable - it hardens by driving out water content and therefore is not suitable for dry hooves (it's for soft mushy hooves).
- A sealant can help if you can only give limited soaking - it is intended to help when you soak and then the feet are subject to rapid drying (hot dry conditions) - the sealant slows down the surface evaporation. These can be a minefield tho' as the ingredients and claims vary wildly.

Sorry more questions than answers - could you take some closeup photos maybe so that we can see the condition and type of hoof wall ... ?

[virtuallyhorses]

BTW BigH do you realise that Keratex hoof hardener must be applied to a clean dry hoof that does not have any oil in it? If you are using Effol within a couple of days of the Keratex then the Keratex will not be being drawn into the foot and this is a very expensive product to waste :( - if you're just putting the Effol on the coronary band and not on the hoof wall you'll be ok

Ideally Keratex should be applied to freshly opened tubules to be drawn into the hoof wall - i.e. the foot is completely cleaned and then the bare foot is lightly rasped so that the bottom of the hoof wall is 'freshly cut' you then apply keratex to the bottom of the hoofwall and sole and hold it for a little while to let the solution soak up the hoof without contact with any dirt particles.

[flowergirl]

...when soaking your horses feet the water should cover the coronet band as the periople takes in water, stores it and then uses it to moisterise the hoof thoughtout the day.

[Big H]

To Virtually Horse,

Before I apply any of the hoof stuff, I always give their feed a scrub to make sure they are clean then leave them to dry before applying anything. I don't use the hoof hardener and effol together.

Thanks for the rest of the info though.

Big H:D

[easyhorsecare]

Water applied daily to the hooves can help an awful lot, especially during the warmer weather, and with regular visits from the blacksmith - every 6-8 weeks.
There are so many different hoof products on the market that it is difficult to find the right one for your horse.
I use cornucrescine moisturiser on my horses feet every day and find that it works for mine.
Good Luck
From Tracy

http://www.easyhorsecare.com