To oil or not to oil??

[JoeyJoJo]

About a month ago I looked after the mare that I ride for a week, whilst her normal carers were away.

During this week the weather got quite warm and 2 or 3 days I used hoof oil to prevent her hooves getting all cracked and dry. Some people looked at me very strangely as if I was glamming her up for nothing.

Was I right in doing this or was it a waste of time and hoof oil? This has been really bugging me for a while and I'd just like to know what you guys think!

Thanx! :)

[Laya]

I don't know much about when you should oil a horse's hooves, but it sounds pretty smart to me, even if it is just a precaution. Hey, it won't do any harm, and it'll make your horse's hooves much more capable of going through this heat streak without getting too baddly ruined. I think you should do what you want. If you think it'll help (it won't hurt), then go ahead.

[JoeyJoJo]

Hi Laya - Thanx for your post!

Prevention is better than cure right?

I agree with you that it couldnt have done any harm and I think it probably did her hooves some good, besides she looked darn smart after too!! :D

[Laya]

JoeyJoJo-

Thanks for reminding me to pick some oil up for Justin's hooves. The weather's really hot and humid here too. It'll do good for him and soften them dry suckers right up.

Prevention is the key. Are we correct or what? It helps the hooves and doesn't do anything bad towards them, except make all of the other horses look homely. :)

Love,
Lacey

[Allie]

I don't oil my horses feet becuase my farrier said most hoof dressing don't really do anything but give the owner peace of mind. I thought that was rather interesting, so Iasked a different farrier and he said the same thing. Tehy both said the best thing you can do for your horse's hooves is to let your water tank overflow when you fill it so the horses have to stand in the mud when they drink. When he came to trim hooves on Saturday, he comented on how the horses on all the other farms he had been to were so hard he could hardly cut them, but that ours were pretty decent. We don't do any hoof dressing, we just have a couple of creeks that the horses walk through probably 4 or 5 times a day. And our weather has been extremely dry. We just had the driest April in history (Kansas)- we only got 6/10 of an inch of rain the entire month! Hoep all that made sense.

Allie

[Laya]

Allie.

That was very interesting. Thank you for pointing that out to me.

Laya

[jitterbug]

Hello,

I agree with Allie, hoof oil puts a layer on the hooves that stop moisture getting to the hooves. <The oppersite that you want> It will also crack hooves more. In England you can get Hoof Moist that is a cream. This works in the oppersite fashion to oil and prevents hoof cracking and also helps cracked hooves. Biotin feed as a supplement also helps.

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[This message has been edited by jitterbug (edited 13 May 2000).]

[Sarah]

hello!

I have always been told the same as jitterbug by my farrier. Oil can also trap a layer of bugs and dirt against the hoof which is not too good an idea. My farrier says I should use Hoof Moist everyday when Tango's hooves are dry, but if i want shiny hooves for a show, use hoof oil - but only for show.

bye!

[JoeyJoJo]

Thanks for your replies everyone!

I will invest in some hoof moisturiser when I get my own horse!!

:D

[Maria]

My farrier obviously trained in the same school as Sarah and Vicki's farriers. Hoof oil on a daily basis is a definite no no.

He says if the hooves aren't dry then there's no need to do anything. If they show signs of drying out he recommends applying EFFOL hoof ointment when the hoof walls, sole and frog are wet (either from the dew on the grass if your up early or by wetting with a damp towel). You just apply Effol when it's needed.

He also warned me that when the hoof wall and frog get very dry they can shatter like glass - what a horrible thought.

[Vicki]

I second Sarah's comment about Hoof Moist, my farrier said exactly the same and it does seem to work. I don't know whether it is avaialable in the US but it comes in neutral and black and is water-based.

Regards
Vicki

[Frances]

NEVER EVER USE HOOF OIL.

That is a quote from my farrier. She goes mad if you ever mention it and says it causes the most problems in feet.

Subsequently, we dont use it although I know of establishments that wont let the horses out without using it.

Find a river and let your horse stand in it for a bit. Or put his feet in buckets of water.

BUT NEVER EVER USE HOOF OIL. Go on throw that tin away, it is a complete waste of time.

[JoeyJoJo]

Here you are giddyupgirl. I had to put a post to bring this one up to the top!

[giddyupgirl]

Hey JoeyJoJo
Oh yes, I definitely agree, I use a treatment on my horse though (was recommmended by the farrier - thrush season and all here in NZ) but I use a product called hoof food which contains biotin which is really good for hoof strength, particularly with horses with white hooves.....my horse has 3 black feet and one white foot and Ive found that the white foot deteriorates before the others ie shoes coming of real easy, anyway biotin is really good for strengthening these white feet up.....farrier loves me for it!! hehehe, saves him running all the way out to my horse 2 weeks after he has shod her to replace the white foot shoe.....hehe

[Dori]

JoeyJoJo,
After fighting thrush for 1-1/2 years, our pony could have been the poster child for lousy looking hooves. I started giving her supplements (Select I) which helped tremendously. Also started using Life Data Labs hoof dressing which is not supposed to block natural moisture absorbtion, etc. since it does not use petroleum and other harsh ingredients. For a full explanation see info on website: http://www.lifedatalabs.com/rightstep.htm

Life Data are the same people who make Farrier's Formula which, except for being terribly expensive, is great stuff. The hoof dressing can be put in a spray bottle and sprayed on the hoof. I loved it and I noticed good results. Have used the paint on Rainmaker without much difference being apparent. Hope this helps you. Visit the web site. I found it very educational.

[Charlotte]

I've heard that hoof oil can fry the delicate top layer of the hoof in hot weather. I've been advised, much the same as the rest of the replies, to run water from the hose onto all four hooves in summer months. I have used Effol about once a month and also Cornucrescine less frequently. I find both products excellent for my TB, who has quite poor feet. Effol can also be used on the inside of the hoof and on the frog and heels to prevent cracking - it moisturises without softening.

[G Lenn]

Can I just add that a pal of mine, who's a farrier also doesn't reckon white hooves are all that weaker than black ones - he says they usually crack up and go wrong because people keep oiling them too much. Moisture on the hooves definitely helps. I remember reading that Red Rum used to be driven down to the beach just so's the lads could gallop him through the water... some people get all the best jobs!

[nrob1982]

Does anyone here use the Keratex hoof products? Interestingly, Keratex claims its scientific research shows that soaking hooves actually causes problems. It says horn swells when wet then contracts as it is drying. This swelling and contraction weakens the horn and causes cracks, apparently.
The Keratex website makes interesting reading on http://www.keratex.net/keratex_history.htm although the views expressed are diametrically opposed to the accepted wisdom of saoking hooves in the summer.
To soak or not to soak? Frankly, I'm just plain confused.


Neil

[Allie]

We don't soak hooves with water for that exact reason. The hooves dry too quickly, and the process of wet-dry-wet-dry it harnful to the horn and causes crackimg and splitting. Interestingly, my farrier say really wet mud is allright, because it takes a lot longer to dry, and he advises people to let their stock tanks run over when they fill them so the horses have to stand in the mud while they drink.

Allie

[JoeyJoJo]

Wow I never realised this post would get this big - LOL! :D