moisturising/caring for hoofs!?

[CrazyMare]

My cobs feet are in pretty good nick but I always seem to be spending a fortune on hoof care products! I haven't used any thing on them for a while now but they are starting to look a bit dull, flakey- is there any thing I can use to keep them healthy with out spending more money out on lotions and creams!? I have herd from friends to rub grease into them(though not sure on this!) baby oil or hair conditioner?!:confused:

[Pink's lady]

baby oil or hair conditioner

:eek:

the ONLY thing that should be going on your horses feet is water, or a water based product. Oil is the worse thing you could put on.

The two products I know are Hoof Moist (http://www.saddlery.biz/pp/Horse_Supplements/Horsecare/NAF_Hoof_Moist_Black.html) or Carr&Day&Martin daily hoof moisturizer (http://www.saddlery.biz/pp/Horse_Supplements/Horsecare/Cornucrescine_Daily_Hoof_Moisturiser.html). ANd for a once weekly intensive moisturize - Cornucresine Intensive Hoof (http://www.robinsons-uk.com/products/ProductDetail.asp?ProductCode=64204)

[purrrfect]

my farrier recommended baby oil in the summer! :confused:

[MelanieD]

Avoid oil, it's a very bad idea. Hooves are meant to be water based and oil and water don't mix so oil replaces water which is not good. It can appear to help flaky hooves at it makes them soggy but isn't going to do anything good long term. Right Step hoof dressing is water based and pretty good. Or, if you want really cheap, a lot of chipping and scruffyness is due to infection especially around nail holes (and most farriers don't seem to see that as something to panic about or actually mention to the owner :rolleyes: ) so once a week soak in borax which is available at Boots and similar shops and very cheap can help. If it's not infection then most likely water damage from winter, so Right Step would be good. Right step isn't very expensive, think I paid about £16 for a big bottle that lasted for months.

[breeches]

i dont use anything on my cobs feet, i give them a rub with a rubber curry comb daily to get rid of any debris. its quite natural to get a little flakyness and if its not being shown then i thinks its good to go natural.

[cloang]

When our pony was on box rest the shavings seemed to make her hoofs a bit dry and we were recommended Effol hoof ointment which is not really oily, more like a conditioner. It worked a treat.

[Wally]

Water, plain water, stand him in water once a day for 20 minutes!

Hooves are not made up of oil, the horn is comprised of water, up to 48% in the frog and about 30% or so in the wall. If you fill the hoof with oil you will make it brittle.

I use nothing on any of my hroses' feet, they get to paddle in bogs and all have feet like iron.

[CrazyMare]

ok, will try those then, have just seen the a 'tip' on caring for your horses hooves on google and had to giggle at the Saddle soap and Bacon grease idea!!:eek:

[Wally]

Bacon grease???? they are hooves, not trotters :D :D

[freespirit]

cornucrescine (sp!) is fantastic as it nourishes and protects without drying out and forms a waterproof barrier- get it from your tack shop tis fabb

[Pink's lady]

forms a waterproof barrier

But you don't WANT it to form a water-proof barrier - that's the whole point! The hoof must be able to breathe, which means water based or nothing.

[LMS]

It's true about the oil products: they trap the moisture in the hoof as it forms a barrier. Therefore the hoof can't breathe & you end up with cracking hooves.

It's a big misconception in the summer (here anyway) that when the hooves start to crack it means that the hoof is dry & then people put on gobs of petrolium based hoof products, making the problem worse.

Besides, if you're putting on any cream (water based please), it's best put on the coronet band & bulbs rather than the whole hoof.

Be careful about treating the hooves with too much water, that's not too good either.

Horses usually get enough water for their hooves if they are at pasture: the dew.

[CrazyMare]

Have gone out and got my stuff that I normaly use - NAF hoof moist cream:D

[Pink's lady]

Thats the stuff :D- great stuff - it's water based;)

But if the feet are looking a little un-well, a decent feed supplement, espically for feet (i.e farriers formula or formula 4 feet - both horribly expensive, but extremly effective) would be best.

[artemis]

Water ,water & only water!!!

Cornucrescine should only be used on the coronary band about twice a week if you need to improve hoof growth. (or your nails)

[Wally]

It's the only thing that goes on our lot's feet, and then they spend all day in the bogs eating the bog plants, they never have any bother at all with their feet.

We go on to the beach and paddle in sea water, nothing like coarse beach sand to clean and scrub their feet clean.

[sidesaddlelady1]

My cobs feet are in pretty good nick but I always seem to be spending a fortune on hoof care products! I haven't used any thing on them for a while now but they are starting to look a bit dull, flakey- is there any thing I can use to keep them healthy with out spending more money out on lotions and creams!? I have herd from friends to rub grease into them(though not sure on this!) baby oil or hair conditioner?!:confused:
If you put too much grease/oil on them it waterproofs them and this stops them absorbing the moisture they need to keep them healthy so they get even drier. Friends swear by Formula4feet and Farriers Formula feed supplements. A little veg oil (from the supermarket) in the food might help. For topical use, cornucrescine is good but apply sparingly - don't over-do it for the above reason.

[¿M€®¥ñ™]

I'm probably wrong but when things are made wet then dry and then wet and then dry or just kept wet all the time doesn't it make them crack? Kind of like licking your lips in the wind. Is it good due to them getting used to it so their feet get tougher? Or are hooves just totally different to lips :p . I do say though that my miniatures hooves were at their best when I picked them out like crazy and did nothing else but walk him on roung terrain about 12km a week but then I did have a hoof wax that I applied every couple of weeks if the did look bad or if I gave them a good clean so that he could come into the house :rolleyes: .

[jenren!!]

Cornucrescine do a great hoofcare range. I have the intensive hoof moisturiser and hoof strengthener. The moisturiser moistures the hoof, replacing lost moisture. The strengthener however forms a barrier to prevent excess moisture getting in. Its the moisturiser you want.

Jenny xx

[doris]

Good old plain water based Aqueous cream that can be purchased from any chemist really cheap for a big pot. Asda have some priced at about £1.88.

[*millie*]

water :D

[jowyles]

I love my keratex! Its now kept dexters shoes on for 3 weeks Im also putting cornucresine on and soaking his feet but thats mainly for treating thrush! For brittle soft feet tho keratex is the stuff!

[trieste]

My farrier recommended Kevin Bacon Hoof Dressing, as my horses hooves are so dry - he says it's the dry weather and lots of horses feet are suffering.

[harryhorse11]

I must admit to not having to use anything this summer, H's feet have remained in really good condition which is fab! however when i do use something it's always water based never oil:eek: I'm afraid i'm a firm believer of working from the inside out! so feed and supliments are always my first port of call

[EnduranceAli]

This is so interesting. At the grand old age of 35 :eek: I was brought up thinking that hoof oil, more hoof oil and yet more hoof oil was the way to go! I used to put it on the hooves at least once a day - and I must admit I have always been proud of my ponies/horses' hooves :p Love the smell of it and how smart it makes them look :) Cornucrescine was always used for horses with cracked/chipped hooves - and again always gave fantastic results (as well as, again, smelling wonderful :D ). I always applied it all over the hooves :confused:

Frayne is arriving 'barefoot' (always has been), with good hard dark feet - just a few chips on her off-hind. I was going to get my usual Cornucrescine hoof moist stuff (not sure what the exact name is?) and apply it to clean hooves daily. Should I just save my money and see if she actually needs any hoof products (I am a real fussy 'mum' and tend to buy everything in the shop :D ) - and encourage her to stand in water?? She will be on 'natural' grazing (ie with plenty of hedges, nettles etc) 24/7, with hay and possibly a small amount of hi-fibre feed in the winter. I intend to ride her most days - keep her barefoot and we will be riding on roads/tracks etc.

Ali xx

[MelanieD]

For barefoot you are better avoiding hoof gunk unless you really need them. A good balanced diet and plenty of work should be all you need. Chipping around the bottom of the foot is usually either a sign it's time for a trim or little bits of infection which can be treated with borax or virkon or something similar. Hoof oil softens the feet which does seem to make them break less with shoes on but does nothing good for bare feet. If the weather is really really dry in summer then maybe a little bit of water or water based hoof moisturiser would help but most of the time the hooves are going to get all the water they need from rain and dew and internally. When it's wet all the time in winter Right Step hoof dressing or keratex hoof gel can help with the feet getting too much moisture, Right Step is much easier to use.