Barefoot questions

[Guest]

So the Brymonster has been barefoot for a whole 2 days now and appears to be coping really well so far.

I had a lesson on her yesterday and after a bit of initial footness she was fine. Today I was going to just walk her up the road but she was fine so I ended up walking her round our normal 4 mile hack.

When we got back I noticed that her hooves were all chipping and cracking, is this normal and can I do anything about it?

I am feeding her calcimag...is there anything else I can give her and is there anything I cna apply straight to the hoof to strengthen it?

[No_Angel]

keretex hoof hardner might work, but if shes not haivng a problem i wouldnt bother, the less crap you put on the feet the better really, after theyve grown down again they will be lovely and hard.
The chipping is probably either holes chipping as they get near the floor, or the hoof is a little long and trimming itself, my tb has this at the moment, a whip around the edge with a rasp neatens them up:)

[Yann]

Do not worry at all if you get chipping and cracking, especially in the nail hole area, it's perfectly normal and grows out surprisingly quickly. Look at it as the hoof adjusting and self trimming, it rarely causes any problems. Excessive loss of hoof wall, especially at the toe can indicate infection in the white line though.

If she's particularly footy or you're asking for a bit more than she can manage then Keratex hoof hardener applied to the soles really can and does help, especially in the early stages. Tess has been barefoot 3 weeks now and it's certainly made a big difference to her comfort levels.

As far as feeding goes anything with decent levels of Biotin will help grow healthy hoof, Topspec for example or an off the shelf hoof supplement, though obviously you won't see maximum benefit until the new growth hits the floor.

[Guest]

Hmmmm thanks,

Have just ordered a full set of old mac G2's for her highness, just so I can do a bit more 'normal' work with her for my sanity whilst her new hoof grows through and the suppliments have had a chance to work.

[beccylovespurpl]

I think the hot weather has a lot to do with it as their feet don't have enough water content at this time of year. You could try soaking them in water. mine is barefoot but my families horse have shoes and I think that this means that the cracks don't show as the shoe holds them in but if you do look closely they also have small cracks in.