hooves

[horsemad]

Is it a good idea to use creams, oils etc to protect/condition the hooves? I don't use anything on my share horse, and have noticed a crack developing on one of her hooves. Is there anything I can do to protect her hooves?

[ponyvet]

creams and oils can be helpful for hoovesm, to keep them looking nice and shiny, but they don't really help the strength of them. If your horse has a crack developing there are a few possible reasons:

he could just need his feet trimming - so you need to get your farrier to check it out.

he might have poor quality hoof horn, which means that you need to think about giving him a supplement for his feet, like farriers formula.

thre are a few other reasons but the most common are those two.

Wally is the hoof expert!! :D

[heland]

The horse I've just bought has poor quality hoof horn. He has a vertical crack in his right fore.

He was seen by the farrier yesterday and he put quarter clips on. He also burnt a groove just above the crack.

He is on farriers formular and I have to put hoof oil on twice a day. This hoof oil was advised and bought from the farrier as his hooves are very dry. He will also have to be checked every 4 weeks.

I would definately ask your farriers advice:)

[Jane.A]

Hoof oil is actually detrimental to horses hooves and should not be used on a daily basis. It prevents the hooves from soaking up moisture as it effectively acts as a waterproof barrier. The only time it is really beneficial is during a really wet spell, when you want to inhibit the excessive intake of moisture, or after the feet have had a good soaking during a really dry spell and you want to slow down the evaporation rate of the moisture. Most cracks are a result of poor horn quality.
If you must use a dressing then cornucresine stimulates growth when applied to the coronet band. There is also a product called 'hoof moist' made by NAF that nourishes the hooves as well as putting a coating on them. The hooves like our nails are mirrors of the standard of nutrition. It takes the horse 6 months for new growth to reach the heel, 12 months to to reach the toe, so no matter what you do the new quality hoof will take time to grow down. Farriers formula is an excellent product, as is Natural Bio Hoof n Hide by NAF. I have successfuly used both these products on thoroghbreds with poor feet.
The hoof your farrier is now nailing to is hoof that would have been put down during the really dry spell we had this summer. Perhaps if we have another dry one you could soak your horses feet in a stream for 20 mins once a week, or try tubbing them to prevent drying out. Hopefully if you redress the vitamin and mineral balance now, you won't have another problem once this has grown out. The big thing to remeber is its what you put INTO your horse, not ONTo that makes the difference.

[Wally]

Cornucrescene will not make the feet grow faster, there is no evidence to support this claim. Massage to the coronet may have some benefits, but farriers will argue about this one too.

Water as mentioned before is by far the best idea, hoof oil for show days only. Good balanced feeding is the best way to influence horn. Keratex is good, we have had good results from it. You have to use it regularly.

[Maci]

Here's one of the past threads on hoof oil (http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8053), it you want to read it.

Maci :)

[heland]

Thanks for your advice.

I have only had this horse for 2 weeks and I'm following the advice of my vet and farrier.

Like you I only used hoof oil if I was going to a show as I have read never to use it daily.

I will post you tomorrow with the name of the hoof oil I have to use.

[heland]

Hi
The hoof ointment I've been advised to use by the farrier is Effol. I have to plaster this on twice a day.......