Instead of spending a fortune on products such as Effoll hoof grease as I have done for ages, my farrier said that good old vegetable oil works just as well, but the best thing to moisturise dry hooves is good old natural moisture (dew). It's true when Pink lived out 24/7 this summer for the 1st time, her feet weren't at all dry and brittle like previous summers when she has been stabled at night!
Interesting huh?
well last summer i used plain old water and soaked her feet, as told by my farrier, after my mares hooves practicually fell apart!!!three months later = better stronger hooves!!!
It does nothing for hooves except make them look shiny - I never use it.
What I have found excellent is the Keratex range - moisturiser and hardener - Safi is unshod and her tootsies stand up to miles of roadwork usung them - no cracks or flaky bits. I do the others too in the winter when unshod.
I perviously used to use hoof oil all the time. After speaking to my vet and farrier I found out that it is actually bad for your horses feet. It makes them shiny but puts coating on the feet which stops moisture entering the foot. This makes the feet dry and brittle. I agree with the previous posts about using keratex and effol etc are also good but be careful when using hoof oil. I never use it now and my horses feet have drastically improved!
I only use it for shows, to look nice! Otherwise, I soak with water and sometimes use Mane 'n Tail Hoofmaker (which is also great, because you can use it as a human cream, too!)
when my farrier, looked at my chancer feet and they weren't in good condition he asked me what i used and i said nothing, he said 'good' and proceeded to give me a long lecture about how bad hoof oil is!!!!
i already knew that thats why i didn't use it!!! it saves time and money!!! but saying that watering her feet in the summer takes ages!!!
Use a bit of plain old Veg Oil in their feed - this has worked wonders on my TB who used to have terrible feet - also helps keep his weight on and produces a wonderful shine to his coat!
I use this mainly in winter and give more oil if he needs the slow release energy it gives.
I also agree with the others - hoof oil does stop the natural flow of moisture into the hoof etc. It also can fry the hoof in the summer.
I totally agree that plain water is the best way to maintain pliable hooves, and avoid cracks. In the wild, horses wade into water in order to drink. Youngsters learn to do this by following mum.
A horses hooves need to be immersed in water for around 15 minutes, to absorb a decent amount of moisture. If you haven't got a convenient stream handy , you could use some old socks with sponges on the bottom. Looks totally daft, but it's much cheaper than buying soaking boots.
Keeping hooves moist is especially important for barefoot horses doing a lot of roadwork, as it helps to prevent chipping and cracking.
sorry - iknow this is like 10 months late, but oh well !! LOL
i dont know if this is really true - but my grandad used to do it to his horses on his farm - when the mud is thick - the horses walk through it and it really mosterises them and keeps them healthy [i dont know - but maybe like a mud pack LOL] then he used to take them out in the puddles and let the plash about and their hooves were beautiful - i tried it with timmy and i think it works - he is bare foot and the farrier never comes to timm his feet when he comes for bow and he always says how lovely they are !!!
be cause i take him out on the road so much they are filed down perfectly and he said that the mud and water [and dew - as some one said] does wonders for them !!!!!!!!!
i got it out of my grandads 'book of usedful tips'
However, standing in mud 24/7 gets hooves *too* mushy. Last time they were shod, the farrier told me that Kat's hooves were much too soft; so soft he could almost drive the nails in with his bare hands. Don't overdo it!
i dont perposely walk him through it !!
near the gate where i and him and blacky walk it is muddy and they walk through it on their way to the gate !!!
but i do walk him through puddles - shallowish ones though about 3 inches at the most ! althought he does go the bigger ones that come up to my ankles !!
and you said that they may get too mushy but [correct me if im wrong] do shetlands have tough little feet ?
i know all horses are different but in general do they ?
sorry if i sounded snappy at all - not intened !
No, no--as said earlier in thos (old ) thread, some water is very beneficial. But if the field is so muddy that the horses are ankle deep in mud all the time, that's TOO much for their feet. Of the ones I've seen, Shetlands have tough little feet but too much water will do damage to ANY hoof.
Just be careful if your little guy is standing in mud for too long (and I'm talking days at a time, here).
this is a very interesting topic. Could anyone tell me why water is best? Also, I have a question about egg whites. My friend fed it to one of the school horses once, and it is said to help their coats. Is this true? If it is true, and good for them, do I feed them the egg whites cooked or raw?
Actually, tea tree oil works wonders for dry hoofs. I have a recipe that contains tea tree oil and a (believe it or not!) douche product that works great on dry hooves. It will also kill thrush within 48 hours!
The best thing to aid bad hooves is to fed him from the inside.
You can get biotin from the feed merchants which will make the hoof tissue strong and a few weeks in his system.
NAFF hoof moist (a cream not an oil) may also help.
) thread, some water is very beneficial. But if the field is so muddy that the horses are ankle deep in mud all the time, that's TOO much for their feet. Of the ones I've seen, Shetlands have tough little feet but too much water will do damage to ANY hoof.
Linear Mode
