Tell me about Keratex
- Thread starter Rhein
- Start date
you mean the keratex hoof hardener? super stuff 
apply to about 1/2 way up the hoof and apply to the sole but NOT the frog. We used to apply it a few times a week, cutting down as bonnie's feet improved.
apply to about 1/2 way up the hoof and apply to the sole but NOT the frog. We used to apply it a few times a week, cutting down as bonnie's feet improved.you mean the keratex hoof hardener? super stuff
Yes, I guess that's what I mean. Is there another sort
.She is shod in front and has a few cracks/holes around where the nails go. Behind she is barefoot and they are cracking all around the base. Part of it is the hot dry weather I think, but also there seems to be little hoof growth (farrier came after 6 weeks and the nail holes are where the previous ones were - if that makes sense).
I have been "fussing" about her less than perfect feet
and someone suggested Keratex would be good to use for a while. Thanks for the "how to apply it" info. Exactly what I needed
I plan to try it on all 4 feet.
we were recomended to try keratex with our laminitic. She was barefoot behind and her feet were prone to cracking due to poor laminitic hoof growth. It worked a treat.
love it!! It really works, I started using it because Star was forever losing the same back shoe and hardly had any hoof left, since using keratex he's not lost a shoe since *hugs a huge piece of wood!* 
you apply it halfway up the hoof like EB said, and make sure you really work it into cracks and old nail holes
you apply it halfway up the hoof like EB said, and make sure you really work it into cracks and old nail holes
I know lots of people on my yard really rate it. I was going to try it on Jim but didn't as my farrier was anti it for him, he said it would dry his feet too much & ake them brittle. Instead I use Antibac if they need hardening & Kevin Bacon's if the weather goes very dry & they start to go a bit brittle.
i have used it but generally only when its been wet outside. i use hoof moist in the summer and that really stopped my mare's feet cracking. my farrier was of the opinion that keretex does strengthen the hoof but can make them too dry and therefore brittle. on the instructions it says to use twice a week to begin then once a week once it has started to take effect. the best time to get some on is when the farrier has newly been as it is more easily absorbed.
my mare has the same trouble where the nail holes were going in the same place after 8 weeks. we had to take the shoes off in the end as there was no growth even with keretex. as soon as my mare was back on lush grass her feet started to improve but i haven't gone back to shoes.
make sure you apply it in the nail holes well as the hoof will take the keretex in better there.
there are other keretex products - hoof putty, mud fever barrier etc.
my mare has the same trouble where the nail holes were going in the same place after 8 weeks. we had to take the shoes off in the end as there was no growth even with keretex. as soon as my mare was back on lush grass her feet started to improve but i haven't gone back to shoes.
make sure you apply it in the nail holes well as the hoof will take the keretex in better there.
there are other keretex products - hoof putty, mud fever barrier etc.
S
showjumper-zoe
Guest
Yeh, Keratex make a range of products but I read an article in horse and rider once about it and it is ment to be very good esspecially if you are taking there shoes off.
Y
Yann
Guest
It works, and can be very helpful, but I have found it makes the hoof wall brittle long term. On the odd occasion I do use it it only tends to be on the sole.
Chipping around the nail holes in a newly de shod foot is normal and nothing to worry about, just make sure you are doing some sort of disinfection in case there's any infection in there.
Chipping around the nail holes in a newly de shod foot is normal and nothing to worry about, just make sure you are doing some sort of disinfection in case there's any infection in there.
Yann, the chipping/crumbling around the nail holes that I refer to, is on her two front shod feet. Behind, where she is barefoot, there is a lot of chipping around the edges.
What do you consider to be "short term"?
I think I will try and take some pictures and post a new thread for everyones comments
What do you consider to be "short term"?
I think I will try and take some pictures and post a new thread for everyones comments
It contains formaldehyde which shouldn't be used on the hoof in the long term (personally I wouldn't use it in the short term either). According to a vet from the Royal D.ick it has been seen to damage the keratin bonds and causes small cracks in the hoof wall.
Yes, it is very similar to embalming fluid 
Sort of follows that long term use makes your horses feet look like something that has been dug up from a grave. I am not joking here, I know someone who used to swear by it
Sort of follows that long term use makes your horses feet look like something that has been dug up from a grave. I am not joking here, I know someone who used to swear by it
Coincidentally, I've just bought some for the first time on my way home from work! Flora's hooves are cracking this summer - I assume because the ground is so dry and its been dry all throughout the spring! I have started applying Naf Hoof Moist to get some moisture into them. That is to be applied about 3 times a week, so I figured I could use that, ensure any remaining was well washed off and use the Keratex. The leaflet states that the Keratex should be used twice a week for the first two weeks, then once a week. I don't have a problem embalming her feet if it really protects them!
The leafet is very specific, so I'd say read it before you use it. It stresses that it should not be got on the skin, horse or human.
The leafet is very specific, so I'd say read it before you use it. It stresses that it should not be got on the skin, horse or human.
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But the problem is that it actually can damage the hoof wall in the long term. It's 'ok' in the short term for a specific problem but not for long term use.
I hear you Baymare. I expect to use it until the hooves seem strong again, then stop.
Is there any actual evidence that formaldehyde would damage the hoof wall?
Is there any actual evidence that formaldehyde would damage the hoof wall?
Water is the best thing for hooves in the summer. Get the horses feet wet as often as poss. I realy notice this when I rotate the fields. The fields with the long grass hold the dew and the horses get a couple of hours foot moisturisation each morning with the dew... no crumbly brittle hooves then!
When the field is eaten down and its dry and dusty with no where to hold the dew or rain, I notice the cracking and crumbling beginning.
After all it is the lack of moisture in the enviroment and the dry dusty ground leaching moisture out of the hooves that causes the cracking and crumbling in the first place.... along with the battering the feet get on the hard ground (not much can be done aboutthat though, especialy as most horses are worked more in the summer.)
When the field is eaten down and its dry and dusty with no where to hold the dew or rain, I notice the cracking and crumbling beginning.
After all it is the lack of moisture in the enviroment and the dry dusty ground leaching moisture out of the hooves that causes the cracking and crumbling in the first place.... along with the battering the feet get on the hard ground (not much can be done aboutthat though, especialy as most horses are worked more in the summer.)
Y
Yann
Guest
I'm not quite sure how it can cause a long term problem when the hoof it is applied to is constantly growing out and being worn, trimmed off or exfoliating. Where did this information come from? As far as I can see the only issue is that it can make the horn too strong and hence lose some of its natural elasticity, which is what can cause the issues with cracks and splits. This is made worse when the wear rate is retarded and the horse becomes overdue for a trim. It's simply a case of weighing up the pros and cons for a given situation, I've certainly found it useful and helpful at times, it can make a sore horse more comfortable or reduce the rate of wear so a working horse can grow a bit more foot.
As far as a shod foot cracking and chipping it's either down to poor general foot health or possibly an infection in the white line / hoof wall. Watering feet is a bit of a point for debate, they don't actually need hydrating externally, all moisture will do to a cracked hoof wall with fine cracks on it is make the horn swell slightly and close them up, which isn't quite the same
A healthy bare foot can stand up to endless battering on hard dry ground without the slightest hint of cracking or chipping, but it can take a while to get there.Keratex ingredients and patent.
If you read the Keratex patent its basically 5% formaldehyde with some aluminium chloride. Why they think putting aluminium salts on horses hooves is a good thing is beyond me, and I've been a research biochemist for over 30 years. Formaldehyde at 5% concentration is a standard treatment for foot rot etc in cattle and is sold for that in 25 litre drums of 35% strength for dilution at about £15.00 at many agricultural merchants. Certainly Keratex will help get rid of bacteria in the same way but why anyone will pay Keratex prices for 250mls of 5% formaldehyde solution is a mystery to me.
With respect to the chemistry formaldehyde will create some cross links in the hoof matrix but it tends to make a rather brittle hardness, which is why for instance it isn't used in leather tanning ( the chemistry is somewhat similar) it makes hard brittle leather.
There are much better agents for this than just straight formaldehyde and one of the best of them is in a new product I found on barefoot endurance champion Les Sparks website. It contains agents used in human nail hardeners and must be safe and much more expensive to make but the final product is no more than Keratex.
http://www.fnesaddles.com/index.php?page=Equitech-Products
When I contacted him about it he claimed not to have had a competitive veterinary failure due to hoof problems for a couple of years , and he rides a serious number of miles. Have a look at the rest of his barefoot section , its quite useful and he's really approachable about anything to do with this as his website claims.
If you read the Keratex patent its basically 5% formaldehyde with some aluminium chloride. Why they think putting aluminium salts on horses hooves is a good thing is beyond me, and I've been a research biochemist for over 30 years. Formaldehyde at 5% concentration is a standard treatment for foot rot etc in cattle and is sold for that in 25 litre drums of 35% strength for dilution at about £15.00 at many agricultural merchants. Certainly Keratex will help get rid of bacteria in the same way but why anyone will pay Keratex prices for 250mls of 5% formaldehyde solution is a mystery to me.
With respect to the chemistry formaldehyde will create some cross links in the hoof matrix but it tends to make a rather brittle hardness, which is why for instance it isn't used in leather tanning ( the chemistry is somewhat similar) it makes hard brittle leather.
There are much better agents for this than just straight formaldehyde and one of the best of them is in a new product I found on barefoot endurance champion Les Sparks website. It contains agents used in human nail hardeners and must be safe and much more expensive to make but the final product is no more than Keratex.
http://www.fnesaddles.com/index.php?page=Equitech-Products
When I contacted him about it he claimed not to have had a competitive veterinary failure due to hoof problems for a couple of years , and he rides a serious number of miles. Have a look at the rest of his barefoot section , its quite useful and he's really approachable about anything to do with this as his website claims.
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