Advice on thrush prone hooves

[HaffiesRock]

I got my new pony 6 months ago. She is a hardy cob but it has become apparent that she is very thrush/abscess prone.

She has very deep collateral grooves that need a right good dig out when picking. She came to me with severe thrush in one hoof that took months to clear, even with the really dry summer. Finally got it all under control in August and she has been fine ever since.

I’ve been using medicated hoof clay weekly in all feet and every 3rd day in the hoof that had thrush, to try and keep it at bay.

Anyway, last week she came in on 3 legs and had an abscess in her other front hoof. It is now almost resolved and have a couple of days left of dry poulticing.

I pick feet twice a day religiously. She is a much better weight now as was over weight when I got her. Feed wise she gets Speedi beet, a handful of grass nuts and general purpose vits and minerals and magnesium (as I believe she was deficient) but is much better now.

How can I make her hooves less prone to thrush and abscesses as we go into the soggy winter? Internal and external ideas all considered.

Thank you in advance

 

[HaffiesRock]

And just to add, she is barefoot and always has been. She is 4 years old.

 

[Widgeon]

I've been struggling with niggly thrush in the frog grooves on my cob, I think it's something in the ground in the new field. Anyway the best and easiest way to deal with it that I've found so far, is to pick them out, scrub with hot salt water, dry with paper towel, then pack the grooves with Red Horse Artimud. That stays in for about a week after which I do it again. Mine is out 24/7 but they're in a fairly dry field - I don't know how it would fare in deeper mud. A big pot is about £36 but it lasts a while and works out much cheaper than prescription sprays, extra farrier visits etc.

I had to make a bit of a mindset change once I'd realised the clay WOULD reliably stay in - I no longer fully pick feet every day, I just pick out any stones that are stuck on the top. I don't dig into the grooves because they're full of the clay, and I need that to stay in. Oh and I'm not riding much at the moment - when I do hack him out I re-do the clay.

Anyway that's what works for me, but everyone's horses and situations are a bit different so I'm sure others will have different suggestions.

 

[Gloi]

Look into using Hoof Armour on her hooves.

 

[tda]

Take a critical look at her hoof trim, the collateral grooves should not be very deep

 

[smolmaus]

My cob is similar, good feet as in nice hoof quality but front frogs are a mess. No feed has made much of a difference. New farrier helped get her heels opened up (still not perfect but heading right direction) but the frogs still shed freakishly and I have started taking a hoof knife to them myself in between trims to manage the nasty flappy bits. I'm on basically the same routine with hoof clay (Artimud here too) etc as you are so can't be much help there unfortunately.

This is a bit out of the box but I have recently noticed a difference with a change in physical therapist. The osteopath said she had wonky elbows (she has always been slightly pigeon-toed) and was all hamstring, no quad in the hind end so pulling herself everywhere rather than pushing, and after 2 treatments 8 weeks apart both front frogs are improved with no other changes to anything

 

[HaffiesRock]

Thanks all. I use the Horse Leads clay which seems to have similar ingredients to the Artimud. It was the only think that cleared the stubborn thrush so will continue using that. Will look into the hoof armour too.

Thank you all

 

[Highmileagereindeer]

Take a look at Pete Ramey's Hoof Rehab pages on thrush. Unless you get the trim right and get the feet in balance, the heel and frog will not do their job properly. If you think there is room for improvement, please do this slowly over six months or so. Don't allow anyone to give her a pretty foot trim on day 1, and whack the heels down.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

My farrier recommended 3rd Millennium, he said as much as he loves their stuff it’s working better that Red Horse products. So far it’s done a good job on keeping a white line crack from turning into anything nasty and as it has a slim nozzle it’s perfect for getting right into the nooks and crannies where thrush seems to start. I get it from Richard Ash Horseshoes and a small bottle goes a long way.

 

[Fransurrey]

As others have said, trim is key. It wasn't until I took back control of my cob's hooves that I got on top of it. Trimming often and keeping the frog tidy and functional (ground contact!) has meant my boy is once again rock crunching. I also treat weekly, but doing that with 5 weekly farrier trims just wasn't enough. New farrier is fully supportive of me doing most trims and him stepping in if needed (I have problems with my wrists and back sometimes!).