Advice please.

HorseyTee

HorseyTee

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Who knew there was SO much choice when it comes to chaff and foot supplements etc. Argh.

I have a Cob who is barefoot, has pretty bad feet in the sense they chip easily and are quite soft. They are better than they used to be as I give biotin and he has the farrier regularly and a nice deep bed to dry them out if the weather/field is wet.

I also give him TopSpec Calmer as he can be a bit of a **** to put it short. Therefore need chaff (currently Dengie Hifi Lite) to mix the calmer and biotin into.

Now the advice I need is....what is the best chaff for me to use as a base for his calmer/biotin, and is there a better hoof supplement I can give that isn't too pricey?
It's so confusing as there is so much choice.
 
Hi,

Yes, in my opinion, a much better hoof supplement. Unless your horse is not allowed any grass at all, he doesn't really need biotin. He will get plenty from the grass and the bacteria in his gut will help him. They reckon 60 mg is an optimum amount. However, people do like it, and do say their horses' feet improve. Personally, I think it's because people start paying a lot more attention to their horses' feet and little things slot in to place.

Progressive Earth's Pro Hoof (about £30 for 1kg) or Thunderbrooks, or on the budget route, Equimins Hoofmender 75 (which admittedly has a lot of biotin in it) is a great supplement, with appropriate levels of other required minerals in at around £20 for about 50 days supply (I think). As an aside, the Mole Valley Farmers appallingly named Everyday Vit's and Min's [sic] has comparable amounts of all other minerals and compounds.

For a very low calorie slop, I use 1/4 Stubbs scoop dry weight of unmolassed sugar beet. Soaked, it fills the bowl and keeps her happy. She wouldn't eat supplements in chaff unless it was molassed, which I am sure you know is a big no-no.

Magnesium, either oxide or chloride is supposed to help as an additive for barefooters. Something about making them a little less footy.

With regards to needing calming - up the work. A lot. And soak the hay. Note, if you do this, then do certainly give him a supplement and possibly add some linseed. When the grass isn't growing, if his hay is soaked he will be losing out on protein.
 
Thanks for replies so far.

I will add, his hay is always soaked as he has COPD. Due to various reasons he's also hardly worked at the mo although I know this will certainly help burn off that excess energy.
His paddock has nice quality grass but I have to be careful as he has previously had lami 2 years ago.
He can't be shod either as he has very little in the way of hoof wall, however his farrier does a lovely job with his feet.

He's your typical, if it's edible i'll eat it, type lol :)
 
I would give him formula for feet with the current chaff. And muzzle if already had lami too risky if nice grass in his paddock. Mine is muzzled when turned out, mine has been for the last 10 + years and hasn't had lami since touch wood and he's in a nice paddock too. He is 38 and I feed Topspec fibre plus cubes and senior lite balancer, I use kevin bacon on his feet and keratex hoof hardener on his soles and wall below coronet band when I remember (should be twice a week) he is unshod on his hind but has fronts on, he retired a year ago after osteoporosis of the pedal bone, not age related or to do with lami but is ok now but not to ride
 
I know people use Keratax hoof harderner.There website says Keratex Hoof Hardener formula is patented and includes a unique flexibility agent as well as a hardening agent, making this the perfect product to protect your horse from: brittle, cracked, soft or weak hooves; soft, sensitive or thin soles; repeated shoe loss; transition to barefoot; hoof damage.

Keratex Hoof Hardener will strengthen and protect shod and unshod hooves, to restore soundness after sensitive soles and to prevent existing cracks from laddering up or across the hooves.

It works by cross-linking the keratins and proteins within the internal structures of the hooves, making hooves stronger from the inside out. Because it absorbs into the hooves, it will not ‘come off’ in the field, it will continue to work within the hoof whatever the weather and whatever the field conditions.

Since it first became available to horse owners in 1990 as the first product of its kind, Keratex Hoof Hardener has been proven to improve hoof quality in short and long term use. Keratex Hoof Hardener is allowed for use in competition and is recommended by vets and farriers worldwide, including Olympic farrier Ian Hughes.
 
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