argh! desperate plea for hoof treatments!!

Pharphar!

Pharphar!

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please please help!

my TB usually has good feet esp for his breed but unfortunately due to the changing weather his feet have started cracking and crumbling horrifically! he was fine all winter and during the warm spetember and october we had (not had him long!) my farrier said its due to expansion and contraction of the hoof due to weather going quickly from wet to dry conditions so i've been slathering his feet top and bottom in efol summer hoof moist, then a layer of stockholm tar. its slowed the cracking/crumbling but i really need advice from HHOers about the best hoof moisture products and the best suppliments- ones that actually work and wont cost the earth!! he's getting biotin in his feed from dengie healthy hooves but any other recommendations are much needed!!!!
 
loads of us with unshod horses are using aqueous cream at the moment to counter the dry weather.

Costs 1.99 and seems to work amazingly well. It might be worth a punt for you before anything expensive. Just slap it on the inside and outside and off you go. Might do nothing but it's hardly a big loss!
 
Another BIG fan of Aqueous cream - my mares feet were dreadful - dry brittle and so hard underneath. within a week of using the cream her hooves were much better - Farrier was VERY impressed and now tells all his customers about it....x
 
i started using formula4feet a coupleof years ago when my horses feet were breaking up really badly and am convinced that this has made her feet really strong. my farrier asked me what i had done differently as her feet had improved dramatically in 2 shoeings and the only differenvce in management was the formula4feet. its about £33 and lasts me 6 weeks.....
 
It sounds like your horse has just finished growing out the hoof he laid down at his old home and the poor stuff is what he has grown since being with you. Why don't you ask the old owners what they were feeding? If that is impossible I would feed either NAF profeet or formula 4 feet.
 
Another one here for Aqueous cream!
ALSO i was told by my farrier that the hoof is made up from loads and loads of tiny little straw-like fibres, so oils and creams cannot penetrate the hoof wall, only at the top of the hoof by the coronary band, and from the sole (this way it seeps down into the hoof.) I would love to know if this is true. I moisturise it in at the top and its made quite a difference.
 
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Seaweed is great for hooves and we use either Effol Sommer Huf Gel or NAF Hoof Moist. Our mare's hooves had started cracking and crumbling and the farrier said to us last week he can tell we're moisturising her feet 'cause they kept slipping out of his hands!!
We moisturise the sole and the top of her feet :)
K x
 
Pharphar! said:
please please help!
my farrier said its due to expansion and contraction of the hoof
Click to expand...

Flippin' eck - they're not made of wood y'know! Hooves do not do this or we'd all have crumbling feet due to weather conditions!

You need to feed the hoof! No topical treatments will cure your hooves... might help a bit but thats about it.

Seaweed, F4F, calcium, magnesium atc... a high fibre low sugar diet is what you need to provide ultimate strong hooves.

Cut out any excess feeds that are high in carbs, protein and sugar and you should be fine - 4-6 months and you'll have a set of strong new hoofsies :)
 
Another vote for Kevin bacons hoof grease/oil, worked wanders for my TB mare, we applied it twice a day, top to bottem of hoof and on the sole.

Also feed biotin in feed as a direct supplement rather than one within a feed. And obviously regular trimming:)

:-)
 
Kevin Bacon Hoof Grease for my TB, farrier shoes trotters and racers and has often been complimented on how strong their hooves are, he swears by it and is not the lotion and potion type!
 
Be careful with seaweed guys!

If your grass/hay is already high in iron or manganese then you will be doing completely the wrong thing to feed seaweed which is high in iron.

It will suppress copper absorption which can interrupt insulin regulation and you could tip your horse over into insulin resistance and laminitis.

You need a forage analysis (local farmers often hoave one) before you can know if it is safe to feed seaweed. If you have any cows or horses nearby which should be black but are turning red brown then you have signs of copper deficiency in your area and you should NOT feed seaweed.
 
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Where do you guys buy aqueous cream? I'm using cheap Tesco nappy cream at the moment and that seems to be good as well.
 
I use Farrier's Formula on my eventer who has really bad feet, really dry and crumbly and also the thinest soles ever. I didn't tell my farrier I was using it and after 5 months he said "see I told you they would get stronger on their own"!!!! It is quite expensive but really worth the money and I feed it on its own as it a pellet - the company I buy it from says it is really good for their overall condition too. Oh also, you shouldn't just give biotin on its own as this can make the hoof softer, so I have found out through hours of research.
hope this helps!
P.S. they are by far the cheapest www.supplementsolutions.co.uk
 
thanks guys fro the advice! ive read up on magnezium being very good so he has been getting that too and his diet is mostly fibre based atm too. i'll defo try th aqueous cream and will go for suppliments too. we're on ex -dairy herd pasture so not sure about that re feeding seaweed!!
 
Juat a quick massive thank you to all who gave advice on this thread! farrier has recommended 5wks instead of 6-7weeks just to keep on top of his feet. He's now in naf profeet suppliment in his feed and using aqueous cream on coronary band and sole and even after a week his feet have started to improve! they dont feel as dry any more or as brittle. def not spending a fortune on hof salve and the likes this summer!

Again a big massive thanks to you all! king grumpo and i appreciate it! :D
 
tallyho! said:
Flippin' eck - they're not made of wood y'know! Hooves do not do this or we'd all have crumbling feet due to weather conditions!
Click to expand...

Interesting why you think hooves don't expand or contract? Simple physics means that any even slightly porous substance absorbs moisture and also expands and contracts. Hooves are slightly porous and have the ability to absorb moisture and expand and also dry out and contract when no moisture is able to be absorbed. Obviously not visibly contract, but keratin structures definitely do lose elasticity, contract and expand depending upon the environment. Human hair is a simple example of how keratin expands when moisture is in the environment..hair expands and goes frizzy or fluffy in humidity or rain..and when exposed to dry environments without all the moisturising conditioners we use on our hair..goes straw like and brittle.

Hooves cannot expand and contract naturally as well when in metal horse shoes, and the frog cannot perform the function it is there for either...which is to absorb concussion, and accommodate the flexing,expansion and contraction of the horses foot in day to day life..so if your horses are always shod maybe you wouldn't be aware of how the hoof expands and contracts all the time.

Unshod hooves are always drier in dry weather, as they need moisture..hence so many horse owners experiencing brittle crumbly hooves this time of year. Doesn't happen as badly in less dry times of year. Of which we notoriously have loads :/
 
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