At a loss with rubbish TB feet - help please!

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Ziggy_

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Since moving yards my mares feet have been a nightmare. Her feet were long overdue so I had them trimmed as soon as she arrived, however she was very jumpy so putting new shoes on was delayed for a week.

In the week without shoes she wasn't ridden and was living out on grass however her feet have become very cracked and she was really badly footsore.

When she had shoes put back on she appeared better but pulled two off within a fortnight. Today she has a chunk of her hoof wall missing where she has trodden on her own foot and two of the nails have come out so chances are the shoe will be lost by the morning.

The farrier said ideally her shoes should be left off to allow her feet to grow but they break faster than they grow. Going without shoes is out of the question as she will just go lame. She can't wear over reach boots either as they rub - i have really soft neoprene ones but can use them for half an hour max when jumping.

Any suggestions for creams/supplements that work as fast as possible?

The farrier is coming out again on Wednesday so I will ask his advice - he has been really helpful and keeps replacing shoes for free and I am happy with his work, just not my mares feet!


Ps if anyone read my other thread about me thinking of selling my horse, thought i would update - I took her in our jumping field yesterday to take photos for her advert and we were flying 3 foot fences and she didn't put a foot wrong and I was having a blast. So I've decided I like her again now!
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My sister has loads of problems with her TB's feet (just one of the things wrong with him !!!) He has been on biotin which seems to be working really well so far. Farriers Formula is meant to be quite good as well but is really expensive !! I've heard that the best things for cracks is just to make sure they are moist, i.e. hose them. Most TB's that I know seem to always have bad feet !
 
I've got the t-shirt too, but chin up - my farrier says if you're going to have problems with crumbly feet, this time of year is the best time as the feet are growing at their fastest.

I'm using Formula 4 Feet which I bought from Prequestrian on eBay in a 20kg sack. I think it's a small investment compared to farrier visits.

I also use Kevin Bacon every day, the one in a tin with a brush in the lid. But once a week on the really bad crumbly bits I use Keratex hoof hardener, though not simultaneously with Kevin Bacon as it needs the hoof to be non-greasy in order to sink in.

I changed farrier which was the right decision for my horse as the new one is getting on top of the situation. I also started to use 2ml of Sedalin when the farrier visits so my horse keeps still as there isn't much to nail onto and accurate nail placement is so important.

I also changed from a single toe clip in front to quarter clips which has supported the hoof and the fronts have gone from totally dire to normal in two shoeings. I now just have to get one hind right and I will have a normal horse again
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I had exactly the same problem with my TB, he kept ripping his shoes off and each time pulled away more hoof. He had glue shoes and vet and farrier working together to shoe him and I used Keretex hoof hardener, every day for 2 weeks and then every other day for 2 weeks and then twice a week and he has not pulled a shoe off since!!
 
My last pony (gorgeous TBxWelsh Sec D) mare had very similar problems so we had her on Biotin which didn't totally cure the problem but made it 5 times better!! Also found that using Cornucresine once or twice a week and Effol daily helped a great deal. Hope you find something that helps!!
 
Ive the t-shirt too and brightmount I have the same idea from pre-equestrian on ebay, saves so much money!!! Fomula for feet is fab though and most definatley an investment!!! Why do they not breed TB's for hoof confoemation and not SPeed lol!!!!!!!
 
My TB is on biotin and I use carr and day and martin daily hoof moisuriser throughout the summer. Occasionally I'll use keratex hoof hardener if they start to split and fray round the edges.
 
One of ours has always had shocking feet. We also use formula 4 feet supplement and apply keratex hoof hardener every couple of days. A bottle of which lasts ages. His feet are looking really good. The other supplement we always used to use before was the hoofmaker sachets. This supp gave very good results aswell but again not the cheapest! I have heard mixed things from farriers formula some it works for some it doesnt but the other 2 supps i mention seem consistent.
 
The best supplement I have tried was called Tenderfoot 80 made by Trinity Consultants who are equine nutritionalists. The guy that runs the company really knows his stuff and is very helpful. They have a range of foot supplements and will make a batch up for your individual horse depending on what the problems are with the feet. Delivery is within days. I was very sceptical as I was told my horse may only need to be on it for a month. Within 2 weeks my horses feet were growing very fast and he had to be trimmed 3 weeks after his last appointment (he started on the tenderfoot a couple of days after being trimmed on reccommendaton of the trimmer). £ weeks between trims is a LOT quicker than usual. The quality of the horn produced had also greatly improved in this short time. The price is comparable to the other off the shelf products such as farriers formula. If you are desperate I would give Trinity Consultants a call and have a chat - it willl only cost you a phonecall even if you deceide to go with one of the over the counter brands
 
Not a great consolation to you right now but my old TB mare had horrid feet when she arrived but they did get a lot better, biotin def helped.

Perhaps you could put on equiboots on the front for weight bearing to prevent cracks getting worse, just whilst she is out or to prevent further wear and tear in the mean time.
 
My TB is on formular 4 feet which has made a huge difference. I'd be worried if mine kept pulling shoes of. He did with a previous farrier and it was simply because he wasn't shod well. My last two farriers have never had any problems. I do now have in natural balance sheos in the front for a number of reasons including that they tend to stay put longer. I know you say overreach rub her but have you tried the woofwear neoprene ones? I only ask because my TB is a complete wuss (he got rubs from his o/r boots which got infected etc) but he literally lives in his woofwear ones with no problems.
I'd have a long talk with your farrier. Your mares feet will not improve unless you can keep shoes on as every time she pulls one off more hoof will be lost. I'd definitely be looking at trying a slightly different shoe or something as the current path your going down clearly isn't working.
 
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