Barefoot Peeps?

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kateknights

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My new boy is barefoot, which is great, my farrier is coming out on Tuesday to give him a trim. Is there any supplements that i can give him to look after his feet even more? I mean there are things like pro feet and similar stuff, does it really work? And would it be worth me getting it? His feet have no cracks in them and look lovely, but just wanted to look after them as best i can i suppose? Sorry i think i am wittering on lol, just tell me to shut up
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and you understand what i mean!
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Kate x
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i've just bought a 4 yr old and have decided to try to keep him barefoot. farrier came out to trim his feet couple of days ago, said his feet were really strong. if they are coping allright on this hard ground then they should be fine all year round.
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he recommended that i buy keratex hoof hardener, which i have done today. (found it to be about £10 cheaper than most places in mole valley farmers)
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Agree with westygirl. If he was on something before, carry on with it, but if he had nothing, don't bother, just make sure he is gettin adequate vits/mins and regular daily hoof care. Follow your farriers advice.
 
I would recommend a very low sugar diet, alongside a good broad spectrum supplement.

For a surprisingly high number of horses, not just laminitis prone ones, even the sugar in a regular coarse mix is enough to see the quality of the horn deteriorate.
 
I'd avoid Keratex like the plague.

If he was doing well on his previous diet I'd keep him on that first off but there could be differences in your pasture/forage that may have an impact on his feet. Aim for a low sugar/high fibre diet.

UKNHCP and AEPAUK forums may be worth a visit
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My cob is unshod - is trimmed/balanced/shaped every 6 weeks and has Happy Hoof and Formula 4 Feet due to previous laminitis. She has always had rock hard feet and they grow fast all year round regardless of the amoutn of work she does - farrier thinks that has helped her recovery from laminitis.

Look at something like Happy Hoof if you are feeding a chaff - it is a 'balanced' chaff with all the vits and minerals especially biotin and is recommended by the Laminits Trust. All of mine have it in winter and it has certainly helped my wb's hooves from crumbling and chipping.
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My mare had to go barefoot when she went to stud. I'm lucky that she naturally has always had good feet and has had no problems going barefoot since then, I'll be weaning soon and am seriously thinking of keeping her barefoot for at least the winter. She has no supplements or anything just farrier every 6 weeks for a trim. She's had free access to horslyx in field over the summer, for balance of minerals etc etc
 
We've had a few ponies unshod now and they don't need anything extra - they're blessed with naturally good feet!! We did have a cob whose feet started to crack (he was shod) and the farrier said the only thing he finds that works is 'farrier formula' it was very expensive - his feet did improve though
 
Not if he doesn't know himself wildpoppywild, and plenty don't.

High amounts of magnesium seem to be beneficial to barefooters and many UKNHCP people, including me, feed 4grams per 100kg of horse of magnesium oxide. You can get it on eBay. I buy mine from an agricultural merchant at £9 for 25 kilos.

Many barefooters report foot supplements as being either of no benefit or positively harmful if they have sugar/molasses in them to make them palatable. Mollasses based mineral licks are a problem to some horses for the same reason.

Have fun with your barefoot boy!
 
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